It was an okay movie. Really needs to be an 8-10 hour mini series. That way the characters could be explored better. We would have more of an interest in the story and lore. Felt that the actors did well with what they were given. The leads all did a good job conveying their characters motivation, considering the shortness of the movie. The heroes of the story are good. Loved the teacher as well as the two main leads and the little kid who showed no fear. Was it perfect. No. But. The effects were well done. Though they should have waited for the grand reveal till later in the story. Other than they. A solid movie. Again. Should have been made a mini series.

What makes the book a masterpiece is the slow burn. The budding love affair. The vignettes of strange things happening around town. The eventual gathering of a gang of misfit heroes that come together in perfect King fashion.

All of that is gone. The pacing is largely incoherent. Characters jump to conclusions (the right ones, always) without a second thought. It's hard to love any of characters because they all lack the depth they need to make the story move forward.

There are some really amazing moments here, and some small sparks of genius. But, unfortunately, this adaptation is defanged.

I have t read the book so I can't compare it to that. I loved the look of the vampires. There was definitely good creepy atmosphere. Good action scenes. It had the makings of a good horror movie, I just think it would have fared better as a mini series. We needed more time to get to know these characters better. More time to develop these relationships. I think Lewis does a really good acting job with what he's given but his character needs more development. His backstory doesn't play into the story in any way, except for a vague "only the outsiders win" kind of way. Like I thought him being a writer (besides being the obvious Stephen King stand in) would serve a purpose, like maybe he's the one to do research, but no. The only other thing we know about him is that his parents died when he was a kid and that serves no purpose either. He's kind of nothing character. Again, at least Lewis does a good job with what little is given to him. But as said, I think a mini series would have been better to give more time for the characters.