THE DARK TOWER (2017) ***

I was a huge Stephen King fan growing up.  His novels instilled in me a love of reading that I still have to this day.  I pretty much stopped reading his books a decade or so ago, but that doesn’t stop me for seeing the new movies based on his work.  (Hell, I even liked Cell.)  The Dark Tower series, while not my favorites, have always been ripe with possibilities for a big screen adaptation.  The surprising thing is that this isn’t an adaptation.  It’s more of an extension/continuation of the novels, which to me is a much more interesting and unique approach.  Although the word of mouth was toxic, The Dark Tower has some cool stuff in it, features a couple of solid performances, and is a great deal of fun.   

He who thought this was bad has forgotten the face of his father.  

Now most King movies take a seven-page story and stretch it out to 90 minutes.  This one takes a seven-book series and puts it into 90 minutes.  Again, this isn’t a straight-up adaptation, but some of the stuff that happens will be familiar to King readers.   

I think people went into this one with a very clear idea of what a Dark Tower film should be.  You can’t review a movie that only exists in your head.  You can only react to what your eyes and ears give you.  While The Dark Tower itself isn’t perfect, the Stephen King fan in me was quite entertained. 

Matthew McConaughey radiates a quiet intensity as The Man in Black.  His steely gaze and nonchalant malevolence is a nice fit for the character.  If a big screen adaptation of The Stand ever happens, I hope he gets to play Flagg.   

Idris Elba also does a fine job as Roland the Gunslinger.  There’s one scene at a dinner table where he gives a speech that sort of nails who Roland is.  The world has moved on, and so has he.  Now all he has his quest for revenge.  However, his relationship with Jake (Tom Taylor) could be the thing that redeems him. 

Speaking of Jake, a lot of people seem to have a problem with him being the main character.  I actually thought it was a neat idea.  He mainly serves as the audience’s surrogate as he’s being introduced to this strange new world right along with you.  Some fans have balked at that, but it’s done rather well.  It’s hard to establish an entire mythology that consumed seven books in a 90-minute running time, so yes, some shortcuts have been made. 

I’m not going to lie, parts of the narrative feel rushed and some of the plot devices are a little clunky and/or too convenient.  Unlike most King works, there’s no filler and it has a definitive ending, so there's that.  Sure, some of the effects may look like they came out of a SYFY mini-series, but overall, The Dark Tower works.   

I can’t say this is a home run, but there were parts of it that crackled.  The end, where the Gunslinger makes his final stand while reciting the Gunslinger Oath was some powerful stuff.  I also enjoyed the nods to other King works that suggest there’s a bigger world at play here.  Whether the filmmakers ever get to explore that world remains to be seen.  All I know is that this is a solid King flick and I for one hope we get to see more of the universe soon.