The Dark Tower 2017 movie stands as one of the most controversial Stephen King adaptations ever released. Starring Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, this fantasy western attempted to bring King’s eight-book epic to the big screen, but ultimately disappointed both critics and devoted fans of the source material.
What is The Dark Tower Movie About?
The Dark Tower follows an eleven-year-old boy haunted by visions of a dark tower from a parallel reality who teams up with the tower’s disillusioned guardian to stop an evil warlock known as the Man in Black who plans to use the boy to destroy the tower and open the gates of Hell.
The story centers on Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor), a New York City boy with psychic abilities called “the Shine”, a direct reference to Stephen King’s The Shining. Jake has prophetic visions of both the Gunslinger Roland and the Man in Black Walter, as well as a massive tower which keeps the order of the universe together. When Jake discovers a portal to Mid-World, he meets Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, who is locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim (Matthew McConaughey) to prevent the destruction of the Dark Tower.
The Dark Tower Cast and Performances
Idris Elba as Roland Deschain (The Gunslinger)
Elba brings a nice gravity to Roland that fits the character well, a combination of a man haunted by the ghosts of his past and driven to do what’s right to avenge them. Despite the film’s numerous flaws, critics universally praised Elba’s performance as one of the movie’s few redeeming qualities.
The casting of Idris Elba as Roland sparked some controversy among purists, but Stephen King defended the choice, stating he didn’t care what color Roland was as long as he could command a screen, draw fast and shoot straight.
Matthew McConaughey as The Man in Black
McConaughey dances on the edge of hamming it up in the villain role, reining it in just enough that one can see how well he could have been utilized with a better script and vision for the project. His portrayal of Walter O’Dim, also known as Walter Padick or Randall Flagg in King’s connected universe, showcases supernatural powers including mind control and matter manipulation.
Tom Taylor as Jake Chambers
Young British actor Tom Taylor plays Jake Chambers, serving as the audience’s entry point into Mid-World. Jake possesses psychic powers that make him valuable to the Man in Black’s plan to destroy the Dark Tower using the mental energy of gifted children.
Supporting Cast
The film also features Dennis Haysbert as Steven Deschain (Roland’s father), Jackie Earle Haley as Sayre, Claudia Kim as Arra, and Fran Kranz as Pimli. However, these characters receive minimal screen time and development in the rushed 95-minute runtime.
Director and Production Team
The film was directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel, with the screenplay written by Arcel, Jeff Pinkner, Anders Thomas Jensen, and Akiva Goldsman. The production was handled by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Media Rights Capital, with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer serving as producers.
The production of the film was complex and difficult, as development began ten years before the release of the film. The project cycled through multiple studios including Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Lionsgate before Sony finally greenlit the production.
Critical Reception and Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes and Rating Scores
The Dark Tower received devastating critical reviews across all major platforms:
- Rotten Tomatoes: 18% critics score (from the 15-16% range reported)
- Metacritic: 34/100 (indicating generally unfavorable reviews)
- IMDB: 5.6/10 rating
- CinemaScore: B grade from audiences
- PostTrak: 69% overall positive score but only 43% “definite recommend”
The website’s critical consensus reads: “Go then, there are other Stephen King adaptations than these”—a reference to the opening line of King’s novels.
What Critics Said
The film was described as hollow, soulless, and something that never quite figured out what it wanted to be. Roger Ebert’s website noted that it’s clearly been chopped up by reported reshoots and test screening edits, with scenes that just end abruptly.
TheWrap’s critic called it a complete disaster, describing it as a limp, barely coherent shell of a movie. Multiple reviewers compared watching the film to experiencing a 95-minute trailer rather than a complete story.
Box Office Performance
Financial Numbers
The Dark Tower premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on July 31, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing on August 4, 2017.
The box office results were disappointing:
- Production Budget: $60-66 million
- Opening Weekend: $19.2 million (from 3,451 theaters)
- Domestic Total: $50.7 million
- International Gross: $62.5 million
- Worldwide Total: $113.2 million
The combination of poor reviews and the box office total makes The Dark Tower a massive flop overall. After accounting for marketing costs, the film lost money and effectively killed franchise plans.
