It is a royal letdown
an oddball prison warden (Dwight Yoakam), a commercial sponsor (Seth MacFarlane) and an FBI agent (Hilary Swank).
A brief encounter between the Robin Hood-ish ring leader and a genial medic (Katherine Waterston) is one of many comic highlights.
Daniel Craig, with his bleached-blonde crew-cut, is a hoot.
The ‘Smallville USA’ setting is layered with vibrant Day-Glo colours and a jaunty soundtrack featuring John Denver, Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn.
As always, Soderbergh has also served as cinematographer and editor, under the familiar pseudonyms Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard.
The script, credited to a Rebecca Blunt (who some sources claim is Soderbergh himself), evokes the madcap hijinks of the director’s Ocean’s trilogy, with the noticeable difference that the suave high-rollers have been replaced by blue-collar strugglers.
The far-fetched but equitable resolution will likely warm the cockles of genre geeks’ hearts.
Close on the heels of The Dark Tower comes another Stephen King adaptation that falls flat.
The fright master’s voluminous 1986 novel has been split into two parts for the big screen, and Chapter One of It focuses on a group of kids terrorised by a bloodthirsty, shape-shifting clown. The kids, who call themselves ‘The Loser’s Club’, must confront their innermost fears while also facing down smalltown bullies and cruel, uncaring parents. Tensions escalate as they fall prey to Pennywise, a monster that surfaces from the sewers every 27 years to feed off the flesh of unsuspecting teens.
There’s nothing new or noteworthy about the plot. Admittedly, director Andre Muschietti (Mama) is adept at building up a sense of dread. But there are just too many plot elements and backstories to accommodate. For a change from contemporary horror flicks, the cast of newcomers actually has an opportunity to act. Standouts include Bill Skarsgaard, who spills gallons of gore as the icky villain, and Sophie Lillis as the flame-haired, sexually abused braveheart. The climactic confrontation is long-drawn-out and merely serves to set the tone for the proposed Chapter Two. Here’s hoping it takes another 27 years for It and the gang to creep back into cinemas.