Share your thoughts after viewing the movie **DEFINITE SPOILERS**

[Robert Gray]

Once I was certain what was coming, I kind of took a submarine approach, i.e. run silent... run deep. There wasn't any point talking about things because our discussions weren't going to change the outcome. I am always down for philosophical discussions of fiction, but it was clear that we weren't really going to get much of that. Some time and distance will have to pass before we can objectively talk about the film, i.e. its structure, the story it told.... yadayadyada.

What I will say three things:

1. Stop blaming Stephen King for the films people make. He wrote the books you love. Dwell on that. Say, "thank ye Sai." When it comes to movies Stephen King is like the rest of us. He hopes for the best. He would love to see his worlds realized on the big screen. He did, after all, spend his time as a kid hitching rides to see the classics first run. He saw a lot of schlock. He saw the good too. When he sells the rights to try to translate his stories to the big screen, I imagine that money is the least of his motivations. A perfect film would be, after all, like having Galatea come to life and step down from the pedestal. If you must blame someone, place it were it belongs, i.e. the Studio, Director, and Producers. Blaming Stephen King makes you sound like an idiot.

2. Stop giving people who didn't like the film a hard time. People who didn't like the film are not a minority. There is nothing wrong with them. Quit putting words in their mouths or trying to attribute reasons to them for not liking it. They don't even have to have a reason. They have every right to dislike the film, talk about it, and vent. They don't merit being called racists, snobs, or being accused of only not liking it because they have closed minds. I didn't like it. I've avoided giving an actual review of it (although I've been told otherwise), but if pushed I would and my reasons are many and I would be VERY thorough. So unless really want to hear what I think and why I think it, stop attributing things to me (or anyone else) who says, "Meh, didn't like it." Sometimes less is more.

3. Whereas this film was anemic and had all sorts of troubling signs and portents, the opposite is true of the next King adaptation coming down the pipe. It will be released very shortly. I think we will all be very pleasantly surprised. I say this being one of the people who was most troubled by the change from the 50s to the 80s for the first film. I don't expect a literal adaptation (although I would love to see one someday) but I think we are in for one hell of a ride. Let's give the Tower some time and space before debating it. I think it is time clean our palate with some of that dirty water flowing through the drains of Derry.

 

[Dana Jean]

Once I was certain what was coming, I kind of took a submarine approach, i.e. run silent... run deep. There wasn't any point talking about things because our discussions weren't going to change the outcome. I am always down for philosophical discussions of fiction, but it was clear that we weren't really going to get much of that. Some time and distance will have to pass before we can objectively talk about the film, i.e. its structure, the story it told.... yadayadyada.

What I will say three things:

1. Stop blaming Stephen King for the films people make. He wrote the books you love. Dwell on that. Say, "thank ye Sai." When it comes to movies Stephen King is like the rest of us. He hopes for the best. He would love to see his worlds realized on the big screen. He did, after all, spend his time as a kid hitching rides to see the classics first run. He saw a lot of schlock. He saw the good too. When he sells the rights to try to translate his stories to the big screen, I imagine that money is the least of his motivations. A perfect film would be, after all, like having Galatea come to life and step down from the pedestal. If you must blame someone, place it were it belongs, i.e. the Studio, Director, and Producers. Blaming Stephen King makes you sound like an idiot.

2. Stop giving people who didn't like the film a hard time. People who didn't like the film are not a minority. There is nothing wrong with them. Quit putting words in their mouths or trying to attribute reasons to them for not liking it. They don't even have to have a reason. They have every right to dislike the film, talk about it, and vent. They don't merit being called racists, snobs, or being accused of only not liking it because they have closed minds. I didn't like it. I've avoided not giving an actual review of it (although I've been told otherwise), but if pushed I would and my reasons are many and I would be VERY thorough. So unless really want to hear what I think and why I think it, stop attributing things to me (or anyone else) who says, "Meh, didn't like it." Sometimes less is more.

