The Flash, AKA the end of an era.

It ends here.

Fads come and go. What was once a matter of laughter in the film industry, became the ruling genre, and it ultimately imploded. Questions also came from every corner of the industry: producers, directors, actors, and a toxic, rather questionable fan base. The Flash was originally intended as the next step into Zack Snyder's DCU. Sadly, movies are now treated like products, people no longer root for the artistic elements that make a good movie. Now the world has turned its back to artists, and all it does is deliver headlines based on how much money these films are making or losing. There's also the unwanted comparison "our film is making more money than yours" and a neverending thread of negativity that really makes it seem social networks could be the worst idea of recent years. In  fact, I stopped reviewing films in 2017 (Wonder Woman) only to return briefly in 2020 with WW 84. Superhero exhaustion is real regardless what corporate  patronizing media says.

In the 80s (I was born in 1981) we had very few superhero films. Superman III, Supergirl, Superman IV and Batman. Although The Incredible Hulk TV show lasted until 1982, that's pretty much everything we had available, despite cartoons and older TV shows reruns. So, an 80s kid would get his/her comic book education mostly from actual comic books, and boy were the 80s a nice decade to get that superhero degree. So, I would say there are two kinds of superhero fans now. The casual ones, the ones that watch the movie, or TV show, and obviously the, let's say, dedicated ones. Those who read the comic book, and watch the movie and TV show with their critic eye looking for every similitude with the source material. but wait! there's more! there are fans of the superhero video-games, fans of the collectibles like action figures, wear, and a never ending etc. So how can you please every type of fan? Simple, you can't.

 

Two flashes for the price of one, and a Supergirl.

The reason to watch this film for older fans.

The Flash film is its own version of Flashpoint, or any based upon a multiverse story already told to exhaustion on paper by DC Comics for decades.In a nutshell, Barry Allen discovers by accident that if he goes faster than expected he can time travel. Obviously, any Flash fan at this point knows this can only mean one thing: He's going to prevent his mother's death. Moreover, in doing so, we all know this will have catastrophic consequences for reality as we know it. If you're one of the few unfamiliar with Flash's story, the film will explain it you with the aid of tomato sauce can, and spaghetti cooked by none other than Batman, the dark knight.

Production wise,  the scarlet speedster film faced a neverending season of problems that halted and delayed the project for five years. The internet incels, paid & biased media, made it really difficult for Warner Bros to develop a cohesive and coherent cinematic universe. On the one hand,every film, save for Wonder Woman & Aquaman "performed" really well ,although Wonder Woman's sequel flopped despite being released for free on streaming platforms for the pandemic. On the other hand, Aquaman's sequel has been halted and delayed by Amber Heard's divorce, and the many changes Warner Bros fat executives demanded. So in a strange universal alignment, real life problems seem to have defeated the idea of having a shared multiverse. Oh, I forgot the Shazam movies and the Blue Beetle one coming soon. They're also hot garbage, or at most filler material for something that will never be. Enter James Gunn, the new head of the cinematic reboot he promises will change the tide to smooth sailing. However, his The Suicide Squad film wasn't that much of a success. Perhaps, Peacemaker seemed like an original idea, a one hit wonder, in music terms but nothing worth calling groundbreaking.

 

Iris West and her unfinished arc.

His face relates to our experience as fans.

Anyway, going back to The Flash, the film would originally  Superman & Aquaman, and perhaps other Justice League members but nope. Henry Cavil was fired years ago, and despite all the love he gets on the internet, not even The Rock and his Black Adam cameo could save him. Moreover, Warner Bros, and James Gunn just didn't care at what millions of fans were asking for years on the internet. True, we got the Zack Snyder 4 hour cut of the Justice League Warner execs spent years saying it didn't exist. Oh, also that canceled Batgirl film. Not to mention Ezra Miller's legal problems which led a lot of people into boycotting this film.

At this point, we realize we're focusing on corporate business territory we shouldn't give a crap about. Sadly, this is how both social and official media work these days. We are told to celebrate those who get richer, and laugh at those who don't. So where is the art in that? Where are those cinema fans looking for a soul changing experience? Well, they're probably busy buying stuff they don't need.

The batmobile rides again (not)

A nice Supergirl with no future.

So in a world where everything is based on algorithms that will offer customized ads to maintain your brain busy consuming and avoiding at all costs thinking, how hard can it be for another superhero film to make sense? While The Flash flopped in theaters, it's actually doing pretty well on streaming and on-demand services. 

