paulmabey
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
21 years
Reviews
It (2017)
Enjoyed it, but some gripes
I have fond memories of the original having watched it in my teenage years. I even re-watched it with my wife to set up for this remake (maybe don't! Whilst it was useful to remind myself of the characters and story, the acting all round was awful and it hasn't stood the test of time well IMO).
I did enjoy this movie, but it didn't blow me away as I had hoped.
The good stuff; Pennywise was great. Fair play getting away from the more comedic original but without losing that eeriness. Loved the first scene.
Bill and Bev I thought were excellent! Really, really well played. Bill was very genuine and relatable and had just the right balance of vulnerability yet toughness when it was called upon. Bev was perfect as the girl of their dreams with the complex home life. Eddie, Stanley and Ben pretty good in that order. Although for me Ben was just a little younger and softer than how I liked him in the original. I think they could have explored the backstory of Eddie's medical misuse more as I barely saw him have a wheeze on his inhaler until far into the film. I'd have liked him to have started much more as the sickly victim before breaking free from it.
Finally I thought they navigated the hardest part well which was exposing IT as a bit more than a clown at the end, with out it coming off as ridiculous (that terrible spider in the original anyone!?).
The not so good stuff.
Richie. Clearly from the reviews I have read I am in the minority, but I didn't like him! Even weirder considering I loved the actor in stranger things. I thought he swore WAY too much, which just cheapened everything he said. He made jokes in really inappropriate places which made me question his actual basic morals (which you certainly don't do with the losers club).
Mike. A total non event. In the original he was great, here, a total shadow. I kept looking at him and thinking 'you don't fit in at all' and he never did much apart from being pretty handy at the end. His backstory was not really explained at all unless I missed something. Even the rock throwing scene where they saved him and met him for the first time wasn't as powerful as the original.
The group as a whole. Don't get me wrong, there was rapport between them, but I guess the issues I have with the 2/3 characters (if you include Ben) just spoiled it a bit for me.
Lastly, I just didn't feel they acted scared enough when being exposed to some horrendous visions. Bev certainly did during the sink blood scene, and Stanley with that weird picture lady, but with a few other scenes (Ben in the library) I just didn't buy it. I'd have literally been weeping as I ran and a quivering wreck! Maybe it's the limitation of child actors and I'm expecting too much? Overall, really good film, but destined to be picked apart by fans like me due to the original.
I did enjoy this movie, but it didn't blow me away as I had hoped.
The good stuff; Pennywise was great. Fair play getting away from the more comedic original but without losing that eeriness. Loved the first scene.
Bill and Bev I thought were excellent! Really, really well played. Bill was very genuine and relatable and had just the right balance of vulnerability yet toughness when it was called upon. Bev was perfect as the girl of their dreams with the complex home life. Eddie, Stanley and Ben pretty good in that order. Although for me Ben was just a little younger and softer than how I liked him in the original. I think they could have explored the backstory of Eddie's medical misuse more as I barely saw him have a wheeze on his inhaler until far into the film. I'd have liked him to have started much more as the sickly victim before breaking free from it.
Finally I thought they navigated the hardest part well which was exposing IT as a bit more than a clown at the end, with out it coming off as ridiculous (that terrible spider in the original anyone!?).
The not so good stuff.
Richie. Clearly from the reviews I have read I am in the minority, but I didn't like him! Even weirder considering I loved the actor in stranger things. I thought he swore WAY too much, which just cheapened everything he said. He made jokes in really inappropriate places which made me question his actual basic morals (which you certainly don't do with the losers club).
Mike. A total non event. In the original he was great, here, a total shadow. I kept looking at him and thinking 'you don't fit in at all' and he never did much apart from being pretty handy at the end. His backstory was not really explained at all unless I missed something. Even the rock throwing scene where they saved him and met him for the first time wasn't as powerful as the original.
The group as a whole. Don't get me wrong, there was rapport between them, but I guess the issues I have with the 2/3 characters (if you include Ben) just spoiled it a bit for me.
