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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Maryland




Thoughts?

I like the action, but I'm a little wary of the story being shifted to focusing on Jake instead of Roland. Also, no Eddie or Susannah.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/08/07 14:42:14


   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

The books were character driven. The movie looks to have three books' worth of plot crammed in, leaving little time for the characters to breathe and grow and expand in the minds of the audience. The film will likely be a disappointment.

   
Made in us
The Last Chancer Who Survived





Norristown, PA

I read the first 3 books a long, long time ago, like back when they were new. Barely remember them. Trailer looks great to me though.

 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

Honestly I just don't think the Dark Tower series will translate to screen well at all. I put it in the same Category as Malazan Book of the Fallen, or Saga. It's just too ingrained into its original medium, and any attempt to take it into another will be lackluster at best.

But then I remember people saying the same thing about the Witcher and that ended up an award winning and fan loved game series, so guess I'll find out XD

   
Made in us
Ragin' Ork Dreadnought




Monarchy of TBD

I am far more impressed by the trailer than by the poster. Those blue guns looked out of place in everything I remember of the Dark Tower. I'd say it looks far more focused on the Man in Black than on Jake though. He was not a very solid character in the books, but this one's letting him play a true nemesis.


Roland looks outstanding, and I like his reading of the mantra. The actual gunplay looks excellent, very much like he's lived with those pistols in his hands for years. The midair reloading thing weirdly reminds me of an anime called Grenadier... where the main character reloaded her 6 shooter by popping shells out of her cleavage. As you might imagine, this hit a very confusing note in the midst of a serious trailer.
Spoiler:



The movie looks to be gritty and slightly weird, just like the first book. As I recall, things didn't start really going off the rails until the 5th or 6th novel, when you had plate fighters, author cameos, and cyborg bunnies.

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Made in ca
Longtime Dakkanaut




Building a blood in water scent

It's been a long time since I read Dark Tower, like back when it was just a 4 book series.

I remember my main takeaway from the reading as a profound sense of WTF did I just read?

This movie will be good if they simply tell an exciting story with King's characters in the Dark Tower setting, but then it will be Dark Tower in name and face only. If they try a straight movie adaptation of the book it will be a mess.

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Made in us
The Last Chancer Who Survived





Norristown, PA

Isn't the dark tower books like a way for King to meld all of his stories together or something? I remember reading something about some robot bear that had a Boulder Free Zone tag on it or something like that. And there was a reference to the characters in the Eyes of the Dragon in there too.

I think the movies are going to be more straight forward, just a story about the gunslinger chasing Flagg to a parallel world, meeting some kid, and then trying to stop the bad guy. rather than trying to incorporate everything King tried to squeeze in.

 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

The Dark Tower series has references to most of King's works, but I can't remember if he specifically intended it to tie everything together into a metaverse.

   
Made in us
Androgynous Daemon Prince of Slaanesh





Norwalk, Connecticut

With as long as the Dark Tower was, I can't see them fitting it into a single movie while being truly faithful. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it would be impossible. There's just too much. I think following the general outline, seriously neutering the cast (which had people from nearly every story he did), and picking some key showdowns will make for a solid movie. The two main characters are both great actors. Idris and Matt are both great. Looking forward to this.

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Made in au
Norn Queen






To be fair, it's not a direct adaptation. It's a sequel to the book series as a new cycle, incorporating a combination of parts of the first and third books, and is also getting a followup TV series starring Idris Elba and Tom Taylor that is picking up as a sequel adaptation of book 4.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/05/04 00:56:24


 
   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Ho-hum)





Curb stomping in the Eye of Terror!

 LordofHats wrote:
The Dark Tower series has references to most of King's works, but I can't remember if he specifically intended it to tie everything together into a metaverse.

He did... just took fricking forever for him to come to that conclusion.

Two things... one is spoiler ish...

1) Idris... feth YEA!

2)
Spoiler:
Will Mr. King himself be making an appearance? Also... the whole "astin" for the "dry twist"



Automatically Appended Next Post:
 -Loki- wrote:
To be fair, it's not a direct adaptation. It's a sequel to the book series as a new cycle, incorporating a combination of parts of the first and third books, and is also getting a followup TV series starring Idris Elba and Tom Taylor that is picking up as a sequel adaptation of book 4.

Yup. I think it's getting 3 movies, with a TV series between movies 1 & 2 and 2 & 3.

Might not be enough!

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/05/04 03:00:28


Live Ork, Be Ork. or D'Ork!


 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
-






-

And isn't this...

Spoiler:
...movie actually more or less a BOOK 8, in that it is a sequel of sorts to book 7, which had a VERY disappointing ending?

   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Ho-hum)





Curb stomping in the Eye of Terror!

 Alpharius wrote:
And isn't this...

Spoiler:
...movie actually more or less a BOOK 8, in that it is a sequel of sorts to book 7, which had a VERY disappointing ending?

