Having read the first few books in Stephen King's sci-fi adventure series, I was not expecting it to follow the books very well, and I was not sure how much source material they would use in the film adaptation. I was right, however, when it turned out to be a story of its own. The Dark Tower film takes a handful of aspects from the first book in King's series and adapts those elements to make a plot of its own, capable of presenting through film. While this movie did not follow the first book very well, it did take those aspects and make an enjoyable adventure epic with a great cast and terrific visual effects.
Since I have read the first few books of the series, I was expecting a lot from this film. There are so many characters and so many elements that are present in the Dark Tower universe, including cameos and allusions from other works of Stephen King. This film, however, took much of its plot and general premise from the first book in the series: The Gunslinger. It crafted a story of its own without relying too heavily on the books for source material. This was positive and negative for the film. Bad news first: I wish that the plot would have included more elements and background from the novels. One part about the film that I personally understood but might have been confusing for many viewers was background information not being presented. For example, in the film, it is told that the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) works for a higher order. Having read the novels, I know who that "higher order" is and what his true motivations and desires are. I am trying to take the stance of someone who has never read the books, and this "higher order" and many other small details might have flown over their heads and confused them. On the positive side, however, since this film took a path of its own story-wise, it was refreshing to see a clean take on the adventure of Roland and Jake. This is what I appreciated the most, was that it did not need to rely on pleasing the dedicated fans of the series to make an enjoyable film. Even though it only clocked in at 95 minutes, the crew did a fantastic job of maintaining the balance between hardcore fans and average moviegoers.
There were only a few select elements of the film that I did not enjoy. The first being the post-apocalyptic and typical tone of the film. The Dark Tower novels have a certain distinct tone that I can't quite put into words until you read them yourself. They remain very dark and brooding, but keep changing enough to draw you in and keep you interested in the series. This film, however, felt like your typical Hunger Games-style flick. We understand by now that once the world "ends" a new government with strict rules and absurd futuristic laws will rise. This film did not do anything to go in the other direction of that tone. While the genre is still enjoyable, the setting did not stand out as much as I would have hoped. Another aspect was the occasional cheesy dialogue. Roland Deschain, played by Idris Elba, is a very solitary and determined character, and remained so for most of the film. "You can come with me since you have nothing left... gunslinger..." really pushed me over the edge since such a strongly developed character would not in his right mind say something as fatherly as that. Which leads me to my next point: the ending of the film, while leaving the general audience satisfied, left me feeling like there could have been more. Since it was such a quick film, I did not get as much of the full experience of Keystone Earth as I would have liked. And since this movie only took elements from the first novel, I expected a possible franchise or sequel, but is does not seem like they are planning anything based off of the abrupt closing shot.
There were many amazing parts of this film that absolutely stood out. The first being the performances by the main cast. Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey were outstanding in their roles, especially the latter. Idris Elba played a fantastic version of Roland Deschain and lived up to the Gunslinger hype for sure. McConaughey, however, stole the show for the majority of the movie. His portrayal of the Man in Black literally sent shivers down my spine. Not casting McConaughey in a villainous role before is a mistake for Hollywood studios because he played the perfect creepy sorcerer. He embodied his character so well, and is the definition of a villain that you are secretly rooting for, just to be able to see more of him. The other major attraction for me in this movie were the action sequences. Roland Deschain, the last of the gunslingers, makes Will Smith's Deadshot look like a Stormtrooper. His accuracy and finesse with his pistols is visually amazing to watch. The fight scenes between the Man in Black and Deschain, while there were only a few, were very tense and special effects-heavy, which did work well.
In conclusion, The Dark Tower is an enjoyable film to watch, and brings its own style and astounding performances to the dystopian genre. While it does not follow the novels exactly or sets up any hopes for a possible sequel as some may have hoped, it is a fun addition to the sci-fi action/adventure family.
My Rating: ★★★
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