Lastly, I just didn't feel they acted scared enough when being exposed to some horrendous visions. Bev certainly did during the sink blood scene, and Stanley with that weird picture lady, but with a few other scenes (Ben in the library) I just didn't buy it. I'd have literally been weeping as I ran and a quivering wreck! Maybe it's the limitation of child actors and I'm expecting too much? Overall, really good film, but destined to be picked apart by fans like me due to the original.
Attack the Block (2011)
Actually makes me a little angry.
Finally got to see this film after wanting to for ages because I'm a huge Nick Frost fan (although admittedly mainly through Spaced and Shaun of the dead). I would have put money on me loving this film. What wasn't to love for a bloke in his 20's – monsters/aliens, groups with weapons working together (The warriors anyone?!) and of course Nick Frost.
Well, I'll tell you the reason why I hated it – because the characters we were meant to love were essentially scumbags. Being a secondary school teacher it is depressing how often I see and hear teenagers acting hard, wearing hoods and trackies (even if it's 30degrees!, using ridiculous and often rude language and generally lacking basic morals and respect. And now here is a film that not only expects us to identify and go on a journey with these characters but also glorifies them!
My hesitation began in the opening scene when they pulled a knife whilst mugging a woman and seemed to have nothing but contempt for her. I thought to myself 'Hmmm, that's quite extreme as I thought we were going to like these guys?' Now that would have been OK if the story had quickly unfolded that it was just a big front and they were actually quite nice and don't really like hurting people they just do it as they don't know any better, but this wasn't the case. It clumsily seemed to try to swing it this way with some of the characters (the one with glasses seemed particularly easy to like), but most of them continued to be little scrotes if I'm honest.
The way the police were viewed and portrayed I thought was pretty disgraceful and again painted an image that it was cool to hate the police.
Probably the biggest let down was that I suddenly realised near the end of the film that I hadn't actually laughed once. A couple, and I mean a couple, of moments of light relief from Frost was about all I smiled at. I also thought the development of the characters was poor or almost non existent, especially the token weed smoking posh white boy who for me added nothing.
To the films credit I thought it was shot well, the monsters were good (in a budget/cult like way) and most of the acting was good, although it seemed to try far too hard to make them all use the teenage 'buzz' words constantly. Probably why the one liners failed to work IMO. It was bare annoying.
The sad thing is I can see some of the kids I teach watching this and wanting to be just like them. At least the worst thing I'd have been likely to say at their age would have been "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle"!
Well, I'll tell you the reason why I hated it – because the characters we were meant to love were essentially scumbags. Being a secondary school teacher it is depressing how often I see and hear teenagers acting hard, wearing hoods and trackies (even if it's 30degrees!, using ridiculous and often rude language and generally lacking basic morals and respect. And now here is a film that not only expects us to identify and go on a journey with these characters but also glorifies them!
My hesitation began in the opening scene when they pulled a knife whilst mugging a woman and seemed to have nothing but contempt for her. I thought to myself 'Hmmm, that's quite extreme as I thought we were going to like these guys?' Now that would have been OK if the story had quickly unfolded that it was just a big front and they were actually quite nice and don't really like hurting people they just do it as they don't know any better, but this wasn't the case. It clumsily seemed to try to swing it this way with some of the characters (the one with glasses seemed particularly easy to like), but most of them continued to be little scrotes if I'm honest.
The way the police were viewed and portrayed I thought was pretty disgraceful and again painted an image that it was cool to hate the police.
Probably the biggest let down was that I suddenly realised near the end of the film that I hadn't actually laughed once. A couple, and I mean a couple, of moments of light relief from Frost was about all I smiled at. I also thought the development of the characters was poor or almost non existent, especially the token weed smoking posh white boy who for me added nothing.
To the films credit I thought it was shot well, the monsters were good (in a budget/cult like way) and most of the acting was good, although it seemed to try far too hard to make them all use the teenage 'buzz' words constantly. Probably why the one liners failed to work IMO. It was bare annoying.
The sad thing is I can see some of the kids I teach watching this and wanting to be just like them. At least the worst thing I'd have been likely to say at their age would have been "I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle"!