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THE DARK TOWER (2017) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

The DARK TOWER (2017) movie

Genre | Fantasy Adventure

Classification | M

Running time | 95 minutes

Released | 17 August 2017

cast

Matthew McConaughey ... Walter
Idris Elba ... Roland
Tom Taylor ... Jake
Dennis Haysbert ... Steven
Claudia Kim ... Arra
Jackie Earle Haley ... Sayre

director

Nikolaj Arcel

writer

Akiva Goldsman ... (screenplay by) &
Jeff Pinkner ... (screenplay by) and
Anders Thomas Jensen ... (screenplay by) &
Nikolaj Arcel ... (screenplay by)

Stephen King ... (based on "The Dark Tower" novels by)

cinematographer

Rasmus Videbæk

music

Junkie XL

film editor

Alan Edward Bell
Dan Zimmerman

box office result

Worldwide $113,221,910

Australia $2,513,760

North America $50,701,325

the best dialogue

Roland Deschain: I do not aim with my hand. He who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I aim with my eye. I do not shoot with my hand. He who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I shoot with my mind. I do not kill with my gun. He who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father. I kill with my heart.

Roland Deschain: The Tower is all that stands between light and darkness. For thousands of generations the gunslingers were knights. Sworn to protect it. Now I'm the only one left.

Man in Black: You can't stop what's coming. Death always wins.

THE DARK TOWER (2017) MOVIE IMAGES

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THE DARK TOWER (2017) STORY SYNOPSIS

Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) is a young 11-year-old adventure seeker who discovers clues about another dimension called Mid-World. Upon following the mystery, he is spirited away to Mid-World where he encounters the lone frontiersman knight Roland Deschain (Idris Elba) who is on a quest to reach the "Dark Tower" that resides in End-World and reach the nexus point between time and space that he hopes will save Mid-World from extinction. But with various monsters and a vicious sorcerer named Walter Padick (Matthew McConaughey) hot on their trail, the unlikely duo find that their quest may be difficult to complete.

THE DARK TOWER (2017) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty | Review date 17 August 2017
Pop Movee Rating ⭐⭐½

There seems to be an almost genetic need in Stephen King fans to want to believe that the next feature film adaptation of the author’s work will translate from page to screen, providing a cinematic interpretation of what the reader’s imagination has created and do justice to the author’s writing. Among King’s work, The Dark Tower stands as a much revered series of stories charting the epic adventure of Roland Deschain; a parallel dimension ‘Gunslinger’, whose job it is to protect the Universe itself against the Man in Black, Walter o’Dim. To adapt this voluminous tome into a movie would be a challenge in itself, but the weight of fan expectation creates an extra burden that has the ability to make or break The Dark Tower. Unfortunately, fans will be left underwhelmed by Nikolai Arcel’s effort to deliver a trim, taut and tense version of the author’s eight volume work, as the nuances of King’s shared universe story (within his own literary canon) are lost with the need to forego character and context for plot. The decision to position the film as a sequel to the novels leaves far too much to the viewer’s interpretation, as the signs and portents of King’s inter-connected story are lost in this short and unsatisfying 95 minute film.

The film wastes no time in establishing Mathew McConaughey’s Walter as the chief antagonist who will go to any means to bring about his ultimate plan; the destruction of The Dark Tower and the introduction of untold evil into the Universe. To do this he needs a special child; one whose psychic ability is so strong that it can destroy the Tower’s defences. In a nod to King’s earlier work to do with telekinesis and psychic powers, such as The Shining and Carrie, characters refer to this ability as “the shine” and it’s translated literally into The Dark Tower’s screenplay. Tom Taylor’s Jake happens to be the the candidate Walter is looking for, but the young boy is dealing with his own issues after the death of his Firefighter father. Jake’s mother Laurie (Katherine Winnick) is sympathetic to her young son, but she’s moved on with a new partner and he’s not so embracing of the boy’s psychological issues. To be honest, Lon, played by Nicholas Pauling, is an absolute jerk and he’s a stereotype character that is very familiar throughout King’s work. In the case of The Dark Tower, Lon’s insistence that Jake undergo a treatment program upstate leads to the kid’s flight from their New York apartment and onto an adventure of universal importance.

In terms of performances, there's not a great deal to recommend The Dark Tower. McConaughey creates something of an impression but he hardly comes across as intimidating. His range of “bad” is achieved mostly by way of utterances to victims, like “stop breathing”... In the novels, the “Man in Black’s” nonchalant evil works fine because his absolute power is placed into context, but it’s just not scary in the film and his character seems overly casual in the manner in which his dispenses his power. Unfortunately, Idris Elba is left with not much to do but pontificate his way through the story, all in the quest to come face-to-face with Walter. Elba is yet to clearly establish himself as a feature film actor that audiences are prepared to turn up and see him as the headliner. There’s no doubt he’s a talented actor, but his best work always seems reserved for television and it’s hard to see The Dark Tower progressing his case for the leading role in large-scale movies. Despite an earnest effort, young Tom Taylor doesn’t quite have the range to be totally convincing and several key moments involving his story-arc fall flat because he is unable to sell the emotion of the moment. Therein lies the overall problem of The Dark Tower… Too many important moments feel rushed or don’t connect with the viewer because the movie eschews characterization and context in favour of plot and action. That’s great for a 95 minute stand-alone Action movie. It’s not so great for a literary adaptation where the source material comprised of eight volumes totalling 4,250 pages...