Useless business talk aside, The Flash offers an entertaining story that is outdone by what was happening outside in the real world. Going to the movies knowing this is a standalone project with no future led a lot of people into not buying the movie tickets. How can you root for characters that will never return? For example, Supergirl. Sasha Calle's version of Kara Zor-El while brief, leaves a mark, and a lot of people would have loved to see more of her. Same with Michael Keaton's return as Batman. Fans of his movies were thrilled when the official announcement was made, but nope, no more movies for him too. Moreover, Ben Affleck's Batman also shows up for one final adventure, and I know many people liked his take on the caped crusader. While comparisons are a bitch, the other film example I can think is Rogue One. A film that is completely wasted by the fact everyone knew every main character would die at the end. Bad idea! The viewer needs to establish an emotional interest in character development. If you already know what's coming you simply lose interest. I for one, think The Flash is a good movie, but it could have been larger than life had it not being devoured by behind the scenes trouble.

As above mentioned, time travel changes everything for Barry Allen. The first big change, is he meets a younger version of himself, and this is the best part of the movie. The way Ezra Miller is capable of portraying two very different versions of himself, proves he can act. Sadly, there won't be any more movies to see how much farther he could have expanded the fastest man alive story. 

Zod returns, and where is Superman?

Batfleck's final adventure.

Another interesting occurrence in The Flash is how much they reused from Man Of Steel to tell the main story. But, didn't people hate Man Of Steel? Why choose this particular film to be the setting of the story? I don't think I have an answer for that. Henry Cavil is nowhere to be found in the film, yet we get all his foes back searching for him, while they conveniently adjust the story to offer us Supergirl instead. 

 

Early on the movie also offers the last Justice League moment from the DCU. Batman, The Flash and Wonder Woman. I have to admit I jumped in happiness when she showed up! Gal Gadot did a wonderful job! I do hope she gets a chance to complete her trilogy of films. I mean, James Gunn gave Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn a chance, why stop there? Heads up! there is a rumor that James Gunn, Peter Safran, and Gal Gadot herself are working in Wonder Woman 3 as I'm posting this review.

 

Here to do a man's job.

The lasso of truth delivers the best joke.

 

Plot wise, Barry Allen discovers the mess he caused, so in teaching his younger version how to become The Flash, he loses his powers, which leads to laughter as the inexperienced young Barry attempts to master his powers as fast as he can. Of course, in this new reality there is no Superman, no Justice League, so while the original Barry knows there is no way he can defeat General Zod, because... he was there! In a cleverly placed sequence, we discover he was testing his powers with a proto-suit while Earth was invaded by Kal-El's not so friendly long lost relatives. So with no powers, and a younger version of himself, all they can do is hope The Batman still exists, which to our 40 year old happiness, it actually does! Bruce Wayne, The Batman returns from self-imposed exile, and it's none other than Michael Keaton himself. Tim Burton's Batman is back for one final adventure.

 

The batmobile, the batwing, the batcave and even a collection of bat-suits all return to the big screen bringing mostalgia to its peak once we hear him say "Yes, I'm Batman". However, he'll only help them find this Superman and then hit the sack. The white whale proves to be well guarded by mad scientists and a legion of soldiers. Obviously, Batman is a one man army, so with his aid, our two Barry Allens discover the shocking truth: There is no Superman! only a mysterious female prisoner that goes by the Kara Zor-El name. Phew! We're saved! As soon as she gets some vitamin D, she's ready to wear the red S suit and cape to take down the bad guys and see if she can find his long lost cousin.

 

Just in case, a few extra bat-suits.

 

 

Moving forward is the only way.

 

The concept of time travel in the movie offers one valuable life lesson. What if all the bad stuff in our lives was necessary to make us the people we are today? The question is not only raised by Ben Affleck's Batman, but also by many other characters throughout the film. Changing the past, or erasing it to save the pain, will not always be the best solution to our problems. Moreover, the original Barry realizes some things are impossible to fix, and all he's got left is learning how to come to terms with it.

 

Even though the movie features a lot of DC comics characters, make no mistake, this is a Flash film, he is the main character. His personal drama goes back and forth until he realizes what he really needs to do. The loss of his mother in the hands of a mysterious murderer (we know from comic books it is Reverse Flash,but not here, we're neither told, not shown), and how his father is unfairly sent to jail because of it, play an important part in the film.  

 

Some of the CGI from the movie.

