It mini-series

Man, this series really is a mixed bag. I hadn't seen it in years and many people I talk to remember seeing it as kids and being horrified. Watching it now, I can see why. There is some genuinely eerie stuff that goes on in this movie, but it's still pretty heckle worthy. I know it's a cliche to say that the book is better, but it is. In fairness, the book was really, really friggin good so it would've been hard to live up regardless, but this movie does have quite a few flaws.

The acting is kind of iffy. They do OK for the most part, but other scenes...not so much. Tim Curry is still awesome as Pennywise. Yes, he chews the scenery a little, fortunately he has those razor sharp fangs to make it a bit easier.

One interesting change was revealing that Eddie grew up remaining a virgin. It's a minor point, but anyone who read the book would know why that couldn't be the case in the source material. It probably shouldn't surprise people that that particular plot point was dropped. I'm pretty sure the networks would have a problem with child intercourse.

The flashbacks were pretty well done. Again, some of the acting is iffy, but overall it did a good job of showcasing the carefree innocence, as well as the nightmare that is childhood.

I found it odd how early on, Bower's friends seem to be kind of unnerved with Bower's eagerness to use his knife. When they grab Ben, both express concern that he's actually going to do him serious harm, and yet later they're perfectly fine with the idea of maiming the other kids.

Apropos of nothing, seeing an adult Bill and Mike riding around on the old bike while the Beach Boys plays over the scene is just pure happiness.

The impact that the encounter had was clearly shown as even thinking about the events horrified many of the characters to their very core. Upon returning to Derry, many of them relapse into childhood habits.

One of the best parts was seeing the cigarette smoking man himself, William B. Davis, as the school principal. It's essentially a cameo, but it was quite awesome. My roommate also got a kick out of Seth Green's appearance in the film.

You could really understand how the members of the club all fell in love with Bev. The child actress did a good job, but Annette O'Toole brought a sincerity that was endearing. Watching this, you could see why she was cast as Martha Kent in Smallville.

As you can expect, a lot is cut from the book. Time and budget were working against this adaptation, but they did the best they could.

That being said, good lord did that spider look silly. To quote ESPN commentators...c'mon man! I also liked how Bill ends up looking into the deadlights, so Ben runs down screaming at him not to look only to look right into the deadlights himself. Richie than runs down to pull them back, but then looks right into the lights too. Oy..just oy.

There weren't any direct King references, but in the library, you can see a poster for a book called "The Glowing" which was an interesting touch.

It occurred to me a few days ago that King made IT's primary form a clown because he noticed how many kids were perturbed by their appearance, and yet when you ask anyone why they're freaked out by clowns, Pennywise is often cited. The Joker might get a mention, but it's usually IT that made us all realize how creepy and evil they really are.

The book is far superior, but this is still a fun movie to watch. Even the worst parts are lolworthy as opposed to being cringe inducing.

It'll be interesting to see how the planned theatrical version pans out. Even this had to cut a lot out for time, but we're seeing complex works like Lord of the Rings and Watchmen get faithful adaptations so you never know how it will turn out.