Just been watching…(50)

~ beetleypete

The Dark Tower (2017)

***No real spoilers***

I have never read the series of eight books by Stephen King that tell this convoluted tale of good versus evil. Had I done so, I doubt I would have expected one film to be able to encompass such a massive work. This was the second film brought by my stepson to watch over the Christmas period, and I settled down to see what I would make of it, bearing in mind I would never have chosen to watch it otherwise. I tried to put away my usual dislike of such fantasy epics featuring child actors, and some big name stars in unfamiliar roles.

But that wasn’t a very easy thing to do.

As a film, this is a simple story of the eternal battle of good versus evil, as each force tries to dominate the world. There is a suitably wicked baddie, (played by Matthew McConaughey) opposing a weary good guy, known as The Gunslinger. ( A familiar Idris Elba) A psychic young boy has visions of other worlds, the powers of darkness, and The Gunslinger. He draws pictures of them, and tells his parents of his discoveries. They fear for his sanity, and arrange for him to be taken to a psychiatric hospital. Then the action begins…

For me, there was absolutely nothing original in this film.
A boy in peril.
A boy who knows too much.
A boy who must save the world.
Hidden portals that allow people to cross into other dimensions.
Humble civilisations in another dimension, living in fear of an evil being.
A hero who must battle against overwhelming odds to help the boy succeed.
That same hero out of his depth in modern-day American society, with some amusing results.
Hidden dimensions harbouring legions of evil lackeys, hunting the boy and the gunslinger.
A ‘will they won’t they succeed?’ plot running through the entire film.

And that, as they say, is that.

If you like that sort of thing, you will no doubt enjoy it. Enough said.

Here’s a trailer.

48 thoughts on “Just been watching…(50)”

  1. I read the books well the original seven and did not care nor hate this movie. It just washed over me. The only time it really engaged for me was the fish out of water bit with him in the hospital. The first four books are really something.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks very much, Dani. Of course, people will make up their own minds about what to watch, but I am confident that you can live a long and happy life without ever watching this film. 🙂 x
      Best wishes, Pete. x

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Read the novels and liked them a lot (read several times). As with most film adaptations, except the Lord of the Rings this is a complete fail in my eyes.

    One more bad film from a great SK work….. too bad!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. That’s a new one on me, Elizabeth. Is that the date of the Kennedy assassination perchance? We write our dates the other way around, so it would be 22/11/1963.
      I read many of his early novels, perhaps ten or more, and enjoyed them all. The film adaptations are hit and miss though. This one is definitely a ‘miss’. I really recommend ‘Misery’. A great book, and an excellent film too.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  5. I’ve only seen three Stephen King screen adaptations: “Carrie,” “The Shining,” and “The Lawnmower Man.” I have these three films on DVD. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a Stephen King novel. Maybe I tend to shun immensely popular contemporary authors? I’ve never read anything by J.K. Rowling either.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I read a lot of his books years ago, and still think that ‘Misery’ was the best film adaptation of a King novel. I have never read a word written by Rowling, though I respect her skill, and envy her fortune!
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. I just recently read the book and loved it. After hearing the overwhelmingly bad reviews of the movie though I’m not going to bother watching it. Some film and tv adaptations of King’s books are brilliant: It, Carrie, The Stand, The Shining, Stand by Me, etc. and others are just so far off the mark that you wonder what the filmmakers were thinking: Dreamcatcher, Graveyard Shift, Cell, Needful Things…🤦🏻‍♀️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Kim. I know you are a King fan, and would probably have read the whole series of The Dark Tower. I’m sure if I had read it, I would be furious at the film.
      Probably best not to watch this one, it might increase your blood pressure! 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. However, good for your son-in-law for bringing over recent films for you to criticize! Let’s hope he picks a better one soon. You need to see Blade Runner 2049, for instance. But maybe at 2 in the morning in a dark room, alone.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. My younger stepson was scathing about BR 2049 yesterday.
      (It was the older one who brought the two films)
      I have some more new ones to watch, given as gifts.
      Stand by for ‘Atomic Blonde’, ‘Hell And High Water’, and ‘Jawbone’!
      Best wishes, Pete. x

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        1. We know Johnny Harris very well, also one of the producers, so have been following the long development to the film Jawbone. I could have got a proof copy (with the time-clock thing running on it) but opted to get the film for Christmas instead. x

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

        1. I have heard nothing but good things about ‘2049’, until my stepson slagged it off. He implored me not to watch it, which of course made me even more intrigued. I might ask for the DVD for my birthday in March. If I do end up watching it, you can be sure of seeing my thoughts in a review.
          Best wishes, Pete.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

  11. I was looking forward to seeing this on the big screen, but I have heard nothing good about it. Now I could rent it, but really, after your review, I bet this goes on the back, back burner. Too bad. I like the actors. Funny review, Pete.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  12. Thanks for the good assessment of a film I’d never heard of; it’ll save me the time of watching it. 😉 I just looked on rottentomatoes.com, and the film has a 17%, probably competing with “Bright” for the worst film of the year…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Stephanie. I wouldn’t have watched it, unless my stepson had brought it up with him. Luckily, it was just an afternoon watch, and didn’t take me away from anything more important. 🙂
      Thanks for your comment.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. This was a bit of a mess this movie, I’m sorry to say 😢 It tried to stick everything that was good from the novels into one film, and that’s not going to work in the end (mind you, I also haven’t read the novels myself). This is definitely one of the weaker King adaptations. There are far better ones out there that’s for sure 😊

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

Leave a reply to lividemerald2013 Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.