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The Dark Tower

Name: The Dark Tower
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror
Released: August 4, 2017
Duration: 95 min
Rating: 34
Cast: Abbey Lee, Ben Gavin, Dennis Haysbert, Fran Kranz, Idris Elba

2017

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 46 Critics

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 359 Ratings

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4.4

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4.4	Your Score
4.4	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 359 Ratings

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The Dark Tower

Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: August 4, 2017 | PG-13

Starring: Abbey Lee, Ben Gavin, Dennis Haysbert, Fran Kranz, Idris Elba, Jackie Earle Haley, Katheryn Winnick, Matthew McConaughey, Nicholas Hamilton, Soo-hyun Kim, Tom Taylor

Summary: The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O'Dim, also known as the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), 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 The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O'Dim, also known as the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), 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.… Expand

Director: Nikolaj Arcel

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Western

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 95 min

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Awards & Rankings

41	#41 Most Discussed Movie of 2017
45	#45 Most Shared Movie of 2017

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Soren Andersen

Aug 3, 2017

In the vast canon of King-derived movies, “Tower” belongs in the upper ranks. Read full review

Steve Persall

Aug 3, 2017

From the impure perspective of someone who hasn't read King's series, The Dark Tower isn't half-bad. Faint praise, but this movie will take all it can get. Read full review

Michael Phillips

Aug 3, 2017

Is the movie good enough to do what it’s designed to do? Not really. It’s designed as a launching pad for a “Dark Tower” television series, scheduled to star Elba and Taylor. So this is an hour-and-a-half TV pilot; it just happens to be a big summer movie too. Read full review

Matt Donato

Aug 3, 2017

Director Nikolaj Arcel blends dystopian weirdness and temporal hellbeasts until all that remains is an emulsified, grey gunk, which is then forced down our throats for 95 minutes. Flavor gone, identifiers eviscerated. Read full review

Gary Thompson

Aug 3, 2017

I give Elba enormous credit for maintaining a straight face — he and Taylor account for the movie’s few good moments — but the silly script seems to have awakened the dormant ham in McConaughey. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Aug 3, 2017

About the only thing holding it together is Idris Elba, whose irrepressible magnetism and man-of-stone solidity anchors this mess but can’t redeem it. Read full review

Dan Callahan

Aug 2, 2017

With fantasy material like this, we need to be made to believe in the inventions and the conceits, and we cannot do that if they are shot and staged in such a truncated and perfunctory way. Read full review

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User Reviews

samforsyth

Aug 10, 2017

The Dark Tower was a good movie. I feel like I’m not allowed to say that unless I explain myself, so here goes:
I think this movie should have been called “The Gunslinger” because it was about a gunslinger rescuing a boy from a bad guy. And it does a good job of telling that story.
CallingThe Dark Tower was a good movie. I feel like I’m not allowed to say that unless I explain myself, so here goes:
I think this movie should have been called “The Gunslinger” because it was about a gunslinger rescuing a boy from a bad guy. And it does a good job of telling that story.
Calling the movie “The Dark Tower” sets up the expectation that the movie will be about the Dark Tower, but its not. We barely see the Dark Tower, and no action whatever takes place there.
I think SONY did a very awful job of properly promoting this project, and properly setting the audience’s expectations. It should have been made crystal clear that this was not an attempt to tell the stories from the novels, but rather, an attempt to tell a simple story that will introduce key characters, themes, and mysteries that exist in the Dark Tower universe.
It should have been made clear that this was an introduction to this universe, and not the beginning, middle and end of it.
It should have been made clear that the characters, themes, and mysteries that were introduced in this movie were not going to be addressed in depth in this film, but instead, will be fleshed out through upcoming TV series and movie sequels.
If a person knows all that going in, there is a much better chance that they could just relax and enjoy the show. Unfortunately, and through no fault of their own, the viewers just had no idea what to expect going in, and were turned off by a simple quick storyline, huge themes and mysteries being mentioned and then never addressed again, and feeling like they were JUST getting to know the characters just as the thing ended.
I’m super bummed about the bad reviews and the low box office, because now I fear this project will be abandoned… I certainly hope not. But Sony really screwed up.… Expand