3. Whereas this film was anemic and had all sorts of troubling signs and portents, the opposite is true of the next King adaptation coming down the pipe. It will be released very shortly. I think we will all be very pleasantly surprised. I say this being one of the people who was most troubled by the change from the 50s to the 80s for the first film. I don't expect a literal adaptation (although I would love to see one someday) but I think we are in for one hell of a ride. Let's give the Tower some time and space before debating it. I think it is time clean our palate with some of that dirty water flowing through the drains of Derry.

Did you read this thread? The ones being insulting ARE the ones who disliked it. Go read their words. We don't have to put anything into their mouths. They said things quite clearly here.

 

[Robert Gray]

Did you read this thread? The ones being insulting ARE the ones who disliked it. Go read their words. We don't have to put anything into their mouths. They said things quite clearly here.

I've read the thread, and all the others. To me they are all one big amalgamated thread in my head. I don't like a lot of what people are posting regardless of their position on the film. It it irksome to me that we can't just discuss the film on its merits without it turning into something that belongs in the Hot Topics area.

 

[GNTLGNT]

Still got the words, but no talking, aye GNT?" Any music at least?

...a single haunting banjo....

 

[Steffen]

This was pretty exciting to me. This was the first King adaption,I ever saw in a theater. My husband and i went. really enjoyed the movie. Hoping it comes to TV.

That is awesome. I'm happy that you & the hubby had such a good time.

 

[recitador]

Once I was certain what was coming, I kind of took a submarine approach, i.e. run silent... run deep. There wasn't any point talking about things because our discussions weren't going to change the outcome. I am always down for philosophical discussions of fiction, but it was clear that we weren't really going to get much of that. Some time and distance will have to pass before we can objectively talk about the film, i.e. its structure, the story it told.... yadayadyada.

What I will say three things:

1. Stop blaming Stephen King for the films people make. He wrote the books you love. Dwell on that. Say, "thank ye Sai." When it comes to movies Stephen King is like the rest of us. He hopes for the best. He would love to see his worlds realized on the big screen. He did, after all, spend his time as a kid hitching rides to see the classics first run. He saw a lot of schlock. He saw the good too. When he sells the rights to try to translate his stories to the big screen, I imagine that money is the least of his motivations. A perfect film would be, after all, like having Galatea come to life and step down from the pedestal. If you must blame someone, place it were it belongs, i.e. the Studio, Director, and Producers. Blaming Stephen King makes you sound like an idiot.

2. Stop giving people who didn't like the film a hard time. People who didn't like the film are not a minority. There is nothing wrong with them. Quit putting words in their mouths or trying to attribute reasons to them for not liking it. They don't even have to have a reason. They have every right to dislike the film, talk about it, and vent. They don't merit being called racists, snobs, or being accused of only not liking it because they have closed minds. I didn't like it. I've avoided giving an actual review of it (although I've been told otherwise), but if pushed I would and my reasons are many and I would be VERY thorough. So unless really want to hear what I think and why I think it, stop attributing things to me (or anyone else) who says, "Meh, didn't like it." Sometimes less is more.

3. Whereas this film was anemic and had all sorts of troubling signs and portents, the opposite is true of the next King adaptation coming down the pipe. It will be released very shortly. I think we will all be very pleasantly surprised. I say this being one of the people who was most troubled by the change from the 50s to the 80s for the first film. I don't expect a literal adaptation (although I would love to see one someday) but I think we are in for one hell of a ride. Let's give the Tower some time and space before debating it. I think it is time clean our palate with some of that dirty water flowing through the drains of Derry.

i can name a very large number of changes between It the book and It the film, just based on the little footage we have, but i'm still fully excited. the tone set in the marketing has been very much correct. the so called easter eggs and nods to details of the novel have been subtle, but heavily present. the costume for pennywise is much more in line with the book, and while i can't say for sure about the voice until i sit through a whole movie of it, the three or so little snippets we've had have been encouraging. i think there's a better than even chance this could rank up there with the better adaptations we've seen of his work.

 

[jt0565]

I just watched the pilot episode of Mr. Mercedes and am impressed. Can't wait for more.

