I can’t necessarily define what a horror movie is for everyone, but by most definitions IT: Chapter 2 isn’t one. It isn’t terribly scary or suspenseful, relies way too much on CGI instead of building atmosphere and tension and at two hours and 49 minutes is way, WAY, too long.

Fortunately, it’s good-looking and well-acted and is interesting in its way though unless you’re really invested it’s just not worth the time you’ll have to spend to get through it.

A huge part of the problem is, as I said, it’s not terribly scary and could easily be confused for a YA (young adult) movie if it weren’t for the preponderance of not-so-young adults, which is odd considering that the novel it’s based upon the novel by Stephen King (who also has a cameo).

And speaking of adults the movie feels like some actors were contractually supposed to receive screen time, as opposed to their appearance being based on the story, and it shows because there’re more than a few sequences that contribute nothing to the narrative but bloat.

There’re also some odd and ill-fitting stabs–pardon the pun–at comedy, which typically fell flat.

This odd lack of focus doesn’t help the movie nor does the preponderance of CGI over practical effects.

And I hate to carp on the how this interpretation of Pennywise isn’t particularly scary, but it can’t be avoided. Bill Skarsgård’s version is a pale imitation of Tim Curry’s, partially because the former is just too deliberately sinister, which gets boring while Curry’s is like a typical clown, except when he isn’t, which is terrifying.

I was wondering how Andy Muschietti was going to handle the ‘big spider’ scene, which helped bring down the television version and I have to admit that while it wasn’t particularly scary it at least was visually interesting (and not the letdown that it was on the television series).