6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In the sleepy town of Derry, Pennywise returns 27 years later to torment the grown-up members of the Losers' Club, who have long since drifted apart from one another.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay RyanHorror | 100% |
Supernatural | 39% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Tamil: Dolby Digital 5.1
Telugu: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Italian SDH, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Tamil, Telugu, Thai
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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.
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 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.
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 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.
2017
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