Reivew: The Dark Tower

I've read the whole series and I've read all the comics...

I enjoyed the movie. Lots of good things to talk about it. Few bumps. One or two bad moments.

Overall, good movie. I hope they make more.

So, let's get into it—and since I enjoyed the movie, it won't be that long of a review: more to talk about when it sucks :) 

So, this is the world you know....

Now, the WHEEL has turned and Roland has been returned to the beginning....and yet, it's not the beginning as you know it, nor is THIS "The Gunslinger" the same as the one you've read, the world has moved on and many things have changed and yet some things are still the same.....

So, that's crucial point in understanding and accepting this movie as BOTH (book) 8 and yet the start of a WHOLE NEW ADVENTURE. 

IF YOU CAN'T ACCEPT THAT, DON'T EVEN BOTHER WATCHING THE MOVIE

 But for those who can, let us continue. 

 !SPOILERS!

So, this time around the story focuses on Jake Chambers. He is the central character.

And since we know Jake had a very tough go-of-it in the books (his deaths*) I'm was good with this.


First we get to see WHAT is happening outside our world:

The Tower is being assaulted by psychic children, via the pyramid and strange, futuristic technology  *As is revealed in later books and kinda is brushed aside as a fact. But then why reveal it early? Why start here? BECAUSE this time Jake is important for that very reason...



The early part of the story follows Jake suffering from visions and hallucinations and nightmares about The Man in Black  and the DARK TOWER  and then later Roland. His life, family and friends are a mess because of it.

His father is dead. Different from the books. Fine. *The "reason" for his mental state in the movie. 

His mother has either remarried or has a live in bf/ Fine. ~Not sure how much time has passed since Jake's dad died, so, this could either be reasonable or not. Seems like he'd only recently died, like say within the last year(s) So this was something they could've explained better.

Jake sees some very important and telling things before the movie gets really going.

 1) Roland has the horn

Though we know when and where he lost it the LAST time

 2) Steven LIVED!

In the books, Roland never got to grow-up with his Father being around. BUT this time around the wheel, Roland never loses the horn and his father survived long into the war against The Man in Black and his forces....So, wow, very different history this time.

The Man in Black fled across the Desert and the Gunslinger Followed...

So, as Jake appears to go crazier and crazier with his visions and darkness and The Tower being attacked and the Man in Black and Roland and everything, guess who show up?

~I will say, I wish Jake's potential insanity was developed more, scarier.. 

And the movie did a pretty good job with the creatures, various ways they were shown.


Of course, with the servants, comes the Master

Matthew did a pretty good job being evil and yet I do wish he'd looked more like Marten Broadcloak and less like Matthew

Or perhaps splice in abit of the Walking Dude *cause they're the same character really :)

Never the less, I enjoyed Matthew's portrayal and he used more magic in the movie than every in the books, which was great and yet some of the effects in the movie were a bit cheap—specifically during the final fight: ricocheting ONCE or TWICE is fine, but WOW... and trope thinking: "Telekinesis solves everything and NO BODY, ABSOLUTELY NO BODY IS TIRED OF IT YET" was just a bonehead idea. Fire that person. But otherwise, yeah, pretty good. 

After fleeing his abductors and realizing he's not insane, Jake crosses over to Mid World via means similar to the book and meets the Gunslinger himself. From there, the plot grows as they both learn WHY Jake can see what he sees and that he's infact linked to the Tower too and that means The Man in Black is going to be coming for him, which is good for Roland because he wants revenge above everything else.



I won't tell you what happens, or how it happens or what BIG monsters show up or how the movie is pretty similar to the books in particular plot points....you've got to see it for yourself.

However, I will say, fans of King's Dark Tower Universe will have lots of great Easter Eggs, showing just how far the reach of this movie was and where their eyes might be headed for the future.


So, Ka is a Wheel and it's turned again.
I can't wait to see if/when they do The Drawing of The Three (how it'll be reinterpreted and updated and blended with other elements of other stories) Or hell, they might jump to Wasteland or my favorite, Wizard and Glass. That's the best thing about this for me, it's new and familiar.

Enjoy.