 

Visual effects, or CGI has been one of the most criticized aspects from the film. Although director Andy Muschietti said: “We are in the perspective of The Flash. Everything is distorted in terms of lights and textures. We enter this ‘waterworld’, which is basically being in Barry’s POV.

“It was part of the design so if it looks a little weird to you that was intended,” he added.

All in all, The Flash doesn't win the superhero race, regardless of how fast he can go. The Marvel Cinematic Universe did it first, despite the fact we all know DC Comics came first with many of the most innovative stories and characters in the industry.  People talk about superhero fatigue, and I agree. It's time for the industry to push other kinds of TV Shows and films. We need more variety urgently.

It: Chapter Two

It ends.

Reviewing a film based upon my favorite horror book of all time can be a pretty tricky task. On the one hand, you have 1,138 pages of Stephen King's magnus opus, and on the other, a groundbreaking Argentinian filmmaker that hit the jackpot with It three years ago. Let's remember the author himself said "I wasn't prepared for how good it really was". In addition, if you were a fan of the made for TV It movies from 1990, you now know those two films were slayed to death with this fine update.

Although Stephen King's IT novel is more of back and forth from adult to kid and back and forth from adult to kid and so on, It: Chapter 2 should be looked at like it's the 2nd half of one big story, which is exactly what it is rather than a sequel. It's really not a sequel. Just like the 2nd half or "adult half" of the 1990 TV Miniseries/movie is not a sequel, it's just the 2nd half of one big story/movie. Let's face it, unless they're the Godfather Part 2, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back, and maybe a couple of other big time hit sequels, the sequel almost always gets hated on, critiqued to death, disregarded as "unoriginal", "same old same old", "not very creative", treated like the "intruder", etc etc....it's the same for 90% of remakes..but people need to realize and understand that IT : Chapter 2 is not a sequel and that IT : Chapter 1 and IT : Chapter aren't remakes to the 1990 TV minseries/movie either.

The losers club is forever...

...after.

Secondly, almost every negative review on Rotten Tomatoes or YouTube or on the Internet somewhere have complaints about the runtime of 2 hours and 49 minutes and that it's "too long" and "there are no superheroes on it". I don't see how you can make this whole story put to film not be at least 5+ hours long (Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 combined)..at the VERY least. The novel is over 1,100 pages long ! 1,138 pages to be exact. "IT" should have been a 10-15 1 hour episode series on Netflix to be done properly, to be honest..but if you go the cinema route with it (and they did, obviously), between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, it has to be, at the very least, 5 hours or so if the Director or Writers want to be even remotely faithful to King's novel and make fans of King and the novel at least somewhat satisfied. And you also have 7 protagonists..SEVEN..6 of which are main protagonists. That's A LOT character developing and character story arcs that have to be told and take place unless you want a lazily and poorly directed and written film with terrible story telling and bad or no/next to no character development.

This film delivers great character development and great character and story arcs for all of the main protagonists/characters of the film. This film is really entertaining overall. There are pacing issues but those really seem minor when you step back and look at this film as a whole. This film was really good on it's own and holds up very well on it's own. Yes, it relied on Chapter 1 some, obviously, because Chapter 1 is part of the overall story (Again, it's NOT a sequel. I'm really talking about how well Chapter 2 is made when saying "it's really good on it's own) but when you put Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 together and make it one big story/film like it should be, it's AWESOME. Pennywise is also at his most serious and gruesome in this one. This one doesn't cut away just as someone or a helpless kid is about to get bitten or eaten until after you see and hear plenty enough, if you know what I mean. More gore in this one. It definitely earns every bit of it's R rating. Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, Bill Skarsgard, and James Mcavoy are excellent, especially Hader and Skarsgard. Nobody was bad though..everyone was, at least, good. The CGI was also much better in this one..of course it would be though because it had a much bigger budget to work with than Chapter 1 did.

Red balloons are coming.

I've missed you losers.

Horror wise, there really isn't much to scare a 37 year old adult. However, this film not only made me jump off my seat four times, but also made my brave wife get a few scares as well as everyone in the theater. Although these scenes rely on the unexpected, they seem to work pretty well for me. Especially in how they devised the concept of scary intertwined with universally disgusting special effects. Still, this film is more about personal fears than actual monsters from outer space. Which leads me to a confusing question, is the film better than the book? or is the film as good as the film? To me it's a difficult question to answer. On the one hand we have an already established world by Stephen King's immense talent. On the other, we have Andy Muschietti's bullseye visual realization of the earlier. I could go on for hours, but I'll just say that this is probably one of the few films where you get something new that is as good as the source material.  The losers club is obviously the best part of both the book and these films. I cannot help but to be transported back to the 80's where My friends and I lived some of the coolest adventures kid can live. We'd visit parks, build forts, walk under bridges to find treasures, hunt imaginary monsters in abandoned houses, ride bikes, believe we were more grown up than we actually were and more importantly, stick together and try to make each other's lives happier and complete. 

