The Losers Club is back in Derry. 27 years after their battle with Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), the members need to go back and finish what they started. ‘It Chapter 2’ maintains the nostalgic feeling the prequel had, without being repetitive.

Ben (Jay Ryan), Bill (James McAvoy), Eddie (James Ransone), Richie (Bill Hader), Stan (Andy Bean) and Beverly (Jessica Chastain) all left town after all the horrible things that happened. The group forgot about the events, but Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), because he stayed in Derry, is the only one who remembers. After more horrible deaths emerge, Mike decides it’s time to bring back the Losers Club. They need to return to the life they left behind so long ago. That’s the only way they will survive.

One of the strongest choices in the film is the casting. Not only did the actors that portray the adults look physically similar to the children that played them in the first movie, they were also skillful enough actors to mimic the mannerisms and speech patterns of the child actors. That gives the movie a level of realism that usually does not happen when different actors play the same characters.

A surprising aspect is the humor in ‘It’. Because there is such a dark tone to the story, the uses of comedy are fun diversions. When the club is first reunited they meet in a Chinese restaurant, this is one of the most hilarious scenes in the whole movie. Everyone is at ease and you get to remember, along with them, why they were friends so many years ago. Richie was the provider of the funniest joke in this scene and throughout the film, thanks to Hader’s years of comedy experience.

The movie is no slouch in the horror department either. A few jumpscares, which are well placed throughout the narrative, are accompanied by the use of disgusting violence that sets the mood even when the scary parts are not there. This creates an atmosphere of discomfort throughout the whole experience. The traumas the characters suffered in life plays a big part in the movie, as they strengthen Pennywise. 27 years have made their childhood fears grow all the more. This time Pennywise deals with these long-term traumas in sadistic ways. 

Bill returns to Derry still carrying the guilt of his brother George’s death. Bill ends up befriending a kid that was about the same age that George was when he died, and of course, that is the perfect scenario for Pennywise. He leads Bill to a house of mirrors in a carnival, and there makes Bill’s worst nightmare come true. It’s a heartbreaking scene that leaves the audience feeling as defeated as Bill.

The young Losers Club has new moments we did not get to see in the first movie. Because the movie has a very rapid pace, these scenes slow down the narrative to let the audience to catch their breath. In these moments, we understand what the movie really is about: the friendship between the members of the Loser Club, and how powerful this bond is.

Not only do they bring the kids back but also they do a few cinematography parallels between the movies. One of the clearest ones are the fighting sequence between Beverly and her husband is almost the same as the one she had with her father. There is also a scene in the first movie where young Bill is drawing Beverly and a few drops of water fall onto the drawing. When they make the transition reintroducing Bev in the second film, she is awakened by drops of water that fell on her face.

The movies share many more parallels with each other and they both bring the book that Stephen King created to life. It is a refreshing take on the horror genre without forgetting its roots. It’s a coming of age story wrapped within a horror story that leaves the audience with a feeling of nostalgia for their childhood though hopefully, one far scarier than their actual childhood.