7 of 16 users found this helpful79

RafaelDaddio

Aug 24, 2017

Following in the line of thought that the book is only inspirational for the film, and that this is a new interaction in Roland's search for the Dark Tower, I must say... IT'S AWESOME!!! The only reason I did not give 5 stars for this movie is that I felt it was too short, not betterFollowing in the line of thought that the book is only inspirational for the film, and that this is a new interaction in Roland's search for the Dark Tower, I must say... IT'S AWESOME!!! The only reason I did not give 5 stars for this movie is that I felt it was too short, not better explaining some of the things that are happening in the plot. But probably some of the novel's concepts were left out or only hinted in order to simplify the movie's premise. No harm with that. Given the low ratings, it'll probably won't have a sequel, which is a shame.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

blabla88

Oct 15, 2017

It's a very fun to watch fantasy movie and i loved the acting of Elba and McConaughey. I watched it without knowing it was a movie based on a book, so my score is based on the movie itself and not for being a good or bad adaptation. However, the movie felt a bit like it was too much storyIt's a very fun to watch fantasy movie and i loved the acting of Elba and McConaughey. I watched it without knowing it was a movie based on a book, so my score is based on the movie itself and not for being a good or bad adaptation. However, the movie felt a bit like it was too much story and too little time to tell it. I would've like the movie to be longer, or made with multiple parts. After the movie i looked up the books and there is much more they could do with that, a shame they didn't. But overall the movie was fun to watch.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Tyron820

Dec 4, 2017

The Dark Tower is an action movie based on the Stephen King book.
It tells the story of The Dark Tower,obviously, which is basicaly the protection of all universe aganist the dark forces,and it´s protected by gunsligers, but THE DARK TOWER can be destroyed using the mind of a kid so a badThe Dark Tower is an action movie based on the Stephen King book.
It tells the story of The Dark Tower,obviously, which is basicaly the protection of all universe aganist the dark forces,and it´s protected by gunsligers, but THE DARK TOWER can be destroyed using the mind of a kid so a bad guy start to capture kid and put in his crazy machine that starts to detroy THE DARK TOWER, and it only left over only one gunsliger, and we got his drama stuff (that is actualy good) and there is this medium kid that have visions about the Dark Tower and the bad Guy so they go on an epic generic story.
If you takes all the sobrenatural stuff this is another action movie so if you`re expecting something awesome and inovator unfortunately this isn`t the movie, and it´s really sad beacause it has potential. One of the Highlits of the movie is the villan, Because he got every thing that you expect of a bad guy he is **** and if you are a little sensive you will hate him (If you like Loki you will love him, really) about the heroes the interaction of then are okay and the actor, actualy the all cast is good.
The movie ritm is slow and may be boring but the action scenes are really good, actualy there is one scene that for me it`s the second best action scene tha I ever seen (it only don´t superates that one of the Church, on Kingsman)
This is a boring movie with great action scenes that keep you at the universe but not at the story.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

MallRat15

Nov 20, 2017

Movie is way to short to get any good plotline or character development going. Movie starts, a bunch of guys fight each other for what seems like no reason at all and the movie ends. A couple cool fight scenes and a good performance by Matthew McConaughey is why I give this a 4 and not a 0.Movie is way to short to get any good plotline or character development going. Movie starts, a bunch of guys fight each other for what seems like no reason at all and the movie ends. A couple cool fight scenes and a good performance by Matthew McConaughey is why I give this a 4 and not a 0. Heard great things about these books its really unfortunate that they couldn't make this Stephen King story into a great movie.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

Pugnacious

Oct 11, 2017

Oh boy... Now I'm feeling miserable giving Blade Runner 2049 6/10 the other day. Watching The Dark Tower really gives me perspective. It's among most forgettable, almost unwatchable movies like The Great Wall. It looks like an episode of a third-rate TV show for kids. The one that you canOh boy... Now I'm feeling miserable giving Blade Runner 2049 6/10 the other day. Watching The Dark Tower really gives me perspective. It's among most forgettable, almost unwatchable movies like The Great Wall. It looks like an episode of a third-rate TV show for kids. The one that you can watch at 6.30AM if you have insomnia. And I am not even King fan. Everyone rambles about how original book series is a masterpiece, but I'm pretty sure it is just as incoherent, as you can get with King. The only virtue of the movie is that story makes sense. It's naive and stupid story, worse than almost anything you can watch or read, but it is story nonetheless.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

Jerry7777777

Mar 27, 2018

Just a rancid adaptation of the source material. It's as if the creators set out with the explicit goal of making this as different from the original tales as they possibly could. The characters, the story, etc... and it's gotten the score it deserved on all the review sites. Mis-cast, badJust a rancid adaptation of the source material. It's as if the creators set out with the explicit goal of making this as different from the original tales as they possibly could. The characters, the story, etc... and it's gotten the score it deserved on all the review sites. Mis-cast, bad original story. Ultimately it's a great IP that has been sacrificed on the alter of political correctness.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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