The teaser trailer for IT has been released.
Okay, lets take this apart. There will be spoilers, but if you've seen the old IT and just watched this trailer, you're fine.
The things that bother me are as follows:
The first time I saw this trailer, I was unhappy. I watched and watch and watched this over and over again for this blog, and my original ending to this post was one of being unhappy, but still trying for optimism.
Then I saw this shot, and really looked:
This is something that wasn't in the original mini-series. This is a series of burned hands grasping around a door with fire behind, as Mike Hanlon looks on. This is a reference to a horrifying story in the book. A story I won't spoil here, but one that adds to the horror that is Derry, Pennywise, and human nature in ways that outshine most other things I've ever seen in a film. But it's not connected to the main plot in an 'important' way. I assumed it would be cut, and never looked back.
But it's there.
It's been changed. There's no scene where Mike sees the story first hand in the book, he learns it from his father. But IT HAS BEEN CHANGED FOR THE BETTER FOR THE MEDIUM.
I've never had so severe of a 180 based on a trailer in my LIFE, people. I was ranting to Bahamute last night about how the changes were going to destroy the story I hold so dear to my heart. Even the start of this blog I've left unchanged, so you can have a hint of my anger and distress; I changed while I was taking the pictures for it.
I was wrong.
This does mean, that I, like the film makers, apparently can see the forest and the trees.
At this time, I'll still need to see the movie to know for sure. But my hope and faith is back. I think I can even deal with the time period changes now. This one shot shows the film makers understand the story.
And that's really all I want.
Okay, lets take this apart. There will be spoilers, but if you've seen the old IT and just watched this trailer, you're fine.
The things that bother me are as follows:
- Pennywise looks too scary at the outset. He is supposed to look normal, at least at first. No kid is gonna trust that clown. I prefer the accuracy of the Tim Curry Pennywise where the creepiness was only intensified by how much more 'normal' Pennywise looked. The point is that even normal clowns look creepy.
- Is the kid's timeline not set in the 1950's. I saw a modern(ish) copier behind Ben. Their clothes, cars, bikes and other tech looks like it's from the 80s/90s. This isn't goddamn Stranger Things (despite the presence of Finn Wolfhard). The things kids and adults say in the 1950s are very different from what people would say 30 years later, so most, if not every line will need to be changed. This isn't a change in medium sort of issue; you can re-create either time period with similar difficulty. This feels like it's being done so the adults can exist in 2017. That is lazy. I don't want cell phones and iPods in IT
- Why the hell didn't Bill stutter? His name is literally Stuttering Bill. The stutter existed before Georgie was killed, albeit in a lesser form. In fact, Georgie's death made it that much worse, and it occasionally fades when Bill gets worked up; it's gone but begins to resurge when he's an adult. This is a point that cannot be let go, and if it has, the whole point of his character, and eventual beating of IT are going to be weakened so much that this film will lose and credence with King fans.
- Why did Georgie still have both his arms when his ghost/projection is talking to Bill? Pennywise better rip his damned arm off. Pennywise is brutal, savage. If he just kills Georgie and leaves him in one piece, we've got problems right from the start. There is a lot of colorful imagery King attached to the missing arm; the blood on the yellow slicker, the horror of the adults and kids seeing the body (or the ghost). It should be addressed. I hope it is.
- The wax on the tabletop is Gulf brand. That's a small detail from the book, but if they're paying attention to this, it gives me hope that they're paying attention to other things.
- Georgie running down the street, and whanging his head on the sign. THAT is authentic. The sheets of rain, the fact that he's totally alone, even though he's in the heart of the suburbs; these are important items that set the tone. Look at how small and alone he is! This is a well-framed shot, and shows the film makers know how to shoot a movie.
- The projector thing, instead of just regular physical pictures that Pennywise comes to life in. This is one of those 'The change is for the better due to the medium' changes. This is a change that I understand, endorse, and appropriate; the effect is creepy, the acting looks good. IT WORKS!
- The kids, from what little we've seen, seem to be capable actors, and look correct for their parts (Bev's hair and other updates to fit the non 1950's aside). The child actors from the original miniseries were far better than their adult counterparts (who we still have no idea about for these movies).
- The look of things. The sewers are on point. The house of Neibolt street looks amazing, and the whole atmosphere puts off the perfect 'even when things are right, they're wrong' vibe. This is perhaps the most important thing about Derry, and it gives me hope. Look at the sunflowers in the yard. Seems strange that something so bright and cheery would exist there, correct? This is another small detail that harkens back to the novel, and another small spot of hope.
The first time I saw this trailer, I was unhappy. I watched and watch and watched this over and over again for this blog, and my original ending to this post was one of being unhappy, but still trying for optimism.
Then I saw this shot, and really looked:
This is something that wasn't in the original mini-series. This is a series of burned hands grasping around a door with fire behind, as Mike Hanlon looks on. This is a reference to a horrifying story in the book. A story I won't spoil here, but one that adds to the horror that is Derry, Pennywise, and human nature in ways that outshine most other things I've ever seen in a film. But it's not connected to the main plot in an 'important' way. I assumed it would be cut, and never looked back.
But it's there.
It's been changed. There's no scene where Mike sees the story first hand in the book, he learns it from his father. But IT HAS BEEN CHANGED FOR THE BETTER FOR THE MEDIUM.
I've never had so severe of a 180 based on a trailer in my LIFE, people. I was ranting to Bahamute last night about how the changes were going to destroy the story I hold so dear to my heart. Even the start of this blog I've left unchanged, so you can have a hint of my anger and distress; I changed while I was taking the pictures for it.
I was wrong.
This does mean, that I, like the film makers, apparently can see the forest and the trees.
At this time, I'll still need to see the movie to know for sure. But my hope and faith is back. I think I can even deal with the time period changes now. This one shot shows the film makers understand the story.
And that's really all I want.
