“It: Chapter Two — everything was going well until the end”

“It: Chapter Two” is a 2019 film, a direct sequel to “It,” again directed by Andrés Muschietti. The story follows the Losers' Club 27 years later, when they must all return to Derry because they promised to come back if It returned too. And so it does.

Each of them took completely different paths. Everyone was afraid to return, except Mike, the only one who stayed in Derry and the one who discovered the supposed truth about how to defeat the clown.

Bill became a writer, Beverly married a man who physically abuses her, Ben is now an architect, Richie is a comedian, and Stanley… decides to commit suicide upon learning that he has to return to the place where he lived his worst nightmares.

That suicide, for me, is very important. It shows the depth of the trauma and how some people simply cannot cope with it. Beverly's story is also powerful: she ends up married to someone who mistreats her just like her father, demonstrating how many people fall into cycles of pain without realizing it. Luckily, the film clearly shows her leaving her husband to go to Derry, and that's already a step in the right direction.

The film has so many interesting things to analyze. Each character has their own story, their own context, and their own trauma, and honestly, it would take me all day to write about it. As a sequel, it works very well. I think the adult cast is perfect, and they fit incredibly well with their child versions.

But here's my problem: the ending.

For me, it's the dumbest thing ever. These characters go through so much in the first film, and in this one, they also experience incredibly difficult things that could have led to an unforgettable conclusion. But no.

They decided to defeat the terrifying Pennywise with insults: calling him "ugly," "stupid," and so on. I think it's the most ridiculous thing in the universe. With all the possible epic endings they could have done… they chose that one. Besides, the image of the clown melting (or whatever it was they were trying to do) looks weird.

With a film full of great effects, a good plot, strong characters, and heartbreaking deaths, this story had EVERYTHING to end perfectly. I know many people don't like this part, that for some it's cheap or over the top, but I personally do like the film. I think it's one of those sequels that those who were deeply affected by the first one enjoy the most.

But its ending… very, very bad.

And I'm not talking about the emotional ending, because everyone ends up happy. I'm talking specifically about the way they defeat the clown, which seems like it was done with zero enthusiasm. As if at the beginning everyone was excited making the film, but at the end they said, "Oh no, we've taken too long, let's make it an easy and quick ending." For me, it was an uncreative and soulless conclusion. I simply didn't like it.

Out of 10, I give it a 6.

It's a good sequel, I like it a lot, but it doesn't surpass the first one. No sequel surpasses the first… well, except for The Godfather Part II, the only one.

Even so, I recommend it because I generally like it quite a lot.