It (2017) vs. It Chapter Two (2019)

It vs. It Chapter Two

An over 1,100-page novel, a mini-series and two films later, we're still trying to parse out what's better. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're pitting It vs It: Chapter Two.

For this showdown, we’re looking right into the deadlights and trying to decide what movie in the supernatural horror duology directed by Andy Muschietti is better.




Round 1: Story


For a sprawling epic tale spanning over 27 years, you're going to need two films. There’s just too much material to cover. In 1990, Tommy Lee Wallace turned Stephen King’s novel into a two-part three hour-long mini-series and the results were...well, mixed. So, what about the two theatrical films released in the 2010s: which has the better story? The first film introduces us to a diverse set of characters, going up against a seemingly undefeatable evil. The follow-up takes us into their future, where they're compelled to return to their hometown of Derry, Maine.

"It" is as straightforward as horror can be, with unsightly imagery and almost dreamlike nightmares that each character must conquer to move forward. But in "Chapter Two", we learn that they never really overcame much of anything; they just forgot and have to do it all over again. Even with the wealth of knowledge one earns through the aging process, they're ultimately just scared little kids, but that's hardly the film's biggest problem - as we're still rooting for them all the way.


While it's nice to see the ritual of Chüd [pronounced bud] represented on-screen, it doesn't quite play out so well with each character having to collect a totem that'll tie them to their past. This largely separates the cast – a cast that works best as an ensemble – and enfolds on-screen more like video game missions than it does narrative. As clever, scary, moving and powerful as the "It" series is, this is when it was at its lowest point.

Even in Wallace's miniseries, fans contend that the first half is better than the second. That’s also our opinion about the first movie in this “It” series.

The point for Round 1 goes to the 2017 film.

Winner: It: 1 / It Chapter Two: 0


Round 2: Cast


Where to begin with such a wide range of cast members, from James MacAvoy to Stephen King himself? The first film allowed "Stranger Things" cast member Finn Wolfhard to make his big screen debut as young Richie. And Jaeden Martell is 100 per cent believable as stuttering Bill Denbrough. In short, each member of the cast is played by someone you can easily see growing to be their counterparts 27 years later.


As good as the cast of the first film is, the digital de-aging necessary for them during flashbacks in "Chapter Two" is admittedly a bit of a distraction. However, even before the movie was announced, star Sophia Lillis asked for Jessica Chastain to take on the role of Beverly, so having that come to pass made her the ultimate in fan-casting. Equally good is Bill Hader, who was also approached because the actor playing his character’s younger counterpart - Wolfhard - wished this to be so. Coming off his rare semi-dramatic role in "Barry" and going headfirst into horror, Hader managed to maintain some of the humor he’s known for here.

The first movie may have a great cast, but the second really ups the ante, with an ensemble whose chemistry is just spot-on.

The point for Round 2 goes to the 2019 film, tying things up early on.

Winner: It: 1 / It Chapter Two: 1

Round 3: Characters


The "It" films have some of the best, well-rounded characters in recent horror history, so it's tough to make a pick here. Well, it would be, were it not for one glaring mistake: In the first movie, it's new kid on the block Ben Hanscom who is obsessed with local town history. So, it would stand to reason that Ben would grow to be the keeper of the town's history. This is different from the source material, since it’s Mike Hanlon who is actually the one with the historical scrapbook in the novel, but we can still live with the change.

Continuity be damned: each character has a severe arc to overcome, be it Mike Hanlon's battle against racism, Bill Denbrough's stutter and guilt against losing his brother, Beverly Marsh's abusive father, Ben Hanscom's struggle with weight and bullies or Eddie Kasprak's overbearing mother. The arcs are similar in the sequel, enhanced by the nefarious child killing monster, but it's just much more poignant to watch a child overcome them. Plus, for some incomprehensible reason, it’s Mike who ends up being Derry's future librarian as seen in “Chapter Two,” instead of Ben, who, as we previously mentioned, was presented in the first film as the one who’s extremely knowledgeable of Derry’s past.

So while both films still have strong characters; likable, smart and deeply flawed, it's "It" that pulls things off without a hitch.



The point for Round 3 goes to It.

Winner: It: 2 / It Chapter Two: 1

Round 4: Faithfulness to Source Material


We were never going to get a full-on "It" adaptation, especially considering a particularly questionable scene involving minors . But when you're dealing with a novel this epic, you're bound to have to streamline some information. The creature in the novel is an ancient being that crashed on Earth billions of years ago and whose only enemy is a giant intergalactic turtle. Got that? Good. But “It” takes streamlining to the extreme, removing key plot lines and shortening others. The Loser's feud with the bullies, for instance, amounts to little more than a rock fight and main baddie Henry Bowers is seemingly killed in seconds, rather than going crazy.


In "Chapter Two", we don't get the full backstory of It, but we get a lot more about how the characters developed, who they became and the mechanics of the monster. Also crucial in the novel is the town of Derry's unwillingness to involve themselves in the open secret of the monster. We get glimpses of that in the first film, when we see a woman closing her blinds as Georgie is taken, but "Chapter Two" opens with the controversial beating and subsequent It-murder of Adrian Mellon. Not only is Mellon killed, but he’s also bitten right where the book says he is.


We’re also treated to the ritual of Chüd, which is perhaps the most important detail in the loser's battle against the creature. While we may get a taste of Bill Denbrough's stutter and Richie Tozier's jokes in the 2017 movie, they’re on full display in the sequel.


The point for Round 4 goes to Chapter Two, tying things up once again.

Winner: It: 2 / It Chapter Two: 2

Round 5: Scares


Any good horror lives and dies by how frightening it is. Though there's an eerie vibe throughput both films, the first film is genuinely terrifying. So scary, in fact, that “It” author Stephen King himself was creeped out by a new and original scene in the movie that wasn’t in his book: the lady in the painting that haunts Stanley Uris. It's also a lot more mean-spirited in how frightening it is. At this point in time, Georgie's death at the start of the film is ingrained in pop-culture. It's even been on-screen before, in Tommy Lee Wallace's 1990 mini-series. But in the first movie, director Andy Muschetti has no problem going into detail, showing the young tyke's arm being bitten off right in front of us.


In "Chapter Two", the scares take a backseat to the storyline. There's a healthy dose of atmosphere and even some imaginative ideas, but we're dealing with adults, here. The 2017 film breaks the unspoken rule of horror about not killing children and frighteningly dismembers one. “It”’s originality, brutality and brutally intense jump scares are far superior.


That being said, we're all still awestruck at the overall strength of the epic, much like a character looking directly into It's deadlights. But considering all the elements that go into making a good supernatural horror film, there can only be one movie who’ll come out on top.



The point for Round 5 - and the win - goes to “It”!

Winner: It: 3 / It Chapter Two: 2