"IT" THE NOVEL VS. "IT" THE MOVIE
The Losers Club
Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema's new adaptation of "IT," the classic horror novel by Stephen King, broke box office records this past weekend with an estimated jaw-dropping $123 million in North America.
It doesn't come as a surprise that fans of the novel, which was first published in 1986, flocked to theaters to see "IT," which has been ranked #2 on Rolling Stones' top 10 books by Mr. King.
I was one of those who couldn't wait to see "IT." Though I enjoyed it immensely, I couldn't help but notice a few differences between the novel and the movie -- they didn't necessarily take away from the movie, but they were major (in my opinion).
The Narrator
In the novel, Mike Halon, who later becomes Derry's librarian, is the narrator. The novel switches between the Losers Club during their childhood and adult life, but the movie sticks to them as children. As a librarian, Mike gathers information about the town, concluding that a clown is the root of all the major tragedies because he's seen before each occurs. In the movie, Ben is the historian and has all of the town's history in his scrapbook.
The Weapons
The Losers Club uses silver slugs and slingshots to fight Pennywise, but this was changed to a bolt gun that Mike Halon's family use to slaughter sheep on their farm with.
Maturin
The movie leaves out Maturin, a supernatural turtle, that the Losers Club meets when Bill discovers the "Ritual of Chud," where two fighters battle each other telepathically -- which the children use to send Pennywise back to its 27-year-long nap.
The Time-Period
The Losers Club were children during the 50's when they fought Pennywise for the first time, however, the movie is set in the 80's, making the monsters that Pennywise transforms into different from those in the book. In the book, the monsters transform into monsters from The Mummy, The Wolfman, and Jaws, while in the book, Pennywise takes the form of each child's fears.
These are the changes that I immediately noticed and didn't like. The real test will be how these changes affect "IT: Chapter Two," which will be released in 2019, when the Losers Club are adults and fight Pennywise for the final time.
I can't wait! Can you?
