Agreed. In the middle of reading the book again for the umpteenth time since the late 1980s, and Tim Curry’s performance is so indelible it is almost inseparable from the character in the book in my mind. I think that Tim’s acting in the Georgie scene alone is incredibly nuanced, and have watched it again on YouTube several times in just the past few days just to enjoy all of the different shading he puts into just a few lines.
Whereas the new Pennywise reminds me of nothing more than Johnny Depp doing Willy Wonka – not only in voice and mannerism (Willy Wonks mixed with Michael Jackson), but also the unnecessary spirit of “doing it differently and weirdly for no good reason other than just to do it differently and weirdly“.
M
edit to add - and that is the beauty of Tim’s performance, which seems completely lost in the new version. The clown is supposed to be – at least when Georgie sees it – somewhat of an attractive character to lure in a small child. The clown disguise is supposed to be almost like the camouflage of a predator. The new clown would make even the dumbest small child freak out and run away instantly – not a very effective lure.