Why do people like It (2017) so much?

I really don't get it. People give the mini-series a lot of flack (and honestly I think the adult part is very overhated), but this remake was one of the most clichéd and messiest horror movies I've ever seen. You could predict every jumpscare beat for beat, there was an extreme overuse of CGI, and even though the movie is about a scary clown, it's more ridiculous and over-the-top than scary.

Some parts of the movie were genuinely good (like The Losers Club gang just having fun),but the clown, the main attraction, was the most annoying thing about the movie. Bill Skarsgård was decent, but it's not his best role. I also thought the painting monster was laughably bad. Like, are you kidding me?

I would say this is gonna be a hard question to answer, because of your pre disposition against the film. The reason people like "It" so much is a large combination of things. It's definitely one of the most popular King stories especially to general audience. Almost everyone is afraid of clowns or like me at least finds them uncomfortable. Another factor is a large majority of audiences watching this film probably saw the mini-series and are just happy to see a real "Horror" rendition of the story or grew up watching movies like the Goonies and a movie like this touches upon a feeling of nostalgia for films like that. Another reason everyone "likes" this film is because movies are still a business and the marketing for this movie was really well done, its popularity is gonna make it more liked just because that's how our brains work. I guess the other thing is that horror movies like this always do well if you look at every Blumhouse movie ever made most of them make a profit. The general viewing audience don't mind predictable jump scares and they don't mind CGI. I would say that the movie did a fairly good job at using jump scares to keep you on edge a little but it didn't rely on them like most movies in this genre do recently. It think the idea of an entity who preys upon your fears is inherently "scary" and I wish they would have played with it a little more instead of just throwing it in at the end.

TLR
It's not a fresh idea but in the landscape of horror today it's refreshing enough that people like it. It also has many different nostalgic aspects that people are bound to love. Simply it’s a smart movie made at the right time.

I can buy that. I liked it well enough as average, but something great it was not. I would have loved to see the kid actors bond anywhere near the level of Stand by Me or The Goonies, but instead it was just slightly off for me similar to the way the interactions were in Dream Catcher. MOST of the kid interactions felt stiff and awkward, and to me that was supposed to be the warm invite to relate to this universe.

there were some wonderful scenes, such as the blood sink and the father's reaction upon entering, but the clown himself came off a bit goofy to me instead of scary. The way he shook his head several times while chasing one of the kids felt overdone, or maybe not pushed enough. Most times, I could not understand his voice which also felt overacted. So I agree with you on the predictability of the scares, not that I expect "scares" from IT, but in that they were there I would have enjoyed seeing a more interesting scare tactic. The floaters I thought were visually stunning and met the level of abstract scenery that I was hoping for more of throughout the movie.

How many times can one kid get slashed through the gut before the director realizes that character probably should be hospitalized, instead of jumping 40' into a quarry lake? Is there some hidden meaning or symbolism in this kid's stomach to bring so much attention to it? Odd little things like that are what kept pulling my attention.

It wasn't a bad movie for me, but it was not great and I can't justify the praise that I'm seeing. It was no better or worse than The Dark Tower, for many of the same reasons. Technical reasons, I suppose they are, but still reasons enough for me to not love it.

I'm not a fan of Skarsgard's Pennywise either. Tim Curry's character was more like a serial killer and more grotesque as well, like a John Wayne Gacy.

Clowns are supposed to be grotesque, that what they didn't get in this one.

Skarsgard was too much of a fantasy monster. I understand it's a choice and that Pennywise is not a real clown, but he's supposed to act as a clown at first.

That being said, I think the rest of the cast and the writing were very good.

I enjoyed the mini-series for what it is. And although you stated you believe the adult-part is "over-hated," I have to respectfully disagree with that. Some of the issues I had to do with the mini-series dealt with how little they handled the severity of the situation they were in, which struck me as an odd approach. For instance, when they return to Derry after the long departure away from the town, Mike and Bill are riding bikes and shooting the breeze, and it simply doesn't feel realistic to me of how someone would react if they returned to their old hometown to battle an evil entity that is murdering children. The remake definitely had a few instances that I didn't like in the same way, like with Ritchie slinging one-liners in pivotal moments. Maybe I nitpick, but, in those regards, I feel like they didn't put their best foot forward in that approach.

I think the appeal for "IT: Chapter One" has to deal with how under-served the horror market has felt. Although, you downright didn't like it, which I can appreciate, I do believe it had more visual flare than the average horror film has lately. This film felt more like a mainstream "event," whereas horror hasn't carried that momentum in a long time. Personally, I really liked "IT" and I believe Skarsgard did fantastic, reminding me of the horror from my childhood. Furthermore, I did a full-fledged review of the film on YouTube if you're interested, as well.

It was a good film, I enjoyed it, even if it has become a bit overhyped of late.