It chapter two, it's not really a horror movie. Like the book, it's about growing up and discovering that the monster under our beds, it's actually very real, very human made. Conquering our fears it's the most human task we face throughout our lives, and this film clearly has that love for what once made us innocent kids, and eventually for what made us grown ups who should remember what matters.

Clowns?, again?

Nope, nope, nope.

Plot wise, the movie takes place (just like the book does) 27 years later, and the losers club have all moved out of Derry to lead relatively successful lives. Mike's the only one who's stayed in town, and it's the one to make the phone call to bring back the team to finish what they started. Nevertheless, and like the in the book, Derry plays a key role in the film as well. Prejudice, stereotype and hate speech are the very foundations of this small town, and here's where the book deserves its masterpiece label: Don't we humans fear what we don't understand? Of course we do! And this is where both the film and novel bring their most important lesson: Conquer your fears or be consumed by them forever. If you're afraid, you'll never move on, you'll never be free. Once every losers club member returns to Derry, they have to perform the Ritual of Chüd.

Following the Losers’ Club reunion at the Jade of the Orient and their discovery that Stan has died, in a scene that diverges from the book, Mike takes Bill to the library in hopes of convincing him that it’s possible to defeat It once and for all. Once there, Mike drugs Bill’s drink with a hallucinogenic root that was given to him by a Native American tribe he visited to try to learn more about It. He goes on to reveal that he spent several years chasing down every possible lead on It, a search that led him to the descendants of the Native Americans who inhabited the future site of Derry at the time of It’s arrival.

Back in business.

Do you want a balloon?

Mike then pulls out a Native American artifact that he stole from the tribe, which is covered in markings that reveal the origins of It. What follows is a trippy animated sequence in which Bill sees a vision of It crash-landing on Earth in an event similar to an asteroid impact. Although It arrives in its true form of the Deadlights, Bill watches as It transforms into a bird before rapidly shifting between a number of grotesque forms while preying upon the ancestors of the Native American tribe that Mike sought out. The tribe is then shown standing around the artifact as a fire burns inside it, signifying that they are performing the Ritual of Chüd. Unfortunately, they are only able to trap It with the ceremony instead of killing It for good. (Or so Mike says — more on that later.)
Mike is convinced that if the Losers recreate the ritual, they will be able to stop It’s reign of terror forever. But to do this, they first need to each collect a token from their childhood that they can burn inside the artifact. These "tokens" are nothing but a symbol to what they held on for too long. In order to make it, they have to "let go" of these things. In a way, they're saying goodbye to a part of their childhood so that they can make room for newer adventures in the adult life. 

The scene from the movie in which Mike explains the Ritual of Chüd to Bill is based on a chapter in King’s book in which the child Losers decide to perform an “Indian ceremony” that involves filling up their clubhouse with smoke to create a “smoke-hole.” Once the others can no longer endure the smoke, Mike and Ritchie are left alone inside the clubhouse, and both experience a vision of It’s arrival on Earth. In the book, there are no Native Americans who teach Mike about the Ritual of Chüd. It’s only mentioned in passing that the idea for the smoke-hole came from a book about Native Americans that Ben was reading while researching It.

Cycling to the red carpet.

The ending sucked.

Now, if there's a couple of changes I didn't like, I'd say it'd be not having Audra & Tom. Audra's presence in the novel is key to portraying the way in which Bill never got over his childhood crush on Bev, to the point that Bill wondered if Audra's resemblance to Bev is why he married her. She was taken captive by the IT-controlled Tom, and her rescue guided Bill's increased compulsion to destroy the evil entity. Not to mention the novel's epilogue featured Audra being pulled out of her coma after Bill took her for a bike ride on Silver. In IT Chapter Two, Audra is shown during Adult Bill's intro, in which she poked fun at the endings of his books...and that's about it.

While Audra's absence can be justified for the live-action adaptation, it was a much bigger movie sin to chop out so much of Beverly's abusive husband Tom. Don't get me wrong, his intro scene was a disturbing slice of domestic anti-bliss that didn't need to be echoed ad nauseam, but removing him from the bulk of the adult characters' stories definitely weakened Bev's character development. Movie audiences aren't fully able to comprehend Bev's cyclical life choices, and why she would end up marrying someone whose barbaric actions so closely resemble those of her father Al. As well, Tom's absence waters down the importance behind Bev's choice to finally leave him behind to return to Derry.

