IT: Chapter 2 (UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: December 10, 2019
Rating: R
Film: 4/5
 
Plot
Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård), he has returned to terrorize the town of Derry once more. Now adults, the Losers have long since gone their separate ways. However, people are disappearing again, so Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one of the group to remain in their hometown, calls the others home. Damaged by the experiences of their past, they must each conquer their deepest fears to destroy Pennywise once and for  all...putting them directly in the path of the shape-shifting clown that has become deadlier than ever.
 
My Thoughts
This isn’t the type of movie I normally like—I’m not a fan of the horror genre. That being said, I don’t really think this falls into that category. It’s more of a thriller with some elements of horror and gore, which suits me better. I ended up liking the first film which I watched on UHD when it was released and it captivated me enough to want to see how the story ends.
 
I think the casting is quite good for all of the main characters and they captured the essence of their youthful counterparts. All are carrying some type of baggage from the first encounter and while life has been good to most of them from a success aspect, they are all broken in one way or another. My only real complaint with the film is it’s just shy of three hours long—that’s a lot of time to dedicate to the film. Granted, it only felt like it dragged in the last 20 minutes or so when the climactic battle seemed to go on forever.
 
The A/Q quality is off the charts. The Dolby Atmos track is a demo showpiece throughout the film with discrete effects coming from every direction and it also contains a plethora of LFE—I love LFE! The video encode is also excellent with eye-popping color saturation and inky blacks although it is an upconversion from the 2K DI.
 
Video 9/10
 
Audio 10/10 (Dolby Atmos)
 
Special Features:
 

• Feature Commentary
• The Summers of IT – Chapter One: You’ll Float, Too
• The Summers of IT – Chapter Two: IT Ends
• Pennywise Lives Again
• This Meeting of the Losers’ Club Has Officially Begun
• Finding the Deadlights
• Blu-ray + Digital Copy

 

 
Conclusion
If you liked the first film you’ll probably enjoy this as well. Sure, it’s a tad long, but it does a good job of exploring the characters and really getting you into the film. The audio quality alone is worth at least one viewing. It will probably become one of your go-to discs to demo your audio system, especially if you are Atmos enabled. Highly recommended.
 
 

Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
 Anthem AVM60 Audio/Video Processor 
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed ChannelsATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player 
 System Controller: URC MX-980M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
 HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
 SVS SB-3000 SubwooferJL Audio Dominion D110 Subwoofer x 2 (configured as tandem mid bass modules)Mini DSP controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[AVSCraig]

I've been on the fence about this, but I did really like the first one - a lot more than my wife did. So I might need to pick this up. 

[David Vaughn]

I've been on the fence about this, but I did really like the first one - a lot more than my wife did. So I might need to pick this up.

Craig,

Get it for the audio alone. It kicks some serious ass. The story is pretty good too. 

[bmoney]

movie is quite meh in ALL aspects compared to part one..AQ/VQ as well as the actual film

[David Vaughn]

movie is quite meh in ALL aspects compared to part one..AQ/VQ as well as the actual film

Did you watch the UHD or the Blu-ray? The presentation is outstanding on the UHD, especially the audio. 

[bmoney]

Did you watch the UHD or the Blu-ray? The presentation is outstanding on the UHD, especially the audio.

UHD.  found it lacking compared to the first chapter...

i dont buy blu-ray anymore only 4k UHD discs

[David Vaughn]

UHD.  found it lacking compared to the first chapter...

i dont buy blu-ray anymore only 4k UHD discs

Wow...Out of curiosity, I just looked at other sites who reviewed the UHD and you're definitely in the minority. Oh well...better luck next movie

[bmoney]

Wow...Out of curiosity, I just looked at other sites who reviewed the UHD and you're definitely in the minority. Oh well...better luck next movie

please note...i am only referring to being compared to the first chapter....the first chapter was reference imho all around...and a great movie....second. i found the picture very nice..not top notch..and the atmos not as good as the first..
id go 
picture 8/10
sound 8/10