The Dark Tower

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The Dark Tower is one of those movies that’s been moved around on the release schedule for along time before this year. From a lot of what I’ve heard, it combines elements from multiple books in the dark tower series into this movie that clocks in at around an hour and a half. To say this movie is a bit of a mess an understatement. There’s a lot that is glossed over, which actually makes it really confusing and difficult to follow. This could be related to the fact that I’ve never read the Dark Tower books. The story centers on young Jake Chambers (played by Tom Taylor) who discovers that the dreams he has been having are all too real. He teams up with lone gunslinger Roland Deschain (played by Idris Elba) to prevent the man in black, also known as Walter O’Dim (played by Matthew McConaughey) from destryoying everything. Taylor as Jake is pretty hit and miss. There are times where the young actor genuinely seems to be trying and putting emotion into his performance. There are other times where he feels a little too flat. This is better than some of the minor actors’ performances. No performer fits this better than the actor who plays Jake’s stepfather. The man just never came across as natural or emotional. Jackie Earle Haley is a talented actor who was just underused in this movie. He doesn’t get enough to do, or enough screen time. The same can also be said of Katheryn Winnick as Jake’s mother, Laurie. She is one of three performers in this movie that I personally feel stood out. She actually came across to me as a mother who is genuinely struggling. Of course, it’s Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey who really put their all into their performances. With Elba as Roland, you understand why he is the way he is. Admittedly, there isn’t much development to the character of Walter, but McConaughey actually brings a strong level of menace and intimidation to his role. The Dark Tower has a couple of strong performances, but is let down by sloppy execution with poor pacing issues, clumsy writing, and bland direction. That makes this one of the year’s most disappointing movies.

2 / 10