“The Dark Tower” Movie Review

Stephen King is arguably one of the best known authors in American history, having written books including The Shining, Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile.  What do all of these books have in common?  They were all transformed into critically acclaimed movies.  With The Dark Tower, King is hoping he can yet again have his name attached to a piece of cinema history.

The Dark Tower tells the story of Jake Chambers, an eleven-year-old boy who keeps having dreams of a Man in Black.  In the dreams, the man is trying to destroy a tower that holds the entire universe together.  Jake is told by psychiatrists, as well as his mother and stepfather, that his dreams are simply a result of his father’s death the year before.  Jake does not believe this, however, and when he sees people from his dreams in the real world, he begins an adventure that sends him to a mysterious world where his dreams are shown to be real.  He meets a man named Roland, who is the last of a group of people known as the Gunslingers.  Together, they attempt to prevent the Man in Black from destroying the tower and, in turn, the universe.

All in all, The Dark Tower is a decent movie, but is not must-see entertainment.  The acting performances of Matthew McConaughey as the Man in Black, as well as Idris Elba as Roland, add a touch of color to a plot that could definitely use it.  Also, since the movie is based on a series of 8 different novels, it oftentimes fails to completely immerse the viewer in the world it creates.  The film earns a three out of five stars in my book.