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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Alex P

A movie made to entertain without complicating the plot from the books.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/08/25

Full Review

Nathan W

Hot Garbage. While I am a big fan of the source material, I never judge a movie on how it relates to it. Movies hardly ever measure up. This is a disjointed, jumbled, mess that is hard to watch and understand.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/06/25

Full Review

Paul S

I'm surprised they were able to fit as much into the movie as they did when the movie is only a little over 90 minutes long. It doesn't have the most sound plot, and the story felt a little incomplete. Overall, it had great visuals and was really enjoyable to watch. Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey absolutely shine in this movie. I definitely recommend it for sci-fi and fantasy fans!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/20/25

Full Review

Theo B

I've read the entire dark tower series (9 books!) about 5 times. It's a magestic, soaring, heartbreaking and exhilarating journey that Stephen King takes you on. This travesty of an approximation hardly deserves a review because it is such a poor representation of the books. Both the main actors are such amazing artists in their own right, it makes me think they didn't know what a pile of stinking dung this was as a script. But the books aside, standing alone as a single movie, the plot is disjointed, the characters flat, and the ark contrived. Please, rather than watch this horrifying attempt, go read the books... You'll find a rich and rewarding world with characters that jump of the page and into your heart. You'll love every minute of it!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/18/25

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie genuinely disgusted me. I am obsessed with Stephen King's books and this is not The Dark Tower. This is a sad excuse for a movie based extremely loosely, and when I say loosely I mean the only things carried over from the books that remained in the movie were three characters, the main character's goal, the name sake of the movie, and the Breakers. There is no Eddie Dean, no Susannah, no Mordred, and if my memory serves correctly, not a single mention of the Crimson King. There was no conceivable way that you can condence a seven book long series into a movie that doesn't even exceed 100 minutes of run time including the credits. Stephen King hates the Stanley Kubrick version of the Shining, when the movie he should truely despise is the one that removed 20 years worth of world building.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

Full Review

james o

the film identifies Legendarium, Arthurian legend and The Man with No Name as inspirations.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/20/25

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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