Do you want a picture?

It through the looking glass of despair.

The other big change, somehow linked to the above mentioned absence of Audra is the little to no use of Silver the bike. The first film did a decent-if-not-great job at relaying Bill's dependence on the bike, and his belief in its overall power. However, even though IT Chapter Two sets up Bill rediscovering Silver at a pawn shop – which features one of Stephen King's most prominent film cameos – the bike is more of afterthought mode of transportation as opposed to being Bill's re-strengthened connection to the blinded imagination beliefs of childhood that were so vital to weakening IT's power. Plus, viewers also missed out on the novel's sweet visual scare when Bill and Mike were putting playing cards in Silver's spokes.

Throughout the film, there are a couple of references to Bill not knowing how to give  a proper ending to his novels. This, was one of the biggest critiques Stephen King received for It. The novel ending was somewhat bittersweet for its surviving protagonists, in that defeating IT did not stop everyone's Derry-related memories from fading away once they got farther from the disturbing small town. Ben and Bev became romantically involved, which was a win, but it was made clear that they would all once again forget about IT's reign of terror, as well as their once-in-a-lifetime friendships. Meaning there might not be anyone to mourn Eddie's death in the weeks and months that followed. That notion is avoided during IT Chapter Two, which sets up that the survivors maintained their memories in the time after everyone had moved on from Derry. After all, that's how Bill and Mike were able to grasp the importance of Stan's self-sacrifice, which would have been the most random letter to get had no one remembered who Stan was. Perhaps it's a shame that they all have to live with those supernatural traumas for the rest of their days, but hopefully they can find equal amounts of happiness knowing that their actions changed the world.

It's called toothpaste, have you heard of it before?

Unicron? never heard of her!

Overall, It Chapter Two is a more than welcomed closure to a successfully unexpected remake that brought Andy Muschietti into the world of the most interesting film makers, and let's not forget he never works alone. His sister Barbara, produced both It films. While the future of It is sealed. Muschietti's future looks bright as he's directing DC Comics long awaited & postponed The Flash live action film. Robotech? You know that can't happen, so let it die already.

Teaser:




First trailer:



Second trailer:

It

We'll all float!

"I wasn't prepared for how good it really was" These words uttered by none other than Stephen King himself, where reason enough to persuade me into watching this remake (I have a strong policy against remakes in case you didn't notice) It is everything I wasn't expecting, a masterpiece, a horror movie the likes we haven't seen in more than 20 years, and I'm not exaggerating, I mean every word of it.  In addition, thinking a remake could outdo the original made for TV 1990 cult film everyone talked about for ages, was unforeseen and unexpected by every single film connoisseur from this world.

The brand new It movie (actually the first big screen adaptation of the film) is one incredible horror film, everybody involved should get a congratulatory pat on the back, definitely a huge upgrade from the '90s miniseries. This is by a long shot the best Stephen king adaptation to date. Even better than Brian De Palma's Carrie. 

The losers club. A triumph in casting!

You want your boat Georgie boy?

Directed by Andy Muschietti, based on Stephen King's timeless novel of the same name, IT is set around the mysterious disappearance of children in the small town of Derry (Maine), when a group of young kids will have to come face their biggest fears and square off against an eternal evil clown named Pennywise who comes around every 27 years to repeat his reign of terror.

It's no secret and it's not really a spoiler the fact that this story will be divided into two installments (just like the huge original book does), with the first focusing on the children and then chapter two showing their grown up selves once again battling Pennywise. So with this first chapter, I think the timing of its arrival couldn't be more perfect especially with hugely popular series, "Stranger Things" & "The Goldbergs" both based upon '80s childhood nostalgia. "IT" offers you that same vein and you're going to love that aspect about "IT." There's definitely a Stand By Me vibe to it as well, and the whole thing does feel episodic, at one point while screening it I didn't want it to end, it felt like I was binge-watching, it was so cool. Kudos to all the young actors featured in this film, they really hold their own and each of their characters' distinct personalities stand out, just like the original actors that portrayed the same characters 27 years ago. Their backstories and their process of slowly but surely coming together as some sort of a team is both honest and engaging. 

Together they will win.

Divided they will fall.

Now, considering the "IT" book is 1,138 pages long, I think the screenwriters of this new film did well in condensing the story to just the right amount of time that contains just the right mix of kids camaraderie and the horror fest that is Pennywise. And if you've watched the '90s miniseries, you'd recall how much that version held back plus the low quality practical effects that they had at the time. Well, I'm happy to tell you that this new "IT" doesn't hold back, this is Pennywise unleashed, it's practically proud of being R-rated, which is great because it allows for the scary parts to be really really scary and not second-guessing or pandering. However, if nostalgia is a thing for you, director Muschetti really knows how to connect the story to the 80's creating a setting that feels realistic and not a biased fantasy from someone that wasn't there. So, despite being a 2017 release, this new version easily connects with fans of the old film and 80's adventure films starred by kid wonders.

And if you have never liked clowns before, you're going to hate clowns even more because Bill Skarsgard's performance as the new Pennywise will haunt your dreams for the next few weeks after you've watched this movie. What I appreciate about Skarsgard is that he doesn't try too hard to emulate or imitate or channel Tim Curry (the original Pennywise in the 1990 TV movie), Skarsgard does his own take of creepy. And because Pennywise is pretty much invincible to a certain extent, you'll see him pop up in the most unlikeliest of places meaning when you least expect him, that's when he'll scare you to your core so brace yourselves for surprises around every corner. Another reason why the timing of this movie's arrival could not be more perfect is because today's visual effects compliment Pennywise's limitless abilities and so director Andy Muschietti and his crew have the creative freedom to not only realize some of the scare points in the book but they managed to also go beyond that. "IT" goes for massive, it goes for bold, it goes for bloody, not a single boring minute, it goes for the "Goonies" fan in all of us. You will laugh, you will scream, you will have nightmares, hands down one of the best horror movies ever made. 

The cast of incredibly young talented actors.

These kids are naturals.

Now, on the side of behind the scenes trivia (just to avoid spoilers from spoiling an excellent film) Let's take a look at the following IT facts:

 
-27 is a number that often becomes associated with this story. This movie is set to be released 27 years after the original television release. In the book, it is mentioned that "It" returns to Derry approximately every 27 years. Jonathan Brandis, who played young Bill in the original film, died at 27 years old. This movie released one month after Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise) 27th birthday. 

-About 6 months before the film was released, Stephen King (the author of the original novel) was shown a screening. Afterwards, he said that the film exceeded his expectations and that the producers had done "a wonderful job". 

-Andrés Muschietti kept Bill Skarsgård separate from the child actors up until they had to shoot scenes together. On the day of their first scenes together, the production staff warned the kids about how scary Skarsgård could be while in character. The kids brushed this off, claiming that they knew he was just an actor in a costume and that they were professionals and would be fine. However, when the time came for Skarsgård to be Pennywise for the scene, the kids were genuinely terrified. 

Do you want a balloon?

You will fear me!

-Contrary to the novel, in which the children's journey with Pennywise begins in 1958, the movie will begin to follow the loser club from around 1989 (four years after the final encounter between the loser club and Pennywise in the novel) and supposedly with the second clash in the mid-2010s. 

-The town of Derry is portrayed by Port Hope in Canada which as of April 2017 is the location of Turtle John's restaurant- the Turtle features heavily within the novel IT and The Dark Tower series. Across the way from Turtle John's is Beamish House and 12 beams link and hold together The Dark Tower and the Stephen King universe. 

-The trailer for this film enraged real-life professional clowns, who stated that the Pennywise character will encourage people to think of clowns as scary and murderous (though the filmmakers and actors have said, clearly, that Pennywise is not a clown at all, but a representation of IT's pure evil, who takes on the form out of a mix of sadism and childishness). Rallies to defend the good name in general of clowns in the U.S. are planned for next month. 

The bravest of the bunch.

Here we are now IT, entertain us!

Overall, IT is a fantastic true to the book new version of a character and story that since September 1986, has kept millions of readers across the globe praising the work of Stephen King as a cult horror author sensation. This is the ultimate horror movie you'll watch in 2017, and I'm absolutely sure this film is a strong candidate in everyone's top 5 2017 films. IT truly feels as quality film making, an excellent horror film made for opinionated people that can read. Possibly the best horror film ever made in more than 15 years. The Conjuring & Annabelle are worthless stinky pieces of shit for ignorant audiences, the likes of Fast & Furious retarded fans. If you're a connoisseur, which I'm sure you are, look no more, here's the revelation of the year: IT!

Here's the movie trailer: