Stephen King's It (Double Sided Disc) (DVD) Used - Very Good

A malevolent force in a small New England town takes the shape of a clown, but he's not clowning around. Instead, he terrifies youngsters and brings some to their untimely doom - until some wily kids fight back. The evil resurfaces 30 years later: meaner, angrier, deadlier. And friends who vividly remember youthful terrors reunite to battle It. Based on the 1986 novel.

Presented in its original TV-friendly 1.33:1 aspect ratio, It looks excellent on Warner Bros.' Blu-ray. This production was shot on 35mm film and composed for a tube television format, although previous DVD editions by Warner Bros. -- dating all the way back to 2002 -- were all presented in matted 1.85:1 widescreen. It's good, then, that this Blu-ray finally gives this mini-series back its original shape and, although It never achieves the look or feel of a big-budget production, it's competently framed and I've never felt that it was "missing" something in that regard.

Any way you frame it, though, this is a top-quality transfer and easily holds up to 2019 standards: the 187-minute main feature is given its own dual-layered disc and looks great from start to finish. Film grain appears incredibly strong and stable here, jumping higher during a few dark scenes without overpowering, while the complete absence of excessive noise reduction is certainly a good thing. Colors are also quite bold, from the bright primaries of Pennywise's hair, nose, and costume elements to lush green foliage, vivid yellow rain slickers, and even the occasional balloon. Skin tones also look very good here, and even a few dimly-lit interiors during the 1960 segments accurately replicate the era-specific interior design colors. All of this is especially important due to the fact that It was shot in frequently overcast Vancouver, BC (home of the earliest X-Files seasons, among countless other productions) and would have devolved into a drab, homogeneous palette if treated carelessly. Luckily that's not what we get here: these strengths, combined with excellent black levels and a strong level of image detail -- especially in close-ups, several of which are included as screenshots -- give It a deceptively pleasing, film-like, and robust appearance overall.