It: Welcome To Derry’s Bad CGI Is A Pattern With WBD’s Stephen King Adaptations

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Be warned: this article reveals significant plot details from the first episode of HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry. The new series It: Welcome to Derry has arrived and seems to be meeting expectations. Critics and fans have given it generally positive reviews – it currently has a 78% score from critics and an 83% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While these are good numbers, they’re typical for adaptations of Stephen King’s work – solid, but not outstanding.

The first episode of It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references for Stephen King fans and features genuinely shocking moments. Director Andy Muschietti isn’t holding back on the horror or the creatively bizarre ways Pennywise appears. However, the episode isn’t perfect – the impressive visuals actually contribute to a problem that’s plagued recent Stephen King adaptations from Warner Bros. Discovery.

It: Welcome To Derry’s CGI Is Distractingly Bad

Let’s be honest: the computer-generated imagery (CGI) in It: Welcome to Derry isn’t very good. The design of Pennywise as a demonic bat-like baby is especially noticeable – and not in a good way. This is a significant issue because the frightening car ride at the beginning is supposed to establish the tone for both the episode and the whole series.

The movie begins strongly with a truly disturbing and gruesome body horror scene – one of the most shocking we’ve seen recently. While I won’t give away the details, it’s intensely graphic and feels physically painful to watch. However, the impact of this horror is quickly lost when a digitally created demon baby bat appears. Unfortunately, the special effects are so poor that the creature comes across as silly instead of frightening.

It was a serious mistake not to invest more time and money in that scene. The design of Pennywise as a baby demon in It: Welcome to Derry was a daring idea, but it relied on incredibly realistic special effects to be truly frightening and set the mood. Unfortunately, the effects weren’t convincing enough.

Honestly, even the final scare with baby Pennywise at the Capitol Theater didn’t quite land for me. It was terrifying, don’t get me wrong – seeing those kids in danger is always upsetting. But the effects just weren’t convincing enough. It felt too fake, and that really took away from the impact, especially since this adaptation was aiming to be one of the most disturbing and graphic Stephen King stories ever brought to life. I was hoping for something truly unsettling, and it just didn’t quite get there.

The poor computer-generated imagery in It: Welcome to Derry isn’t a surprise, as Warner Bros. Discovery’s adaptations of Stephen King stories have often had similar issues.

Bad CGI Has Plagued Warner Bros.’ Recent Stephen King Adaptations

The new miniseries Welcome to Derry highlights a recurring issue with Warner Bros. Discovery’s Stephen King adaptations: the computer-generated imagery (CGI) is consistently poor. This has been a problem with every recent adaptation, including It: Chapter Two. That film relied too heavily on CGI, which unfortunately ruined some of its most frightening moments, like the final showdown in the sewers.

The new movie deserves praise for its bold creature designs, particularly the way Pennywise changes shape at the end. However, like the strange demon baby in It: Welcome to Derry, ambitious and unusual designs need to be fully realized. The final version needs to be completely polished and finished, not just almost there – it shouldn’t feel like the director only achieved 75% of their vision, leaving the rest incomplete.

Andy Muschietti’s movie adaptations aren’t the only ones with noticeable CGI issues. The 2024 film version of Salem’s Lot also struggled in that area. Interestingly, it was directed by Gary Dauberman, who also wrote the It movies. While Dauberman’s film faced problems with studio interference and delays due to the COVID pandemic, the final product still didn’t meet expectations.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s Stephen King adaptations are consistently let down by poor visual effects, which is a disservice to both the stories and viewers. While there’s hope the remaining episodes of It: Welcome to Derry season one will improve on the weak CGI from the first episode, unfortunately, given Warner Bros. Discovery’s history, it doesn’t seem probable.

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2025-10-28 16:39