‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ is available; what do critics think?
‘IT: Welcome to Derry’ is available; what do critics think?
The series rolled out its first episode on Oct. 26; is it the fright of the fall?
The novel “It” by Stephen King, as well as the various movie adaptations have acquainted generations of readers and viewers with the seemingly sleepy town of Derry, Maine. As anyone who is a fan of King’s work knows, Derry is anything but a peaceful hamlet; it is, in fact, home to one of the most terrifying creatures that has ever stalked the Earth.
This creature has taken many forms in its time on this planet, but the one that fans of “It” know best is the terrifying Pennywise the Clown, who preys on the children of Derry with glee. For the first time, fans will learn more about the origins of Pennywise and the horrifying lore surrounding the creature in the new HBO and HBO Max series “IT: Welcome to Derry.”
The first episode of “IT: Welcome to Derry premiered on Sunday, Oct. 26, and new episodes will debut on subsequent Sundays — though Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that the second episode of the series will begin streaming on HBO Max on Friday, Oct. 31, to celebrate Halloween.
The show has been anticipated warmly by fans of the franchise, especially since Bill Skarsgård is returning to the role of Pennywise, having played the demented clown on the big screen. The show also stars Taylour Paige as Charlotte Hanlon, Jovan Adepo as Leroy Hanlon, James Remar as General Shaw, Stephen Rider as Hank Grogan, Matilda Lawler as Marge, Amanda Christine as Veronica Grogan, Ciara Stack as Lilly Bainbridge, Blake Cameron James as Will Hanlon, Miles Ekhardt as Matthew Clements, Mikkal Karim-Fidler as Teddy Uris, Jack Molloy Legault as Phil Malkin, Matilda Legault as Susie Malkin, and Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann.
Watch the trailer for ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’
But now that it has arrived, what are critics saying about “IT: Welcome to Derry”? Has it lived up to the hype, or is it a letdown compared to fan expectations? Thus far, the series has a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 58 on Metacritic, indicating mixed or average reviews. We’ve got a selection of those reviews from top critics around the web, so check out their expert opinions on the series in their own words below.
What are critics saying about ‘IT: Welcome to Derry’
Aramide Tinubu | Variety
It cannot be overstated how outstanding the younger cast is. The foundation of “It,” from the novel to the films, and now with this series, examines how evil seeps, morphs and changes the lives of children forever. The cast’s emotional depth and depictions of fright and panic really elevate “It: Welcome to Derry.” Stack’s Lilly particularly stands out as a young girl still terrorized by the traumatic loss of her father, but desperate to save her friends from experiencing similar kinds of anguish.
Daniel Fienberg | The Hollywood Reporter
The book is about primal insecurities and relatable fears, explored through the lens of classic horror tropes. The series says it’s about those things, but the lip-service references to the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War fail to approach the depth necessary to push past frightening-in-a-somewhat-silly-way to actually terrifying. If you can ignore the familiarity, it’s easy to enjoy the Losers Club story, which has at least been extremely well-cast. James has an earnest charm, Christine a solid fierceness and Fidler a relatable fragility. Lawler, the best known of the young actors thanks to her breakout work in “Station Eleven,” brings welcome awkward humor, while Stack, with the series’ most complex character, conveys an uneasy grasp on sanity that the rest of the show isn’t really prepared to deal with.
Kelly Lawler | USA Today
If this sounds too much like a rehash of the lovable “Losers Club” of the original book and film, fear not: These kids, and what they experience, are familiar but not a carbon copy of what has come before. Fans of the book and films know that the yellow-eyed entity of all of our nightmares appears in Derry every 27 years. The HBO series simply turns back the clock to the kids who came just before the “Losers” of the original. And perhaps even further than that. Creators Jason Fuchs, Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti keep the series fast-paced and gripping, balancing the jump scares and psychological horror with the quieter but no-less important moments. In its eerie, uncomfortable depiction of Derry as a toxic version of the all-American town, the series is sometimes more powerful than when Pennywise jumps at the screen.
Emma Kiely | Collider
One of IT: Welcome to Derry’s largest issues is that it’s trying and failing to be Stranger Things. While the first movie leaned into the “kids on bikes” formula, the cast had electric chemistry and were all crafted into fully-formed characters, with the sparring between Richie (Finn Wolfhard) and Eddie (Jack Dylan Glazer) making for genuine laughs. But Welcome to Derry’s younger cast is nowhere near as charming as the movies’ ensemble. Without going into too much detail, as the show pulls off some major surprises early on, the somewhat forced themes of child friendship and how togetherness can beat any evil downplay the already reduced horror. It’s hard to feel fully gripped or nervous for these kids’ fates when almost every scene ends with predictable, tropey line readings of “Guys! I have an idea…” or “Are you in or are you out?” Still, Welcome to Derry does deserve kudos for some truly surprising turns of events in the premiere, which goes where not even certain major horror releases (ahem, Blumhouse) would dare to tread.
Tom Jorgensen | IGN
The payoffs in this first episode, though, do yield mixed results. Scares that lean on quick glimpses of something that shouldn’t be there, or voices coming from where they shouldn’t, go a lot farther than ones reliant on letting the monster fully out from under the bed. If you found the scares in the It movies which leaned more on CG a letdown, the main form Pennywise takes when it does appear in this first episode will likely be more distraction than nightmare fuel. Still, Pennywise’s first attacks definitely communicate one thing about Welcome to Derry: there’s likely no shortage of blood and gore coming our way, and a few plot-armored characters aside, no kid or adult is safe.
Robert Lloyd | Los Angeles Times
Horror, especially body-horror — there are two monstrous birth sequences in the five episodes, out of nine, available to review — has, you may have noticed, moved from the fringes to the center of popular (even high) culture, with A-list stars signing on and Oscar and Emmy nominations not unlikely. Indeed, the good, cheap, unrespectable, unambitious variety of scare flick has mostly disappeared from the big screen. That “Welcome to Derry” is more of a cheesy B-picture than its makers might like to imagine, assembled from worked-over tropes — somewhat excusable for King having originated many of them — is more in its favor than not. TV remains a haven for cheesiness. Long may it remain so.
Ben Travers | IndieWire
Fans of the “It” franchise should know whether “Welcome to Derry” is right for them within the first hour, perhaps sooner. The opening sequence — involving a scared little boy whose fear only accelerates during a nightmarish car ride — is a decent bellwether for the first five episodes (which is all that were screened for critics, of the eight total). Cheesy frights rely on cartoonish CGI and spewing blood to provoke imagery that’s memorable for the wrong reasons. The franchise’s iconic clown is nowhere to be found, replaced by one of the many toothless iterations of “It” our shapeshifting antagonist assumes instead. By the time a glistening pacifier flies out the window in slow-motion, it’s not awe or even curiosity that’s evoked by our welcome to “Derry,” but confusion accompanied by an uninvited chuckle.
Martin Robinson | London Evening Standard
What’s most impressive about the series is how well it manages to weave contemporary concerns into its early 1960s milieu, with its nods to Nuclear Age fear, civils rights and a sense of innocence being lost. As with HBO’s equally smart Watchmen, these serious concerns providing real depth to the pulpy action…It’s a beautifully done series, if you can call something this gross beautiful - yes, this is next level body horror with at least two deranged ‘birth’ scenes early on that will have you reaching for the sick bowl - which is about trauma, family and the fear that drives society.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within HBO Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch live NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.