 

[Blake]

I'm very happy now that I have rented my clown costume for the premier of the movie here. I also rented a cowboy outfit, but didn't bother with the fake guns because it would be illegal walking down the street with them in my holster. I'm not even bothering reading the reviews of The Dark Tower movie because I want to decide for myself. I am reading what other people are posting on here. If people like something enough, they become possessive of that thing, and don't like it if it deviates from their conception of what they think it should be like. I think it would be much harder making the Dark Tower movie than the It movie. I think most probably it would have been more suited as a tv mini-series. Don't forget, some of the greatest cult movies were panned when they first came out.

 

[fushingfeef]

Just got back from seeing the movie!

As a movie I liked it, I would definitely see sequels (I hope there are several!) because the story just felt so much bigger than this one movie. It was literally bursting at the seams.

As far as faithful adaptations of the source material, forget it. It had some of the DNA of the novels but it's a pretty distant relative, maybe a 2nd cousin at best.

Flaws (aside from the obvious major differences from the novels): felt rushed, and I felt Roland's introductory scene was very underwhelming. I mean this is THE GUNSLINGER, and his intro was a dream/flashback. He deserves more than that. Really much of the time Roland felt like a secondary character in this movie. Hopefully he can be fleshed out more in a sequel.

Good: Jake, great job, and I think seeing this from his perspective helped to wrangle the story somewhat. Idris Elba was very good as Roland, I just wish the script/storyline had given him more. Matthew Maconahay (I know that's not how it's spelled but I don't feel like looking it up) was pretty good, sometimes a little cheesy but pretty fun to watch.

I liked seeing the Taheen. Cool to see the Tower but it looked like Towers I've seen in artworks, nothing really new. And I loved hearing some of the Dark Tower language and phrases we hold dear.

Bottom line: Go see it, expect huge differences from the books, but also let yourself be entertained by this iteration of the story. The books are still there.

 

[Blake]

I was listening to this lesbian lady in the pub about when the new series of 'Game of Thrones' came out on pay-tv here, she's talking to some guys and she say's Game of Thrones is the best television show ever made. It is so violent, she said to them. I haven't seen any of them but might have to. I envisaged The Dark Tower as something like that: super violent, like a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western on steroids.

 

[Hill lover35]

I,whent to,see it yesterday and I really really loved it.. it was just whant I thought it was. I loved when both Rolland and Walter came into earth. The line about the chicken was great, and the sugar and pop and how he asked jake what breed of dog was in the hot dog. And the number of the portal they where going threw

 

[Steffen]

Got a chance to see the film this afternoon. I liked it. Not the greatest thing ever, but it's a fun evening at the cinema. I'm going to see it again tomorrow with a buddy of mine (who doesn't have the "baggage" of being a SK fan), and I'll post my thoughts on Sunday. I need a second viewing in the interest of lending some balance to my review (there is good & bad in there).

I will say this: Idris Elba is Roland Deschain and his guns crack like thunder.

 

[bhill]

Seeing this bada$$ film in Bangor. fingers crossed!!

 

[Narvic]

I went to the movie on a lark this past Sunday. I'm always reticent to go see ANY movie of great books I have read, because once I get the image of an actor and scenes imprinted on my brain it has a way of over-writing what my imagination put together.

For this reason, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not a straightforward telling of the books, but rather a side story. I thought the man who played Roland was great (even if maybe a bit younger that I would have imagined Roland being) as was Jake. For me it was just a very fun way to recall some of the good times spent immersed in the epic Dark Tower Saga.

I'd give it a thumbs up.

 

[OKKingFan]

I just got back from the movie and have not read anyone else's reviews.
I have read all the Dark Tower books and for a few different reasons went into the movie with low expectations.
It was about what I expected, which is to say, not very good.
I don't understand the point of making that movie. For the readers of the book, it's naturally going to fall short of what you'd like to see, and for the non-readers, I can't see how they would understand all the references or be able to make much sense from that movie.
It felt like they were trying to combine all eight books into one movie, which is like trying to take a great song like "American Pie" and trim it to one minute.
It doesn't work.

