Movie Review: The Dark Tower (2017)

The Dark Tower is directed by Nikolaj Arcel and is one of two major Stephen King works getting adapted to the big screen this year (the other being It). The film stars Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Taylor in the leading roles. The movie revolves around Jake (Taylor) a young boy who after drawing pictures of a large tower being destroyed and threatening humanity, meets Roland Deschain (Elba). These two team up and try to stop the efforts of The Man in Black (McConaughey). I was fairly disappointed upon hearing the negative reviews and seeing the eighteen percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The trailer to me actually didn't seem good or bad, but too vague to give us a full sense of the movie. Walking out of this film, I was smiling. The Dark Tower isn't anywhere near as bad as the general consensus deems it. Yes there are large issues with this film which I will divulge into fully. Yet Dark Tower is a fun, entertaining movie, with two really interesting characters (Jake and Roland). Idris Elba and Tom Taylor are great in this movie. My favorite has to be Taylor though, because his performance is really what hooked me into this movie. Nobody believes this kid and it really sets up intimacy between the audience because we as fans know he's not fooling anyone. Idris Elba delivers a really stealthy and mysterious performance as The Gunslinger, yet we don't know too much about him. This movie is filled with entertaining action scenes and a really intriguing universe that just isn't explained enough. That said, I thought the Man in Black was rather bland and didn't add anything to the story. His entire conquest didn't contrast well with Jake and Roland's adventure. Now I've not read all of the Dark Tower series, but I think this is an idea that's easier to get down on page than it is on the big screen. Still, his story was easily the part where I felt less interested in the narrative. The ending is also pretty generic and doesn't really give us anything satisfying or make us feel exciting for what is to come. Did I enjoy this movie? Yes and I think on entertainment merit and some of the really great acting really saved what otherwise would have been the Suicide Squad of summer 2017. Overall, The Dark Tower is fun and interesting, but aspects of the film including the villain's story and bits and pieces of incoherent editing make it not quite the great film that I wanted to witness. This is pure fun, though. If you're a fan of Stephen King and just want to be entertained, this movie will do the trick!! Two stars= B