The Dark Tower
The latest adaptation of author Stephen King’s works is The Dark Tower, an adventure fantasy film starring Idris Elba who is at war with Matthew McConaughey. I saw the film with a friend who has read all 8 of the books in The Dark Tower series (1982-2012), I am unfamiliar with the material, and we both liked it but wanted more. At only 95 minutes, The Dark Tower rushes along, odd when compared to the 3 films based on The Hobbit, but this film is not a literal, full translation of any one book in the series. It also jumps right in, again the quick pace helped get the film going and setup the action pieces, but once I knew more of what was going on, I wanted it to slow down and develop characters I would care about. Idris handles the shootouts and Matthew provides the creep, both giving life to characters you want to see more of. Backgrounds and creature effects are interesting to look at, Katheryn Winnick and Tom Taylor work well as mother and son, and the laughs are well timed. Announced recently is a tv series of The Dark Tower starring Idris Elba in a story line set just before the film. If you are a fan of Stephen King’s work, watch for all the tiny references to his other works in the film and later this year is a new version of It, adapted from his horror book of the same name.
2017, PG, 1h 35m
Distributor – Sony/Columbia
Budget – $60 million
Cast & Crew
Director Nikolaj Arcel last helmed A Royal Affair (2012 drama from Denmark, nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film), and Truth About Men (2010 romantic comedy). Stephen King’s novels inspired a screenplay by 4 writers, Akiva Goldsman, Anders Thomas Jensen, Jeff Pinkner, and the director Nikolaj Arcel. Composer Tom Holkenborg (also known as Junkie XL) recently made music for fellow sci-fi films Spectral, Batman v Superman, Deadpool, and Mad Max: Fury Road. Idris Elba recently appeared in the mini series Guerrilla (drama about activists in 1970s London), 100 Streets (2016 drama also set in London), and Star Trek Beyond (2016 sci-fi with Chris Pine). Elba is in high demand right now with The Mountain Between Us (about a plane crash with Kate Winslet), Thor: Ragnarok (the third in the series starring Chris Hemsworth), Molly’s Game (drama involving the FBI adapted by Aaron Sorkin who is making his director debut), and another season of Luther. Matthew McConaughey also has no problem finding work having recently been in Gold (drama adventure about gold in Indonesia), Free State of Jones (drama set in the American civil war era), voice work in Kubo and the Two Strings and Sing, and will next be seen in White Boy Rick (crime drama involving the FBI with Jennifer Jason Leigh), Serenity (thriller about a boat captain with Anne Hathaway), and The Beach Bum (written and directed by Harmony Korine who also made Kids and Spring Breakers).