Miniseries Review: Stephen King's IT (1990)

Ahh, Stephen King. One of my favorite authors of all time. Most people don't think too highly of any of King's miniseries, but I think there is one that is almost as good as his theatrical releases. Stephen King's IT is one of my personal favorites. "IT" tells the story of a group of kids who are haunted by a life-form/ghost thing that takes the shape of a clown called Pennywise. The second half of the miniseries features all of the kids as adults, and Pennywise's return. I'm just gonna come out and say it: the first half of the movie is way better than the second half. The first half features themes such as loss of innocence and what being an "outcast" means as a kid. In the beginning of the first episode, a young boy is encountered by a clown in a sewer (his paper boat fell in the drain...why else would a five year old be reaching into a dark, empty sewer?). Anyway, the ending of the scene is so creepy, and the imagery scared me so badly that I still think about it to this day. Now, there are some parts where the movie resorts to using what I call "Stephen King Syndrom". What I mean, is that a lot of Stephen King's miniseries have the same ideas behind them. These include:Stereotypical bullies, young kids who expirience a loss of innocence through something that doesn't exist, and racism. All of these things are present in most of King's miniseires and most of his books. However, this movie almost tries too hard to get in those themes. Especially racism, (the bully only goes after the black kid...really?). Overall Stephen King's IT is a great ride for teens and young adults. It is my #3 best Stephen King adaptation.