By Brett Blake As an adaptation of the Stephen King book series, THE DARK TOWER is an almost colossal failure. The film’s narrative cribs only generally from the literature, picking and choosing (seemingly at random) plot elements while inventing out of whole cloth new components. It changes characterizations, motivations, and destinies. Outside of names and the general conceit of the titular Tower itself, there is precious little in here that will be familiar to the die hard fans of King’s books. Taken as a broader riff - a new spin - on King’s novels, the movie is more successful. Far from the chaotic slog some might have been anticipating due to its frequently-shifting release dates, the film races along at a (probably too) fast clip, offers up some intriguing world-building, and presents a trio of interesting characters well performed by their actors. It’s not a great movie by any means, but it’s completely watchable. The basic thrust of the tale involves young Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor), a troubled boy living in New York City who has recurring nightmares involving a sinister Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) and his attempts to destroy a mythical Dark Tower which protects the known universe from evil forces. Also in Jake’s dreams is a mysterious and noble warrior - Roland (Idris Elba), the last gunslinger in a parallel dimension called Mid-World who is determined to exact revenge on the Man in Black. When Jake finds himself pursued by the Man in Black’s nefarious agents and henchmen, he stumbles upon a portal to Mid-World which brings him into contact with Roland; together the pair attempt to stop the Man in Black before the Tower is destroyed and the literal apocalypse begins. It cannot be overstated that this movie is not a true adaptation of the books, which are so sprawling, so big in scope, and so packed with characters that nothing less than a GAME OF THRONES-style HBO series could ever possibly do them justice. Moreover, the movie doesn’t even really try to adapt the books; it takes the idea of the Tower, of the Man in Black’s general schemes, and the Roland/Jake relationship and pretty much does its own thing with it. Fans will likely hate this approach, and that’s understandable to an extent. However, those who are less invested in the novels - or who are unfamiliar with them entirely - will perhaps find themselves swayed by the movie’s understated strengths, chief among these being the acting. While he’s far from the biggest name in the cast, Tom Taylor’s performance as Jake is very strong, and it serves as the anchor of the story; unlike the books, this film’s story is explicitly presented from his point-of-view, and he brings equal parts youthful curiosity and melancholic unease to the fold. Taylor sells Jake’s dilemmas well, and when called upon to handle the most emotional beats of the narrative, he’s up to the task. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that most of his scenes involve him acting across from the likes of Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, both of whom are terrific. McConaughey’s Man in Black has a disengaged, aloof quality to his evil, and there’s a streak of casual cruelty that is strikingly etched by McConaughey; the character’s a bit thin in the page (receiving nowhere near the kind of attention his literary counterpart does, albeit over the course of many novels, and not just ones in the DARK TOWER series), but McConaughey makes him compelling enough. For his part, Elba absolutely nails the stoic nobility of Roland, as well as the sense that this man - while fundamentally good and decent - is forever haunted by the past in ways he’ll probably never be able to shake (though, again, we don’t really get to know much about truly motivates him - and the gunslingers as a general force, for that matter - beyond vengeance). That ties into the editing and the pacing. Editorially, the movie is cut right to the bone. A breathless or relentless pace can be a great thing if the movie was designed to be that way from the start; it’s usually not a great thing if that sort of pacing is the result of absolutely ruthless editing stripping out all but the bare essentials from the story, as seems to be the case here. You can sense the overbearing hand of studio interference throughout, and while the film never feels disjointed in the way troubled productions usually do, there’s just not much breathing room to luxuriate in the details and lore of the world and the characters being put on screen here, which is a shame, because there are plenty of things to like, particularly in the design of Mid-World’s environs. Even within scenes, beats and moments don’t fully land like they should because we’re ushered on to the next thing before we can feel any true impact from them (with one notable exception involving an end-of-the-second-act death). It should be stressed, however, that the movie’s not unwatchable because of this. It’s not a mess. It just feels like a 2+ hour film rather mercilessly slashed down to fit into a 90-minute television timeslot. On a technical level, the movie looks good, and it makes the most out of real New York City locations, as well as the desert/forest/mountainous landscapes which provide the backdrop for Mid-World. There are some nifty creature designs on display, too, particularly an entity made of wooden boards and shards which attacks Jake in an old house. Also, Tom Holkenborg (alias Junkie XL) contributes one of his most cohesive and symphonic-based scores to date; it’s not one of the year’s very best, or anything, but it’s quality music that underscores the picture quite well. So there are things to enjoy in THE DARK TOWER. As a lazy afternoon matinee in the closing weeks of the summertime, it fits the bill well and doesn’t actively insult its audience. Ultimately, though, it’s not a successful adaptation of the novels, and that will likely be a deal-breaker for some. Those who don’t care about that, however, will probably find the movie better than its critical reputation might suggest.
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