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The Dark Tower

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The Dark Tower [2017]@sirdelly862d
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  1. The Dark Tower (film): Critics called it boring and I agree!@gooddream2803d

    Normally I feel that critics are looking to say nasty things about anything that isn't pushing the limits of art to the point where no one can understand that movie. I focus on films purely from an entertainment point of view - I am not a film student, I have no idea about cinematography in an educational sense, only from a "oooh, i like that!" sense. That being said, this movie did not do it for me.

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    I did not read the books. I tried to read one of them because a friend of mine kept raving about the series of books and telling me how amazing they were. I think I made it a few hundred pages in before I gave up. However, the people who did read the books almost unanimously hated this movie and claimed it was a lazy adaptation of an extremely complex series of books.

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    The plot involves a young boy who has visions of a "man in black" who seeks to take control of a tower and then destroy it - this will somehow bring ruin to the world - and a gunslinger that seeks to stop him. The visions are very lucid yet this is written off as trauma due to his father's death rather than him being able to see the future - which is ludicrous that a professional psychiatrist would ever come to that conclusion.

    However the boy finds a portal to another world and it turns out his visions were correct. Big surprise there. This is where he meets the gunslinger Roland Deschain (Idris Elba.) Now I am not going to get into details about what happens next because I will likely over-summarize and simplify the film and this will completely spoil it. Basically Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey did they best they could but I can't imagine who this would be entertaining to.

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    It doesn't make sense to anyone unfamiliar with the books and for those familiar with the books it skips too much of the content of the books. I can definitely realize that director Nikolaj Arcel was facing an uphill battle when he took on this project.

    Overall i would imagine that they were happy they turned a modest profit on this film and would likely rather we all forget that they ever made it. I am sure the fanbois would have preferred this was a trilogy but for me, I am happy that it never was. I give it decent marks based only on the effects being pretty dern cool.

    5/ 10

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  2. The Dark Tower - 8/10@evoman13041d

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    Just about the only redeeming quality of this one Is the nicely done HDR. The plot is lacking. The acting is surprisingly lacking. The characters are lacking. You may slightly enjoy this one the first go, but probably will never watch it again.

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  3. The Dark Tower (2017) - Movie Review@coldsteem3250d

    gunslinger.jpg I have been eagerly anticipating the opportunity to write a glowing fan-boy review of The Dark Tower. After collecting my thoughts and carefully considering the film, I'm left with a "meh" type feeling in my gut. I left the theater feeling disappointed, but hopeful that I would have an epiphany about the film as I reflected on it. I sit here writing, absent revelation.

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    The Dark Tower has always been an enigma. The work spanned a lifetime. Studios and Directors have promised to breathe life into the series time and again, only to disappoint. I was excited that the film would finally hit the big screen. The trailers looked appetizing. Enough to whet the appetite of any sci-fi/horror fan. A mysterious gunslinger, a dark villain, a boy hero and a symbolic tower. The stuff that promises allegories and life lessons. Depth derived from characters developed with the unique storytelling fabric of a master. Two hours does not lend itself to this epic sort of storytelling. Even with Ron Howard at the helm as producer.

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    The pared down tale unites a gifted youth (whose gifts are misunderstood as psychological problems) with an aging battle scarred hero who has lost his focus. Both have suffered deep losses, parallel losses, that create a reluctant bond. Alone, their weaknesses hold them back. Together, they have the ability to save the world. Or worlds. At its core, a simple story of an unlikely bond. An almost hackneyed version of a much richer story. To the point of disappointment.

    The film never gives the characters must chance to evolve. The tension is superficial and the relationship development predictable. It was almost Hallmark-ish in its delivery. The dialogue was great. If woven into a better narrative arc, this film had great potential. The pacing also seemed off at times, although there were decent action sequences. The blend of fantasy and science fiction was good, with a decent blend of landscapes. There were some attempts at humor that completely fell flat. I think at least one was an attempt at humor involving a Chinese restaurant...but it felt like a missed opportunity.

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    The problem was not in the casting. I am a fan of both Idris Elba (the Gunslinger) and Matthew McConoughey (the Man in Black). They both held up their part. The acting was spot on. They had to work within the script. As I mentioned earlier, the dialogue was spot on. The delivery was good as well. Both existed in a script that was flat, slow at times and predictable. The relationships were very important in this story, and they seemed to be forgotten for the sake of hitting the storytelling benchmarks. I'm not sure what would have fixed this film, but definitely better pacing and greater attention to the characters would have made this film much better. I think I am being fair with a 6.5/10 rating. Worth waiting for on video, if you are a fan of the series.

    Photos and video courtesy of Sony Entertainment.

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