Pennywise vs Pennywise - the IT Cinematic Comparison
"In 1960, seven pre-teen outcasts fight an evil demon who poses as a child-killing clown. Thirty years later, they reunite to stop the demon once and for all when it returns to their hometown."
It (1990)
Before jumping into a comparison, let me give a quick review of the original TV special.
This was made at the wrong time. The special effects are just so poor, and it's not because they didn't age well. When I say "wrong time," I mean this came out after films like Star Wars and Nightmare on Elm Street. The effects were so well done for when they were filmed, and then It came along and took a step backwards.
This adds to the fact that It wasn't scary at all. It wasn't just the effects, but nothing that happened to the Losers made me feel intense or scared of the dark. Sure, it was creepy enough to make a whole generation afraid of clowns. It just didn't live up to the mega potential It had. The wrong people were a part of this project, on and off screen. I was a bit disappointed with my experience.
Also, I hated Ben and all his story lines. The actor wasn't that great, and I just felt specifically peeved by him the whole time.
My Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆
The Comparison
Now getting to the real competition.
One of the defining differences for me is the connection of the characters, both as an audience member and the kids themselves. I think this was mostly due to the script. I felt that the newer cast had a more raw relationship on and off screen. Watching the newer kids, I genuinely felt that I was watching a group of friends. The older cast felt more disconnected. It's like the kids were just reading their lines about being each others friends, and it didn't feel like they meant it.
I actually really loved the concept of the nonlinear story telling in the 1990 version. However this goes back to the previous point of connection. What the 2017 movie did was spend an entire film with the kids during that one fateful summer. This helped a lot because in the sequel, their reunion felt more meaningful to the characters, and the flashbacks in the same movie seemed more emotional and nostalgic as well. So whilst I don't mind a good nonlinear story, the newer version benefited from not being one.
In my quick review of the 1990 It above, I mentioned how I was never scared, and it was mostly because the Losers had no intense experiences that made me feel scared for them. The Bowers character is a good example of this. The 1990 version has a Bowers screaming empty death threats and just seems like a pest getting in the way. The 2017 Bowers actually acted on his threats, and was a real danger to the Losers.
Also, the newer It benefited from having a lot of blood and gore, which the 1990 version lacked a bit. Not that blood and gore is the key to a great horror experience, but it can be used effectively as it was in the newer It films. The newer films also didn't hold back on the violence. Again, violence isn't needed for horror, but it did provide the intensity that the older It lacked.
One thing I'm on the fence about is the fate of the dead children. 1990 Pennywise left his victims behind, leaving brutally mutilated corpses of the dead children. 2017 Pennywise kidnapped them and collected them, meaning the children were missing forever. For parents, there's nothing worse than never knowing what happened, but it must be traumatizing to visually see their murdered child. So it's honestly up to personal opinion which is worse. Both cases can be shrouded in mystery really well, so I can't decide.
I'm gonna just come out and say I 110% prefer the newer casts against the older cast. Jack Dylan Grazer & James Ransone as Eddie, Finn Wolfhard & Bill Hader as Richie, Jaeden Martell as Bill, Jay Ryan as Ben, and Sophia Lillis as Beverly are amongst my favorites. I also think the visual casting of the young and old cast were fantastic, especially with Eddie, Stanley, and Ben. While I can gush about the new cast all day, I did like some of the older cast too. John Ritter & Jonathan Brandis as Bill, Seth Green & Harry Anderson as Richie, and Dennis Christopher as Eddie I though were really good.
Now the real question - Who was the better Pennywise? This is an extremely hard question to answer because the competition is really unfair. I want to hand the award over to Bill Skarsgard, but to do that without hesitation is a disgrace to Tim Curry. Skarsgard had the better design, had the better script, and had more opportunity to be the scariest clown of all time, and he killed it. Curry would've been so much better if he had that same script, design, and opportunity as his counterpart did. That being said, Curry did the very best with what he had, and is a perfect choice for Pennywise. So I can't just say Skarsgard was the better It because I know if Curry had the same material, he could've been as good, maybe better. So you let me know. Curry or Skarsgard?
It's clear which It is my favorite. I'll be coming up with reviews for It chapters one and two soon, so be sure to check them out! Let me know which It is your favorite. Do you love the remakes or are you a 90s purist?
It Chapter 1 Review here
It Chapter 2 Review here