Director: Nikalaj Arcel

Writer/s: Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner, Anders Thomas Jensen, Nikolaj Arcel (screenplay), Stephen King (based on the novels by)

Starring: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Katheryn Winnick, Tom Taylor, and more.

The Intro:

Early on, Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower’ film adaptation quickly became highly anticipated, as trailers surfaced. Fans of the novel remained skeptical and film fans, for the most part, were excited or at the very least, intrigued. I was genuinely interested in the film since I first saw trailers. I am a fan of McConaughey’s and a fan of Elba’s, so casting these two to counter each other was a match made in heaven for me. Now without further ado, it is time for ‘The Dark Tower’ to get Oberrated.

IMDB Summary:

“The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.”

The Oberrating:

So here is the official Oberrating: I understand the anger when it comes to films adaptations not being true to a novel series. I have been there and I feel for y’all. But for all of you who are looking to see the action packed film that you may have expected from watching the trailers, in my personal opinion, you will get what you want.

I enjoyed this film, for the most part, from practically start to finish. It was intriguing and action-packed. The concepts were very cool to me being new to this series. Yet overall, ‘The Dark Tower’ was an entertaining film that worked its elements excellently.

A strong feat from my eyes was the actor performances. Starting with the young, Tom Taylor, as Jake Chambers, was impressive. I am not normally a fan of young actor performances but Tom Taylor was very solid. Next up, Idris Elba as the Gunslinger/Roland Deschain. When does Idris ever give out a bad performance? He was a powerful presence every moment he was on screen. He was the reluctant hero but a hero nonetheless. I thoroughly enjoyed him in this film. Lastly, Matthew McConaughey as the Man in Black/Walter. This may be my biggest differential between the “popular opinion” and mine. I have been hearing a lot of people say they did not like Mr. ‘Alright, Alright, Alright’ in this movie but I loved him. He was cold and way overpowered which was awesome, and he was an over-confident asshole. It was everything I could have wanted in a villain for this kind of movie and McConaughey rocked the role.

Beyond all of that, ‘The Dark Tower’ was no sort of spectacle. Don’t get me wrong, it was very predictable. Some of the theatrics and moments of the film were far-fetched, and the pacing felt rushed at times. Regardless, these negative points did not have too much of a major effect on my outlook of the film.

The Wrap-Up:

Everybody, go make your own opinion. ‘The Dark Tower’ has been getting slammed with negativity and quite frankly, I do not understand the extreme dislike. I was entertained, it was a decently paced action flick with hints of horror and drama, and it put out performances one could get behind. If you even had a thought of wanting to see this movie but got turned off due to the negative reviews; here is one telling you to go see it. It is no action masterpiece but it is definitely a good watch for the least bit.

Rating: 2.5/5

References: