Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

It: Chapter Two 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 6, 2019

Crossword junkies or other word nerds (sorry) may instantly recognize the term “coulrophobia” as meaning “fear of clowns”, and for some people, it’s a very real and visceral anxiety. That may strike the non afflicted curmudgeons in the big, wide world as being maybe just a little humorous, but even those hard hearted judgmental types might find themselves feeling just the tiniest hint of angst when It’s Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård) shows up to wreak havoc in Stephen King’s fictional town of Derry, Maine. (Those who do suffer from coulrophobia will probably already be in a fetal position, attempting to find a quiet place to expire.) Part of It’s foundational conceit was the kind of almost “orbital” return of Pennywise every 27 years, and that passage of time allows writer Gary Dauberman and director Andy Muschietti (both returning from 2017’s It) to fashion a tale that has some surprising emotional heft and what is an almost elegiac tone at times, something that some may find at least a little unusual for a film trafficking in things that go bump in the night and/or sewer drain. There's a kind of nostalgic tone wafting through the film courtesy of a number of flashbacks to the first It's timeframe of the 1980s, but perhaps even more so simply due to the ebb and flow of scenes involving the same characters as kids and adults (in contemporary time). But for anyone assuming that It: Chapter Two is one of those Stephen King "mood pieces" without sufficient scares, buckle up, because this entry definitely has some scares up its grimy white ruffled sleeve, one of which may bring to mind another word crossword junkies and other word nerds may recognize: arachnophobia.

Considering the fact that the focal group in It is known as The Losers' Club may give an immediate insight into the fact that King, as tends to be his “tradition”, is interested in exploring the plight of the apparently powerless and downtrodden, especially when (again in true King fashion) these supposedly “incapable” folks are confronted with some sort of omnipresent menacing manifestation of Evil. The first It was lauded for its depiction of kids facing more “mundane” evils like bullying and anti-Semitism (even if some felt the portrayal of the Jewish character of Stanley was on the stereotyped side), and It: Chapter Two kind of picks up on that proclivity with a really shocking sequence involving two gay men getting beaten by a bunch of toughs in Derry. The attempted murder of one of them leads to the first contemporary sighting of Pennywise, which in turn alerts the adult Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) that the kids’ nemesis is “baaack” (to quote another film about childhood trauma and supernatural villains, Poltergeist II: The Other Side).

While the kids may have grouped together as supposed “losers”, judging by their adult lives, at least a couple of them went on to rather considerable success. We find Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) admittedly suffering a bit of writer’s block but still more or less happily ensconced on a backlot where his wife is starring in a picture written by him (directed by Peter Bogdanovich, who has a kind of funny cameo). Richie Tozier (Bill Hader) is a major success as a stand up comedian, even if the call from Mike causes some unexpected nausea right before a live performance. While addled and neurotic, Eddie Kaspbrak (James Ransone) is gainfully employed in the insurance business, and Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan) is also doing well as an architect, even if his social life leaves a bit to be desired. The two outliers in the once and future Losers’ Club are arguably Stanley Uris (Andy Bean), evidently still struggling with the kids’ now long ago showdown with Pennywise, and Beverly Marsh (Jessica Chastain), who, like several of the others, has forged a successful career utilizing her creativity but is beset with personal problems which weigh her down emotionally.

Suffice it to say (most of) The Losers’ Club reassembles in Derry, where they have to confront both their personal demons in the form of sometimes traumatic memories, as well as their “collective demon” in the form of Pennywise. The film, while arguably overlong (even longer than the first installment), does a nice job of ping ponging between the two timeframes to give context to various “emotional arcs”, while also providing at least sporadic jolts of scariness as various nightmare like visions manifest as the group attempts to figure out how to defeat It once and for all.

I’m not completely sure that the unabashed star power this second installment offers in terms of some of its adult players actually helps things, though performances are generally quite well realized, if often on the probably unavoidably mopey side a lot of the time. The kids continue to impress rather handily, though, and some of the most touching scenes in the film offer adult versions kind of experiencing their memories as full fledged realities in front of their eyes. Skarsgård once again manages to bring a kind of snarky impudence combined with an almost childlike and naive quality to Pennywise. The film’s over the top climax is probably too CGI laden and ultimately silly, perhaps so much so that it will provoke laughter instead of gasps of horror, but the film moves on to a rather sweet coda that does offer some real emotion.

It: Chapter Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

It: Chapter Two is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. My colleague Michael Reuben wasn't overly impressed with the upgrade afforded to It 4K , but despite this second chapter also being digitally captured and finished at a 2K DI, I found the uptick in fine detail noticeable if on the picayune side at times (more about that in a moment), and the new highlights in the palette courtesy of Dolby Vision quite remarkable at times. There is definitely an at least marginal improvement in shadow detail throughout this presentation, something that immediately visible in the horrifying nighttime scene at the carnival where the two gay men are attacked, and this scene also provides some of the ostensibly mundane elements that enjoy an uptick in fine detail levels, with things like the texture of the concrete pylons holding up a bridge more palpable looking. Even simple framings like Pennywise almost completely shrouded in blackness underneath some bleachers in one of the film's more disturbing scenes shows an improvement in fine detail on the almost etched quality of Pennywise's face. The biggest changes, though, to my eyes were courtesy of HDR, with some really interesting new highlights offered throughout the presentation. In fact, one of the kind of interesting things I noticed watching the film in 4K was how the characters are almost "color coded" at times (pay attention to the kind of orange grading surrounding Beverly a lot of the time, for one example, though there are others, including some good uses of greens and blues surrounding Richie). Kind of hilariously, given the controversy surrounding so- called "teal push" on some releases, the early scene in the studio featuring the cameo by Peter Bogdanovich also has a somewhat more prevalent green-blue tone than in the 1080p version. The greens and especially deep cobalt blues of the big climax sequence are also quite impressive in this version. Some of the CGI still looks a bit on the soft side here, and some passing "flame" effects arguably look even less believable in this iteration, but on the whole, I was pleasantly surprised and often quite struck by the appearance of It: Chapter Two in 4K UHD.

It: Chapter Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

It: Chapter Two features a nicely wrought Dolby Atmos track that provides good, consistent immersion and a nice splaying of both overhead effects and some thundering, rumbling LFE. There are some really interesting mixes of what sound like "real" ambient environmental effects with what might low frequency washes of either foley or maybe even synth patches, which add an ominously foreboding sense to several key sequences. Early scenes like the horrifying attack at the carnival have a glut of surround activity which is also made even more visceral with really smart discrete placement of effects in individual channels. Dialogue, score and effects are all mixed smartly, with excellent prioritization and wide dynamic range. There are no problems of any kind to report.

It: Chapter Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD disc contains the Audio Commentary that the 1080p Blu-ray included in this package which contains the main feature also does. For a list of supplements found on the second 1080p Blu-ray included with this release, please see our It: Chapter Two Blu-ray review.

It: Chapter Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It: Chapter Two is a surprisingly emotional horror film, one which manages to craft a moving story that offers some nice prismatic refractions of characters at two epochal points in their lives. The film is arguably overlong (something it shares with its progenitor), and some may feel the scares are too few and far between, but It: Chapter Two conveys both significant jolts and some touching moments in about equal measure. Technical merits are first rate, with the 4K presentation offering noticeable if subtle upticks in fine detail and HDR/Dolby Vision adding a number of lustrous highlights and grading differences. The two "Summers" featurettes in particular are quite charming and enjoyable. Highly recommended.