There are some marked differences between the IT novel and the 90's miniseries.
But there are a few things early on in the novel that are markedly different from the novel, for seemingly little reason. The aftermath of Ben and Eddie's phone calls are my latest example. I get why they were changed, dropping one character for time, eliminating lengthy character building for quick (but clunky) exposition. While I understand the changes, I don't approve. They could have been handled better.
Unlike the mini-series, we mostly see the aftermath of Ben and Eddie's calls, and the effect it has on the people around them from their point of view: a trusted bartender and Eddie's wife, respectively. Ben's bartender faces a man who thinks he is already dead, and is drinking accordingly. It's a somber, chilling scenario, very unlike Ritter's drunken carousing.
Eddie's wife is less impactful, as she vanishes from the story after Eddie heads to Derry. The backstory of a soft-hearted man who loved too easily is established in his relationship with his friends, and little is lost from that perspective. We have the wife being frightened by her husband's odd behavior scene done earlier and better with Stan's wife. The scene is more about establishing Eddie's feelings about his dead mother (more guilt then oedipal), and while an important element in the book, it's safely delegated to a few scenes and lines in the mini-series. We get to know Eddie better in the book, and I'm glad we have the extra dimensions there, but it would have felt like overkill in the movie.
The main difference between the mediums is the all-around silliness of the adults in the series verses the terror in the book: God bless the actors for trying, but the script wasn't done very well, and they all pale in comparison to their child counterparts.
The first part of the mini-series is by far the best: better acting, closer connection to the story, better effects. The adults ending is pretty far removed from the book, not well explained, and badly acted. But we'll get into that later.
Now, off to read about Bev's abusive husband and the horror that stems from an all-to-real place for many women and men.
Not Pennywise, however. That was right on the nose.
But there are a few things early on in the novel that are markedly different from the novel, for seemingly little reason. The aftermath of Ben and Eddie's phone calls are my latest example. I get why they were changed, dropping one character for time, eliminating lengthy character building for quick (but clunky) exposition. While I understand the changes, I don't approve. They could have been handled better.
SPOILERS
Unlike the mini-series, we mostly see the aftermath of Ben and Eddie's calls, and the effect it has on the people around them from their point of view: a trusted bartender and Eddie's wife, respectively. Ben's bartender faces a man who thinks he is already dead, and is drinking accordingly. It's a somber, chilling scenario, very unlike Ritter's drunken carousing.
You stop kissing and start thinking about your mortality right now, young man!
Eddie's wife is less impactful, as she vanishes from the story after Eddie heads to Derry. The backstory of a soft-hearted man who loved too easily is established in his relationship with his friends, and little is lost from that perspective. We have the wife being frightened by her husband's odd behavior scene done earlier and better with Stan's wife. The scene is more about establishing Eddie's feelings about his dead mother (more guilt then oedipal), and while an important element in the book, it's safely delegated to a few scenes and lines in the mini-series. We get to know Eddie better in the book, and I'm glad we have the extra dimensions there, but it would have felt like overkill in the movie.
Played by the guy I didn't realize was the lawyer in Django Unchained, Dennis Christopher. Seriously.
SAFE
The main difference between the mediums is the all-around silliness of the adults in the series verses the terror in the book: God bless the actors for trying, but the script wasn't done very well, and they all pale in comparison to their child counterparts.
With the exception of Ritter as Ben.
The first part of the mini-series is by far the best: better acting, closer connection to the story, better effects. The adults ending is pretty far removed from the book, not well explained, and badly acted. But we'll get into that later.
Now, off to read about Bev's abusive husband and the horror that stems from an all-to-real place for many women and men.
I never said these blogs would be all fun and games.
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