“IT Chapter Two” hit theaters on Sept. 6, merely two years after the first one. Director Andrés Muschietti brings in some familiar faces along with a few new cast members, notably James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain, to play the adults from the second half of Stephen King’s book, “It”.

The sequel takes place 27 years after the first movie when Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) makes a comeback to Derry, ME. Keeping his promise, Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafah) calls the Losers’ Club back to Derry to defeat the evil, big-headed clown once and for all.

The casting is where this movie truly shines. The actors playing the grown-up Losers’ Club are not only extremely talented, but they also freakishly resemble their younger counterparts. This definitely comes in handy with the frequent flashbacks between the infamous summer of 1989 and the present time. By providing a connection between the two times, the cast is able to masterfully bring out the personalities of their younger selves that have been clouded over with age.

However, the coming-of-age aesthetic from the first movie was sadly lost in this one. The sequel doesn’t have the same heart-touching themes like the first chapter, such as finding your first love and what the true meaning of friendship is. Instead, jump scares fill the entire three-hour movie, beginning to end. The tacky CGI monsters are nonstop and the fear factor wears off well within the first half of the movie. Special moments are simply brushed over and then followed by another jump scare. Sitting there for three hours, I realized that sometimes less really is more.

Overall, it could’ve been worse. Muschietti did what had to be done for a sequel and that’s all there is to it. Personally, I would save my money until it comes out on iTunes or Amazon to rent it. With everything considered, I give “IT Chapter Two” an underwhelming 3/5.