Why Did The Dark Tower Fail?
Stephen King’s Own Assessment
Stephen King himself has been candid about the film’s failures. King ascribed its lackluster performance to a PG-13 rating mandated by the studio, which ultimately took away a lot of the edginess of the original source material.
Speaking to Vulture, King stated there were two significant issues from its inception: trying to condense a story told over 3,000 pages into one satisfying film, and the attempt to turn it into a PG-13-rated tentpole when the books were far darker.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, King recalled expressing his doubts about the decision to start the story pretty much in the middle, admitting he had doubts from the beginning.
Producer Ron Howard’s Reflection
Co-producer Ron Howard later admitted on a podcast that Dark Tower should have been horror, acknowledging it landed in a place where they thought it could be PG-13 and sort of a boy’s adventure when they should have made something darker.
Writer’s Admission of Failure
Akiva Goldsman, co-writer on The Dark Tower, bluntly acknowledged it as a failure at San Diego Comic-Con, stating he just kind of failed at adapting the novel, noting that so many people had different points of view and by the end it was significant hopes and dreams that led to not very much.
Major Problems Identified
Production Issues:
- Years spent in development hell
- Multiple reshoots and studio interference
- Poor test screenings leading to heavy editing
- Modest budget for such an ambitious property
Creative Problems:
- 95-minute runtime too short for the material
- PG-13 rating when source material was darker
- Rushed narrative with minimal character development
- Lack of worldbuilding for Mid-World
- Confusing for newcomers and disappointing for book fans
Dark Tower vs Stephen King’s Books
How the Film Differs from the Novels
The film combines various elements from the eight-novel series, mostly from the first and third volumes, and takes place in both modern-day New York City and in Mid-World. Rather than directly adapting The Gunslinger, the 2017 film serves as something of a sequel to The Dark Tower books.
The Dark Tower book series is made up of eight books which span an entire connected universe linking several other Stephen King works, including The Stand, IT, The Shining, Salem’s Lot, and many others.
Book fans were particularly frustrated that the film attempted to compress over 4,000 pages of source material (some fans estimate 15,000+ pages including related works) into a single 95-minute movie.
Stephen King Easter Eggs and Connections
A television spot titled Connected KINGdom featured easter eggs of other Stephen King stories through the inter-dimensional setting, with references to The Shining, Christine, Cujo, Misery, The Shawshank Redemption, Carrie and IT.
There’s a moment where Roland glances behind a pin-up poster while looking for an exit—a reference to The Shawshank Redemption, and the numbers “1408” appear above a portal, referencing another King story.
Jake’s psychic abilities are directly tied to “the Shine” from The Shining, and the film makes this connection explicit throughout the story.
Is The Dark Tower Worth Watching?
For Stephen King Fans
Reviewers say The Dark Tower garners mixed reactions for its ambitious yet flawed adaptation, with performances lauded but the film criticized for its rushed narrative and lack of character depth. Devoted book fans consistently express disappointment with the massive deviations from the source material.
For General Audiences
For viewers comparing a movie to a book, disappointment is common, but if you have nothing to compare it to and look at it as a standalone piece of work, it’s not too bad as a good versus evil story. Some casual viewers found it entertaining despite its flaws.
Honest Assessment
The film works best as a mindless action-fantasy for viewers unfamiliar with the books. Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey deliver solid performances, and the action sequences are competently filmed. However, the thin plot, rushed pacing, and lack of character development make it forgettable.
Where to Watch The Dark Tower
Watch The Dark Tower with a subscription on Netflix, AMC+, rent on Fandango at Home, or buy on Fandango at Home. Streaming availability varies by region, so check your local platforms.
Cancelled Sequel and TV Series Plans
What Happened to The Dark Tower 2?
Prior to the film being panned by critics, there was talk of a possible sequel, with King expressing hope for a sequel film in addition to a television series, suggesting it should be R-rated.