I really, REALLY hope so...

Live Ork, Be Ork. or D'Ork!


 
   
Made in us
Dark Angels Librarian with Book of Secrets






 -Loki- wrote:
To be fair, it's not a direct adaptation. It's a sequel to the book series as a new cycle, incorporating a combination of parts of the first and third books, and is also getting a followup TV series starring Idris Elba and Tom Taylor that is picking up as a sequel adaptation of book 4.


Yeah, once I read that it's a sequel/reimagining I felt better about the trailer. I fething love these books, so it's nice to see it finally get made into a movie. However, I'm worried it might have a Doom Forever element to it: too long in Limbo results in a crappy product.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Alpharius wrote:
And isn't this...

Spoiler:
...movie actually more or less a BOOK 8, in that it is a sequel of sorts to book 7, which had a VERY disappointing ending?


Spoiler:
Yes and no. Yes, it's a spoiler. No, the ending was awesome and very fitting to the theme of the book (cycles, endings), specifically that yes Roland's adventure was restarting, but it was an ending because he the Cuthbert's horn and this would be the last cycle.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/04 15:44:18


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Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut






New Orleans, LA

It looked interesting. I have never read the books.

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Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






 Necros wrote:
I read the first 3 books a long, long time ago, like back when they were new. Barely remember them. Trailer looks great to me though.


Depends.

If the movie shows off the world well, I may get into the books.

   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Maryland

 jreilly89 wrote:

Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Alpharius wrote:
And isn't this...

Spoiler:
...movie actually more or less a BOOK 8, in that it is a sequel of sorts to book 7, which had a VERY disappointing ending?


Spoiler:
Yes and no. Yes, it's a spoiler. No, the ending was awesome and very fitting to the theme of the book (cycles, endings), specifically that yes Roland's adventure was restarting, but it was an ending because he the Cuthbert's horn and this would be the last cycle.


I guess I need to go back and read the series again, but:
Spoiler:
I thought the implications of the end of the last book was Roland having the Horn of Eld didn't signify that this would be the last attempt to reach the Tower, but an indication that, over the iterations, Roland is slowly improving?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/04 17:49:28


   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

Spoiler:
Before you save the Dark Tower, the Dark Tower has to save you.


This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/04 17:53:35


   
Made in de
Experienced Maneater






The main cast is pretty good, both Idris Elba and Matthew MacWhatever are very fitting. Not sure this will have anything to do with the books though, apart from the general outline of the story. But that was true for a lot of movies and we got stuff like Blade Runner out of it so let's wait and see.

   
Made in us
Dark Angels Librarian with Book of Secrets






 infinite_array wrote:
 jreilly89 wrote:

Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Alpharius wrote:
And isn't this...

Spoiler:
...movie actually more or less a BOOK 8, in that it is a sequel of sorts to book 7, which had a VERY disappointing ending?


Spoiler:
Yes and no. Yes, it's a spoiler. No, the ending was awesome and very fitting to the theme of the book (cycles, endings), specifically that yes Roland's adventure was restarting, but it was an ending because he the Cuthbert's horn and this would be the last cycle.


I guess I need to go back and read the series again, but:
Spoiler:
I thought the implications of the end of the last book was Roland having the Horn of Eld didn't signify that this would be the last attempt to reach the Tower, but an indication that, over the iterations, Roland is slowly improving?


Spoiler:
Possibly both? Here's the synopsis of the last event from Wikipedia:

In a final "Coda" section, King urges the reader to close the book at this point, consider the story finished with a happy ending, and not venture inside the Tower with Roland. For those who do not heed the warning, the story resumes with Roland stepping into the Dark Tower. He realizes that the Tower is not really made of stone, but a kind of flesh: it is Gan's physical body. As he climbs the steps, Roland encounters various rooms containing siguls or signs of his past life. When he reaches the top of the Tower, he finds a door marked with his own name and opens it. Roland instantly realizes, to his horror, that he has reached the Tower countless times before. He is forced through the door by the hands of Gan and transported back in time to the Mohaine desert, back to where he was at the beginning of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, with no memories of what has just occurred. The only difference is that, this time, Roland possesses the Horn of Eld, which in the previous incarnation he had left lying on the ground after the Battle of Jericho Hill. Roland hears the voice of Gan, whispering that, if he reaches the Tower again, perhaps this time the result will be different; there may yet be rest. The series ends where it began in the first line of book one: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."


So that kind of implies both to me, that or maybe this is all another joke to Gan.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/04 19:29:22


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Made in gb
Soul Token




West Yorkshire, England

 Hanskrampf wrote:
The main cast is pretty good, both Idris Elba and Matthew MacWhatever are very fitting. Not sure this will have anything to do with the books though, apart from the general outline of the story. But that was true for a lot of movies and we got stuff like Blade Runner out of it so let's wait and see.


Indeed, I'm not sure it's really possible to adapt the books whole cloth, they always struck as the second least filmable fantasy novels ever (the first one being the Thomas Covenant series).

