@chakan2: You have to put that aside though unless you want to make 10 feature length films. I completely agree with you, all the side stuff is extremely important in the book. It builds up this amazing world and makes it feel completely three dimensional. All I am saying, a film cannot do that nearly as well. To make the best IT film possible, 70% of the backstory has to be removed. But that's the truth with almost any book to movie. The only film I can think of that fully captures the book is No Country For Old Men. That is almost scene for scene from the book.
@chakan2: No I didn't miss the point of the book. The point of my comment wa, all the exposition about what Pennywise is, where he comes from is entirely unnecessary in a movie. Because the basic entire plot is scary monster eats kids, kids beast monster, monster comes back kids as adults kill monster.
We don't need an origin story for Pennywise in the films. It works in books because books can be 1000+ pages long and be filled with entire paragraphs detailing sections of the towns etc etc. The entire basic plot of the book is "Killer clown is a monster, it eats kids, kids band together to beat it, they succeed but killer clown comes back 27 years later and they have to band together to kill it for good"
The backstory is entirely unnecessary in the movie because explaining a monster destroys it's fear factor. When you tell the audience what it is, how it came to be, where it came from you remove a lot of intrigue.
@Keaze_: To me Tim Currys Pennywise was very "I'm a goofy clown, I make balloon animals, play games and eat kids!". It was a fantastic, classic and iconic role and he played it goddamn beautifully.
Bill Skarsgards Pennywise was very different, his was a creature barely capable of putting on this act to entice children. Hell, look at his actual clown form. Very renaissance era, not in any way a modern day clown costume. He doesn't care what he looks like, he just has to act friendly enough and seem friendly enough to get the kids to trust him.
Take the first interaction between George and Pennywise at the storm drain. It starts fairly innocent, very infantile. Then he grows darker and more impatient when George says he has to go. Then that great "Go on... TAKE.IT" said with such pointed vocalization. He was so close, he could taste George and he couldn't hold on any longer. While I cannot say Skarsgards Pennywise is better, I will say he did just as good a job making it iconic as Tim Curry did.
@GT_APE: What about when we had 6 star wars films featuring an almost entirely male cast all with male protagonists did you complain about that? How about The Force Unleashed 1-2, Republic Commando, Star Wars 1313, Jedi Knight, all featuring male protagonists. We've had TWO Star Wars films that featured female protagonists. Hardly "emasculating star wars".
Also don't put a 85lb mini-gun in a 280 lb man, he won't be able to carry it either. If we're going for realism in ever single film then the vast majority of them won't ever exist. Because friend, light sabers cannot exist, the force does not exist, giant talking roaring fully sentient hairy humanoids do not exist.
But right, your suspension of disbelief is only shattered when a woman does something out of the ordinary. You claim to be a feminist, but friend you need to seriously look at yourself and your opinion towards women.
@GT_APE: lol, yes I am obviously. The person that realizes women are entirely equal to a man and deserve to be fully featured in all forms of art and entertainment. I am the problem, I hope one day your personhood is stronger then it seems to be now.
"When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression. (It's not.)"- Franklin Leonard.
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