The Dark Tower (2017)

The Dark Tower (Dir: Nikolaj Arcel, 2017).

A kind of sci-fi/western/fantasy mashup based on Stephen King’s popular series of novels. 

In alternate universe Mid-World, Gunslinger Roland (Idris Elba) battles bad guy Walter (Matthew McConaughey) for dominance over the Dark Tower, which Walter plans to use for evil means. After stumbling through a portal in abandoned house, troubled New York teenager Jake (Tom Tyler) teams up with the Gunslinger to assist him in his quest.

Aware of the negative reviews and underwhelming box office with which it greeted upon release, my expectations for The Dark Tower were low. Perhaps because of this, while acknowledging the movie is flawed, I found it to be surprisingly entertaining! 

Any film with a cast of the calibre of Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey shouldn’t be a total loss and their performances, along with young Tom Taylor are solid. Some excellent visual effects and high octane action sequences are present and correct, although it does feel a little bit cookie cutter in approach. Unfortunately, star performances and impressive visuals cannot compensate for the movie’s flaws. 

From underdeveloped characters to an occasionally confusing narrative, The Dark Tower’s problems seem to stem from its storytelling. Yet, I hesitate to lay blame at writer/director Nikolaj Arcel alone. At 95 minutes, it is a fairly short movie and would perhaps have benefited from an additional 20 or 30 minutes runtime, particularly considering its epic scope. My suspicions are that judicious editing may have solved some of the problems, or a least offered a little room for character development. 

Whether, as I suspect, a better version of The Dark Tower was left on the cutting room floor, I guess we will never know. The movie as released is both unsatisfactory to fans of the books and overly complex to newcomers. The Dark Tower’s negative reception halted plans to adapt further books from the series. Which is a shame, as the premise is an intriguing one. Worth a watch for the talent involved but sadly, not as good a movie as it should have been.