The Dark Tower

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The Dark Tower

PG-13

Released Aug 4, 2017

1h 35m

Fantasy

Action

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

16%

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278 Reviews

44%

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25,000+ Ratings

Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, is locked in an eternal battle with Walter O'Dim (Matthew McConaughey), also known as the Man in Black. The Gunslinger must prevent the Man in Black from toppling the Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together. With the fate of worlds at stake, two men collide in the ultimate battle between good and evil.

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Critics Consensus

Go then, there are other Stephen King adaptations than these.

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Tal Rosenberg

Chicago Reader

Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair) directed, and I'm not sure why.

Mar 26, 2020

Full Review

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Metro Newspaper (UK)

Not so much a stinker of a movie as a bafflingly incomplete one, The Dark Tower has presumably been inflicted with so many cuts it's like watching a 95-minute trailer.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 11, 2017

Full Review

Nick Pinkerton

Sight & Sound

No one involved in The Dark Tower seems to have given a damn about what they turned out, so why should anybody else?

Sep 4, 2017

Full Review

David Griffiths

Subculture Entertainment

The Dark Tower isn't the mess that everybody is saying that it is. With its dark storyline that doesn’t hold back to spare the audience’s emotions and great special effects, this is just one of those supernatural thrillers that you can sit back and enjoy.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 10, 2025

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

The Dark Tower becomes the antonyms of all of the other terms: short, rote, vague, lethargic, and limited.

Rated: 1/5

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Elba is good with what little he’s given, and you could say he is a reminder of the potential this film had.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 20, 2022

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Vin C

There are 5 great SK adaptations, a few decent ones, and a few hilariously awful ones. This falls into none of those categories, being barely decent, and only because of the excellent acting by Idris, Matthew, Tom Taylor, and a small part by the beautiful Katheryn Winnick. If you’ve read the saga of The Dark Tower and Roland’s adventures, you know what a deep, disturbing, imaginative, and adventurous story it is. A 1.5 hour movie doesn’t do it justice at all. Still, this poorly adapted Cliff Notes version is worth the time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/25

Full Review

Tye m

The Dark Tower Universe is interesting. So interesting that you hope the movie would give you more of itself. I enjoyed it. Overall, it's a good movie, not a great movie, but still worth a watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/29/25

Full Review

Blast G

For the average viewer: it is a bad Spielberg movie. For the stephen king's reader: it is just like, if "Avengers: Infinity War", was about Tony Stark met Happy Hogan to beat Thanos directly, yes, that disjointed. It takes out so much information about +40 years of books that it is unbearable. when the original source outmatches the movie, it feels rushed, this is just another example. Imagine some guy probably on meth wanted to rush Harry Potter in just one short movie.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/26/25

Full Review

Kenny M

As long as you come into this movie with low expectations, you won't be disappointed. Don't watch this looking for Stephen King's Dark Tower. This isn't it. This is 7 books squeezed into 1 1/2 hours. Character development is almost nil. The story feels rushed, The actors phoned it in. As for the ending, it was very anticlimactic. It's good if there is really nothing else interesting to you on.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/11/25

Full Review

Tim C

I endured 30 or so cycles of the sadistic sound editing to understand that the screenplay was the modern equivalent of Disney's Jungle Book, where Walt specifically made sure he didn't even know any of the actual story... or whatever philistine was tasked with adapting "Starship Troopers" who obviously read those two words and no more.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

Full Review

Eric N

I can't even imagine how this screenplay was adapted from the books, or how anyone involved can live with themselves. It's like an early AI model wrote it based on a one-sentence synopsis of the story concept. Probably the worst movie with the most prestigious actors I've ever suffered through.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/22/24

Full Review

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Nikolaj Arcel

Director

Idris Elba

Roland

Matthew McConaughey

Walter

Tom Taylor

Jake

Claudia Kim

Arra

Fran Kranz

Pimli

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - Shoot With My Mind

2:28

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - The Dixie Pig Shootout

2:49

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - The Gunslinger's Creed

1:52

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - Dutch Hill Mansion Demon

2:51

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - Roland vs. The Man in Black

3:03

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - Gunslinger in a Gun Store

2:41

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - The Face of My Father

2:34

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - Fire & Darkness

2:05

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - Something Got Out

2:10

The Dark Tower: Official Clip - The Taheen Attack

2:43

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Synopsis

Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, is locked in an eternal battle with Walter O'Dim (Matthew McConaughey), also known as the Man in Black. The Gunslinger must prevent the Man in Black from toppling the Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together. With the fate of worlds at stake, two men collide in the ultimate battle between good and evil.

Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Producer: Akiva Goldsman, Erica Huggins, Brian Grazer, Stephen King, Ron Howard
Screenwriter: Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner, Anders Thomas Jensen, Nikolaj Arcel
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Weed Road Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Sequences of Gun Violence|Action|Thematic Material)
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 4, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.7M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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