@Courtesy of HBO MAX
After the worldwide success of the two movies dedicated to Pennywise and the Losers, Andy Muschietti decided that there was more to say about IT, the masterpiece novel written by Stephen King. Inspired by the interludes that in an obscure and elusive way talk about the genesis of the evil entity who takes the shape of a clown, Muschietti created a TV series that works as an origin story, this time only loosely attached to the novel. Set in 1962 in the iconic fictional small town in Maine, IT: Welcome to Derry talks about a bunch of different characters who have to face the horror of Pennywise but also have to discover when, where and how the monster arrived on Earth.
The show works like a sort of kaleidoscope not only about the IT universe, but the Stephen King literature in general. Some characters are related to the original novel, others come from other Stephen King’s famous books, and we prefer not to spoil which ones. This idea was already explored with mixed results in the Hulu Original series Castle Rock, works definitely better in this new series, even if it seems to be exploited more for the fandom than for a real narrative necessity.
The main problem of IT: Welcome to Derry in fact is that there are too many characters, too many subplots to make the plot truly cohesive. The viewer that knows the whole Stephen King’s universe can be pleased, entertained in finding characters from his books, but all the other ones who just want to follow the plot could find the narrative structure a bit weak and slow. It is absolutely clear that Andy Muschietti is King’s number one fan, and he wanted to make this show so relevant that had most likely put too much in it: setting the story at the beginning of such a complex decade like the ‘60 meant dealing with social, civil, political issues of that era.
@Courtesy of HBO MAX
In this way Pennywise can be perceived as the metaphor of anything wrong and evil happening in the United States, but in many ways it becomes too much, and because of that less scary. Stephen King set the first part of his novel at the end of the Fifties, making its universe smaller but more intimate, almost private. The idea of a bunch of kids dealing with the monstrosity of IT in a small, unknown town where they were almost completely alone, forgotten, that was the beauty and at the same time the true terror of the story. In the series we have nothing less than the US Army trying to contain the entity! That definitely makes it bigger, but not necessarily scarier or more effective.
Talking about the aesthetic of IT: Welcome to Derry, it is quite evident like Muschietti crafted with precision and sense of nostalgia the period-setting. Derry is a beautiful, old-style little town which works as a perfect frame for the events. From the cinematography to the set designing, from the costumes to the hairs-styles: all these components elevate the quality of the show to something stunning to watch. Another point in favor of the mise en scene is the special effects: despite the use of CGI, they are realized in a very old-fashioned way, looking almost as mechanical, creating in this way a visual coherence with the environment the events take place in. In a couple of sequences, especially in the third episode, the creatures of IT: Welcome to Derry are seriously frightening while beautiful to watch.
Andy Muschietti created a series that pays its tribute to Stephen King and his marvelous, terrifying world of creation in a sincere way. The director/producer/creator shows so much love for the material that almost goes too far in order to make it big and over-the-top. The final result is quite diluted, sometimes there is a little too much to learn, understand, even just follow. But in the end IT: Welcome to Derry is a fun horror series that is worth watching, even if you don’t know too much about Pennywise and his world of terror…
@Courtesy of HBO MAX
Rate: B-
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Here’s the trailer for IT: Welcome to Derry: