The Dark Tower

Play trailer

1:31

The Dark Tower

PG-13

Released Aug 4, 2017

1h 35m

Fantasy

Action

Adventure

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

16%

Tomatometer

277 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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

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

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

It seems as though the filmmakers shy away from everything that made King's series distinct, memorable, and weird.

Rated: 1.5/4

Mar 22, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

Gwardion A

Summary - No soul, barely coherent, shallow, a waste of an epic book series. Decent acting and good effects. Forgettable soundtrack. I read the books. This is a loose framework of the Dark Tower universe that Steven King made with maybe 1 or 2 chapters out of several books of what happens in the story done in the movie, the rest is a creative exercise by inferior writers to bridge the work of Steven King in a 90 minute screenplay. The acting and casting wasn't too bad, but there is no way a good Dark Tower adaptation can be done without at least 3 120 minute movies. This feels like an attempt to keep a hold of a license to make King movies by pumping out something that covers the bases.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/15/24

Full Review

Mason D

I haven’t read the entire series, but overall the film seemed to express a summarized version of the books. For a film running about 1hr 35min, I felt it was executed well. Great effects for 2017, the final Matrix-style scene between Roland and Walter was pretty cool. 4/5 would be 5/5 if it was a bit longer and more immersive.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

Full Review

Isaac M

I could not even get through the first 30 minutes without being so bored. Only reason why this is not a 0 out of ten is because of Mathew mcaunahay and Idris elba because at least they tried from what I saw

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/19/24

Full Review

Rex M

The good news is, if you have never read The Dark Tower series, there are no spoilers in this adaptation. The bad news, if you have read the Dark Tower, it will get awkward.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/08/24

Full Review

Robert T

Other than having characters with the same names and a few plot lines that match the series of books, this was a huge miss.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/05/24

Full Review

Michael H

The dark tower series is King's magnum opus, the greatest novels he's ever written or will ever write again, and the movie did it justice in every way. By combining storylines and scenes and characters from at least four of the novels it all came together beautifully. I loved it in the theater and have watched my own DVD copy of it at least twenty times since. Still thrills and moves me everytime. My personal favorite King adaptation of all time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/24/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Nikolaj Arcel

Director

Idris Elba

Roland

Matthew McConaughey

Walter

Tom Taylor

Jake

Claudia Kim

Arra

Fran Kranz

Pimli

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

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

View more videos

Gods of Egypt

14%

37%

Gods of Egypt

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Gods of Egypt

Doctor Strange

89%

86%

Doctor Strange

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Doctor Strange

The Great Wall

35%

42%

The Great Wall

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Great Wall

Bloodshot

32%

78%

Bloodshot

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bloodshot

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

30%

60%

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Upcoming TV Fantasy Series That Could Be the Next Game of Thrones

How Family-Friendly Are Thor: Ragnarok and Lady Bird?

New On DVD This Week: The Dark Tower, Orphan Black Complete Series, and More

Elba and McConaughey Remember The First Time Stephen King Scared Them: Exclusive Interview

1:30

The Dark Tower: International Trailer 2

1:31

The Dark Tower: International Trailer 1

2:05

The Dark Tower: Trailer 1

2:45

View more videos

View more photos

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: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Weed Road Pictures, 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)

Most Popular at Home Now