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Made in us
Kid_Kyoto






Probably work

Huh. That's fine, I'll be the one to say it:

Roland does look badass. Really, genuinely cool character (minus the silly anime bullet tossing) and seems like he's going to be really well played.

But on the other hand, I'm never going to get past the fact that he's no "honky mahfah".

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Made in us
Evasive Eshin Assassin






the anime bullet thing is kind of fitting though. Roland was just that much of a badass...

i'm glad i came here... i didn't think it would translate that well to the big screen but hearing that it is not a direct translation of the book and rather a follow up on the next cycle is great.

i dont remember gan though... gonna have to wiki that...
   
Made in us
Dark Angels Librarian with Book of Secrets






 daedalus wrote:
Huh. That's fine, I'll be the one to say it:

Roland does look badass. Really, genuinely cool character (minus the silly anime bullet tossing) and seems like he's going to be really well played.

But on the other hand, I'm never going to get past the fact that he's no "honky mahfah".


Yeah, hearing Detta and Eddie won't be in it bums me out, but softens the blow of Roland not being strictly white. Plus, Idris Elba is a fantastic actor

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Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Ho-hum)





Curb stomping in the Eye of Terror!

 jreilly89 wrote:
 daedalus wrote:
Huh. That's fine, I'll be the one to say it:

Roland does look badass. Really, genuinely cool character (minus the silly anime bullet tossing) and seems like he's going to be really well played.

But on the other hand, I'm never going to get past the fact that he's no "honky mahfah".


Yeah, hearing Detta and Eddie won't be in it bums me out, but softens the blow of Roland not being strictly white. Plus, Idris Elba is a fantastic actor

Yeah... Detta and Eddie are major characters in the books. Covers numerous tough, dark subject matters that doesn't translate on the screen real well.

That's okay though... because this is a "new cycle" of the Dark Tower saga.

In other words... The Dark Tower is nothing more than a western/horror/sci-fi Groundhogs Day story.

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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






Los Angeles

So did anyone see this over the weekend?

I went on Friday and fell asleep towards the end. Not hyperbole, I fell asleep during one gun fight and woke up later in another. That was a first for me.

Overall I really did not enjoy the film. The pacing felt slow, and the threat of The Man in Black never materialized for me, which was extremely disappointing. That isn't to say that I thought McConaughey's performance was bad-- I actually liked him as TMiB and thought he gave a trashy-slickness (like a snake oil weapons dealer) to the character which meshed somewhat with how I imagined the character -- just that the film didn't build up enough of a threat or make me care about the stakes enough to become emotionally invested. It felt like a very hollow re-telling of the story that was rushed in places and (unnecessarily) changed in others but without any positive outcome. In a lot of ways it felt generic and didn't have any of the magic that the book elicited from the same characters and setting.

As excited as I was for the movie I just can't recommend anyone see it at the theater. It's a home viewing at best, and even then if you have nothing better to watch.

Spoiler:
I really hated the change in narrative perspective from Roland to Jake. I wanted to spend more time with Roland and in Roland's head. Jake was boring as hell to watch.
Also the portal bit was dumb, I'd rather Jake meet Roland via death like in the book.

   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

I was excited for this but then I saw a commercial that said "in theaters now" and I instantly knew it would suck. You don't have turn around on movies this fast for movies that don't suck.

   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

I was sure I would see this film until all the reviews started rolling in. It might end up being one of the biggest bombs of the year, which would be quite an accomplishment.

   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






Los Angeles

 LordofHats wrote:
I was excited for this but then I saw a commercial that said "in theaters now" and I instantly knew it would suck. You don't have turn around on movies this fast for movies that don't suck.


I didn't follow the development of the movie, though I kinda wish I had because I may not have rushed out to see it. It seems to have been in development hell for years and burned through two major directors before landing on the director who ultimately released the film. That sort of behind-the-scenes drama suggests major problems with the script, and or meddling by the studio, which almost always makes a film worse.

Anyway, my opinion is save your money.
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

The aggregate review scores for this film are absurd. I will never again care about Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic.

I am not a Stephen King fan. Stopped reading his books when I was about eleven. I never made it past the first DT book and couldn't tell you hardly anything about it now.

I went to see this movie as part of a social event and I wasn't looking forward to it at all. It turned out to be a solid, likable picture that reminded me (in good ways) of late 80s/early 90s adventure movies. It's not great by a long shot but it was entertaining. I was never bored, I was never confused, I was never rolling my eyes at absolute bs. By contrast to movies like say Rogue One (85% Rotten Tomatoes) I actually cared about the characters and rooted for them. Most importantly, the story had a coherent beginning, middle, and end which is vanishingly rare in the cinema these days.

This film is AT WORST a B- ... 18% is unadulterated balderdash.

Don't believe the anti-hype.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/08/07 21:04:31


   
 
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