Stephen King's It

Stephen King's windy horror epic gets the major miniseries treatment in this so-so 1990 adaptation that features a strong first half and a miserable finale. Set in one of King's preferred locales, the sleepy little town of Derry, New Hampshire, It stars Tim Curry as Pennywise, an evil clown with a penchant for dragging young children down into the sewer. The first half has Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Dennis Christopher, Harry Anderson, Richard Masur, and Annette O'Toole, returning to Derry to join Tim Reid to face the evil "it" they remember fighting as kids (an extended flashback comprising most of the opening two hours). Geeks, bully bait, and/or living in terrible family situations, the outcast kids find a common purpose in teaming up for the battle against Pennywise. Unfortunately, the second half tells the same story as the first half, only now the kids are grown up--but continue to speak "kid" dialogue, making some already huge credibility obstacles (the "John Boy" and Three's Company stint stigmas) even larger. Sporting an unremarkable DVD transfer and Dolby Digital stereo sound, the disc also features an intermittently engaging (and rather intermittent period) commentary track with director Tommy Lee Wallace, and actors Ritter, Thomas, Christopher, and Reid. Since the film has a rather devoted following amongst Stephen King fans, consider this a strong optional purchase. [Note: also newly available from Warner, at the same price, is the 1985 adaptation of Stephen King's Cat's Eye.] (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Oct. 4, 2016—Warner, 187 min., not rated, $14.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1990's It sports a solid transfer with DTS-HD 2.0 sound. Extras include audio commentary by director Tommy Lee Wallace and costars Dennis Christopher, Tim Reid, John Ritter, and Richard Thomas. Bottom line: this popular Stephen King adaptation makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]