In a 2017 interview three days after general release, director Arcel confirmed that if a sequel were made, The Drawing of the Three would form the basis, with characters Eddie and Susannah appearing. However, the box office failure killed these plans.
Television Series Attempts
In February 2018, Amazon bought the rights to a series adaptation, with the series serving as a reboot with Sam Strike playing young Roland. However, this project also failed to move forward past the pilot stage.
Mike Flanagan’s Future Plans
Horror auteur Mike Flanagan wants to make a five-season Dark Tower show followed by two movies. Flanagan, who successfully adapted Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, is considered by many as the ideal filmmaker to tackle this material properly.
Positive Aspects of The Dark Tower
Despite overwhelming negativity, the film does have some merits:
Strong Performances: Both Elba and McConaughey deliver quality work with limited material Action Sequences: The gun-slinging scenes are well-choreographed and visually engaging
Visual Style: The cinematography effectively captures the blend of western and fantasy aesthetics Chemistry: Elba and Taylor develop believable father-son dynamic in their scenes together Music Score: Junkie XL’s (Tom Holkenborg’s) musical score adds atmosphere
Comparison to Other Stephen King Adaptations
The Dark Tower ranks among the weaker Stephen King film adaptations. Superior adaptations include The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), Misery (1990), Stand By Me (1986), and the recent IT films (2017, 2019).
Interestingly, 2017 saw both The Dark Tower and IT Chapter One released. While IT became a critical and commercial success earning over $700 million worldwide, The Dark Tower failed on both fronts—highlighting how proper respect for source material matters.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is The Dark Tower movie based on Stephen King books? Yes, the film is based on Stephen King’s eight-book Dark Tower series published between 1982 and 2004. However, it serves as a loose sequel/adaptation rather than a direct retelling.
Why did The Dark Tower movie fail? The film failed due to multiple factors: a 95-minute runtime too short for the material, PG-13 rating instead of R-rated, heavy studio interference, poor editing from reshoots, and an attempt to appeal to both book fans and general audiences that satisfied neither group.
Is Idris Elba good in The Dark Tower? Yes, critics universally praised Idris Elba’s performance as one of the film’s few strengths, bringing gravity and screen presence to Roland despite the weak script.
Did Stephen King like The Dark Tower movie? King expressed mixed feelings. While he supported the cast, he admitted having doubts from the beginning about the PG-13 approach and starting the story in the middle rather than adapting it properly.
Will there be a Dark Tower 2? No, the poor critical reception and box office performance killed sequel plans. However, Mike Flanagan is developing a television series adaptation.
How much money did The Dark Tower lose? With a $60-66 million budget and $113 million worldwide gross, the film likely lost money after accounting for marketing costs (typically equal to production budget).
Should I read the books or watch the movie first? Definitely read the books first. The film is a poor representation of the source material and may actually discourage viewers from discovering King’s masterwork.
What is the Dark Tower’s Rotten Tomatoes score? The Dark Tower has an 18% critics score and 44% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the worst-reviewed Stephen King adaptations.
Is The Dark Tower appropriate for kids? The film is rated PG-13 for thematic material including sequences of gun violence and action. While not graphic, younger children may find some scenes frightening.
What does “Go then, there are other worlds than these” mean? This is the famous opening line from Stephen King’s The Gunslinger, the first Dark Tower book. Rotten Tomatoes cleverly referenced it in their critical consensus, suggesting viewers seek other Stephen King adaptations instead.
Final Verdict
The Dark Tower 2017 represents a missed opportunity to adapt one of Stephen King’s most ambitious works. The film never figured out what it wanted to be, and elected to be nothing much at all, ultimately proving forgettable when the formative books never were for so many people.
While Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey deliver competent performances, and the action sequences provide momentary entertainment, the film collapses under the weight of studio interference, rushed production, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the source material’s tone and scale.
For Stephen King fans, The Dark Tower movie serves as a cautionary tale about Hollywood adaptation. For general audiences, it’s a forgettable fantasy-western that fails to establish a compelling world or memorable characters. The hope now rests with Mike Flanagan’s planned television adaptation to finally do justice to King’s magnum opus.
