Bill Hader is the best thing about disappointing 'It: Chapter Two'

There are some very good, pretty scary set pieces in It: Chapter Two -- (an extended sequence in a hall of mirrors comes to mind) there should be since the horror blockbuster runs nearly three hours (and you'll feel it).

Unfortunately, most of jolts are unearned jump scares and the power of this new Pennywise, which was so fresh a couple years ago, has diminished a bit, too.

I've never read Stephen King's massive book, to which these movies appear to be slavishly devoted, but my sense is (after watching the It television movie starring Tim Curry) that the adult half was always the weaker of the two sections.

It makes a lot of sense in retrospect. Pennywise and the different forms he takes would be and should be frightening to a vulnerable job. The adults in this movie seem like they could easily overpower him, so much so that during the climax Pennywise grows to the size of a Jurassic Park dinosaur.

And that's indicative of what's wrong with the movie. It eschews the charming and funny character development of the first film in favor of some pretty shoddy CGI and a lot of mumbo jumbo about "rituals." The adult "losers" are a bit of mixed bag.

For instance, Bill Hader is dynamite whenever he's on screen -- but on the other end of the spectrum there's Old Spice guy Isaiah Mustafa in the thankless, underwritten role of Mike, a.k.a. 'the black one."

Jessica Chastain gets top billing but she never really has much to chew on, especially after a domestic violence subplot involving her character is introduced and abandoned with haste. This is a movie that both feels rushed and bloated, which is never a great sign.

Hader has it easier, his character gets the best lines and is allowed to have the most realistic reactions one can have in this supernatural rollercoaster. He also has the storyline with the most genuine pathos. I almost would like to see a film totally centered on him and his confrontation with his own demons, but of course this series isn't meant to take chances.

Instead, an inordinate amount of screen-time is devoted to amusing at first and then quite tiresome cameo from Stephen King himself. Some sequences are simply more loud and gross than scary and by the end I found myself pining for the more slow burn thrills of so-called 'elevated horror.'

Those films -- think Hereditary or The Witch -- fill you with a growing, ominous dread. This is more of a piece of pop entertainment, for better or worse, and I am curious how this one will play with the more mainstream audiences it was intended for.

There are some very good laughs in the film -- in fact I wish the movie was a lot less serious -- it's what made the first installment so much fun. Instead we are forced to watch James McAvoy screaming, crying and working that American accent hard, while working in the stutter his character is supposed to be afflicted with. He is earnest and committed, as is the movie, but I was relieved when it was over and not because I was so terrified by it.

It'll make all the money in the world -- and that's fine, I certainly don't regret seeing it, but I can't say I'm not a bit let down by this enterprise.

Here's hoping the upcoming Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep, deviates a bit more from our expectations.