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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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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Michel G

Der dunkle Turm von Stephen King ist ein Meisterwerk und sein Lebenswerk. Der Film ist eine absolute Beleidigung und gehört zu dem schlechtesten, was ich je ertragen musste. Ich war gezwungen hier überhaupt einen halben Stern zu geben. Eine absolute Frechheit, dass so ein Film überhaupt existiert. bitte lest die Bücher und beurteilt das Werk nicht nach diesem "Film". Jeder der daran beteiligt war, sollte sich in Grund und Boden schämen.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/12/25

Full Review

Eva D

One of the worst Stephen King movies I've ever seen. Don't think the movie producers even read the books. As soon as I saw that the 7 novel series was being condensed into 1 1/2 hour movie, I knew it would be terrible. Such a waste of talent for some great actors and a waste of time watching this garbage

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/10/25

Full Review

Mark H

Ive never been at odds with so many critics, but I enjoyed this film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/08/25

Full Review

Lance C.

Terrible movie. Boring and rushed.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/21/25

Full Review

Dani G

What a piece of.... Maybe the worst is McConaughey's character

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/08/25

Full Review

Hughe J

The Dark Tower movie was released in theatres in 2017 and stars Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey and Tom Taylor. The movie is loosely based on Stephen King's Dark Tower series of books with Elba playing Roland the gunslinger, McConaughey playing the Man in Black, and Taylor playing Jake. Basic summary is that Jake dreams of the Dark Tower, the Man in Black wants to capture Jake, and Roland wants to save Jake and defeat the Man in Black. The main problem with the movie is that it tries to cram way too much into less than a two hour run time and everything feels rushed. There's no character development, no arcs, the SFX is bad, the action scenes are worse, and the actors have nothing to work with. This would have made a far better tv series to allow the world of the Dark Tower to be properly fleshed out. As a fan of King's work I did enjoy some of the Easter Eggs scattered throughout the movie, but other than that this was pretty bad.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

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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