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Did anyone else read this book when it came out, before watching the film? What did you think of the way that they adapted the book to the film?
Personally, I was really impressed. Obviously, there is so much more in the book that they just did not have room to include in a four hour mini-series. But what they did do was pretty accurate, I felt.
I was particularly impressed by the visuals. The locations, the actors. They all resembled the way that I had pictured things in the novel. Especially the creek area and the outdoor scenes with the kids. I just can't believe still that they captured the feeling so well.
Discuss what you think of these things. Or anything else related to the book.
(By the way, I started this thread here rather than in Movies because I wanted to hear the opinions of those who had read the novel.)
Ironically, I just finished reading the book for the first time yesterday. Haven't seen the miniseries and don't plan to, as I enjoyed the book tremendously and don't want to ruin my memories of it. Although I am an avid reader, I just discovered Stephen King last year and didn't realize what I was missing. The thing that I enjoyed most about "It" was the characters, along with the sense of nostalgia in remembering the camaraderie of childhood friendships. I will miss Bill, Ben, Beverly, and all the other characters!
I think it is my 3rd fav of his books. The Stand is the best, IMO. 'Salem's Lot is number 2 with It a very close third.
It scared the daylights out of me. The pure evil of "It" was hard for me to deal with. I was crazy about all the kids and the adults they became. I suppose I identified with Bill. Not sure why.
All the horror of Georgie had me nearly hiding under my desk and when the photos came alive in the photo album I felt like I was right there with them.
King writes a lot about kids and I'm sure he draws from his childhood to flesh out the characters. I'm one year older than he is so the kids in his memory are like the kids in mine. They sing the same songs and watch the same TV shows. His short story "The Body" which was made into a movie titled "Stand By Me" is representative of the kids in his books. I think it is one of his finest stories.
I think it is my 3rd fav of his books. The Stand is the best, IMO. 'Salem's Lot is number 2 with It a very close third.
It scared the daylights out of me. The pure evil of "It" was hard for me to deal with. I was crazy about all the kids and the adults they became. I suppose I identified with Bill. Not sure why.
I almost there with you. Salem's Lot was my favorite, followed by The Stand and It.
It was a perfect creepy book, and brought back memories of being a kid and walking by iron sewer grates and wondering if there was anything in there.
Pennywise the Clown. I've always been a bit scared of clowns and more so after I saw "Killer Klowns from Outer Space." LOL
"Come on down, Georgie. We float. We really float." Ah, that's why I liked Bill so much. He always carried around that guilt.
I think it was in the midst of a King reading binge that I took a side road and read The Mephisto Waltz. That one scared me, too, but I could not put it down. I don't remember who wrote it and I'm too lazy to look it up. yawn......heeheehee
Another one of his that really scared me was Cell. Yikes!
There are parts of IT that are quite good. But the whole isn't very good at all. Parts of the story are horribly written (I get the impression this was written during the height of King's substance abuse). We get long background stories (page after page after page) on characters that don't matter to the story. Pivotal scenes are glossed over. The bad guy is horrid in a grotesque way but often so absurd (Michael Landon werewolf? Paul Bunyan statue?) that rather being scary, It just comes across as silly.
The kids are likeable, but when they grow up, not so much. Mike and Ben as adults are still likeable. But the others range from just annoying to downright unsympathetic.
There's a great story somewhere in IT, and I think King later found it, in a book called Dreamcatcher. Similar themes, but a far superior novel in every way.
I've only seen bits and pieces of the movie version of IT. Wasn't terribly impressed with what I saw, but maybe I just caught the bad parts.
There are parts of IT that are quite good. But the whole isn't very good at all. Parts of the story are horribly written (I get the impression this was written during the height of King's substance abuse). We get long background stories (page after page after page) on characters that don't matter to the story. Pivotal scenes are glossed over. The bad guy is horrid in a grotesque way but often so absurd (Michael Landon werewolf? Paul Bunyan statue?) that rather being scary, It just comes across as silly.
The kids are likeable, but when they grow up, not so much. Mike and Ben as adults are still likeable. But the others range from just annoying to downright unsympathetic.
There's a great story somewhere in IT, and I think King later found it, in a book called Dreamcatcher. Similar themes, but a far superior novel in every way.
I've only seen bits and pieces of the movie version of IT. Wasn't terribly impressed with what I saw, but maybe I just caught the bad parts.
Yes, what you said. I got the hardback right after it came out. Parts were splendid, typical terrifying and creepy Stephen King, but parts were pedestrian and almost unreadable. I don't even remember if I finished the thing to tell you the truth.
I actually liked the history and back story as much, if not more, than the character driven bits. Almost all of the characters and their history felt very real to me. More so than anything else King has written. As others have mentioned, it was very easy to see a reflection of myself and my childhood friends in the story.
But the stories of the Black Spot...the man who murdered an entire inn...the boy who killed his baby brother out of jealously...all of those 'side stories' are the parts I return to reread. They work together to really give a feel for the town. It isn't just the story of these children- it's a story that has spanned centuries, and those children are just the closing chapter.
The movie I loved when I was young. Rewatching it several years ago, I find the acting laughably bad. But when I was a kid- man, I fought taking a bath for MONTHS. It was quick in and out showers with mom stationed near the bathroom door so she could rescue me before the clown ate me.
Dreamcatcher I couldn't finish. Hated every last character in it. Could have cared less what happened to any of them.
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They All Float
