The Dark Tower
Blu-ray
Review by Kam Williams
Hunky
Idris Elba and Suave Matthew McConaughey Square Off in Stephen King
Sci-Fi Thriller
Laurie
Chambers (Katheryn Winnick) is understandably worried about her 11
year-old son's recurrent nightmares. After all, Jake's (Tom Taylor)
becoming increasingly convinced of Earth's imminent demise.
So,
she takes him to a shrink who misdiagnoses the visions as delusional
and has the kid committed to a mental health facility. Truth be told,
Jake is indeed psychic and has accurately forecast an impending
extinction level event.
The
planet's only hope of averting an apocalypse rests on the shoulders
or, more precisely, on the trigger fingers of Roland Deschain (played
by Idris Elba with that trademark gravitas). He's the last in a long
line of gunslingers from another dimension who've been locked in
mortal conflict with forces led by Walter Padick (capably played by
the terminally-suave Matthew McConaughey), an evil sorcerer on a
quest for infinite power. World domination is attainable should he
reach the Dark Tower, the nexus between time and space located in a
parallel universe called End-World.
It's
not long before these mysterious figures from Jake's dream begin to
materialize on the streets of Manhattan. After Walter's minions
murder his mom, the boy is rescued by Roland. The two soon escape
through a portal to Mid-World where the epic battle to preserve life
as we know it is set to unfold.
That
is the engaging point of departure of The Dark Tower, an ambitious
adaptation of Stephen King's magnum opus of the same name. The sci-fi
series was inspired by "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came,"
a poem written by Robert Browning back in 1855. King also credits
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti
Westerns, and the Legend of King Arthur as major influences.
The
Dark Tower took a rather circuitous route to the big screen. The
story was originally optioned by J.J. Abrams in 2007. Ron Howard
subsequently acquired
the rights in 2010. However, the picture was ultimately written and
directed by Nikolaj Arcel, whose A Royal Affair was nominated in 2013
for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category.
This
movie marks the great Dane's first foray into English , which helps
explain why he sought help with the screenplay from a trio of
scriptwriters, including Oscar-winner Akiva Goldsman (for A Beautiful
Mind). The final production's pretty skittish, yet engaging enough to
establish the franchise and leave you eagerly anticipating a sequel.
The best sci-fi Western since Cowboys & Aliens!
Very
Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13
for action, gun violence and mature themes
Running time: 95
minutes
Production Studio:
Sony / Media Rights Capital / Imagine Entertainment/ Weed Road
Distributor: Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment
Blu-ray Extras:
Deleted
Scenes; Blooper Reel; A Look through the Keyhole; 5 Featurettes:
“Last Time Around,” “The World Has Moved On," “The Man
in Black,” “The Gunslinger in Action” and “Stephen King
Inspirations.”
To
see a trailer for The Dark Tower, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjwfqXTebIY
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