I've always felt the Dark Tower story was far too ambitious a project to begin with. It felt like it was trying to be all things to all people, and down the stretch of the series, it began to disappoint me. It did have some very entertaining parts, I admit, but as a whole story, it ranks somewhere in the middle to lower down of all King's works. The movie felt like it was trying to cram all that into 95 minutes and it didn't work.

I think this story naturally works better as a mini series or TV series, so it can be stretched out and breathe a little, and not be constrained by time.
I'm not sure where they go from here, but I'd start all over with something on television.
For a story that took 30 years to the write, that was a very disappointing hour and a half in the theater.

I do think the acting was good and I didn't mind the references to past King works, but it couldn't save the movie as a whole.

 

[kingricefan]

I wonder if this (the negative reactions) is how all of the Tolkien fans felt when the original animated movie The Hobbit was released way back in the day? I'm not a reader of Tolkien's works (but I did love the recent film versions by Peter Jackson! Well, the LOTR ones anyway) so I don't know how the animated version stood up to the book. I never saw that version anyway. I tried to read The Hobbit years ago and got about 1/4 of the way into it and set it down. Not my cup o' tea then.

 

[GNTLGNT]

I wonder if this (the negative reactions) is how all of the Tolkien fans felt when the original animated movie The Hobbit was released way back in the day? I'm not a reader of Tolkien's works (but I did love the recent film versions by Peter Jackson! Well, the LOTR ones anyway) so I don't know how the animated version stood up to the book. I never saw that version anyway. I tried to read The Hobbit years ago and got about 1/4 of the way into it and set it down. Not my cup o' tea then.

....I watched it, and was disappointed when there was no continuation....thought it was very well done....

 

[Desert Kris]

I went and saw the film, and I found it pretty compelling and intriguing. I'm a pretty new SK fan, and I've only read The Gunslinger (revised edition). I was surprised by the portal technology, that's a lot more hi-tech than I imagined Mid-world was in it's past, just based on the first book. I liked the blend between supernatural and sci-fi and western, and I really liked the production design. I had a few reservations but overall I just had fun with the movie, and left with continued enthusiasm over how the story progresses along a different track in the books I still have to read. The only major quibble is that I would like to have seen this movie's version of "The man in black fled across the desert".

I'm fascinated by the man in black's role in this story, especially in light of where I personally saw him last. He has this personal connection and history with Roland, Roland's family, and their homeland. The last I saw was him playfully running away from the gunslinger, and then letting him catch up; and then has a long conversation where he gives the gunslinger knowledge. He's not connected to any organization. And then he walks onto the big screen in the form of Matthew Mcconaughey as a sorcerer who is leading a technological, cross-dimensional organization. I found McConaughey's performance mesmerizing, I think mainly because of the body language he brings to it; I like that he's understated, not too over-the-top.

Spoiler

And then he dies, in a very different way; unwillingly and less dignified.

The differences don't bother me, honestly I'm glad that narrative flexibility has been built in to the series. I'm quite surprised by the ratings for the movie. I've seen many really bad movies that have a higher rating than the Dark Tower. It's an average, entertaining film; and that's ok, I was entertained.

 

[recitador]

I went and saw the film, and I found it pretty compelling and intriguing. I'm a pretty new SK fan, and I've only read The Gunslinger (revised edition). I was surprised by the portal technology, that's a lot more hi-tech than I imagined Mid-world was in it's past, just based on the first book. I liked the blend between supernatural and sci-fi and western, and I really liked the production design. I had a few reservations but overall I just had fun with the movie, and left with continued enthusiasm over how the story progresses along a different track in the books I still have to read. The only major quibble is that I would like to have seen this movie's version of "The man in black fled across the desert".

I'm fascinated by the man in black's role in this story, especially in light of where I personally saw him last. He has this personal connection and history with Roland, Roland's family, and their homeland. The last I saw was him playfully running away from the gunslinger, and then letting him catch up; and then has a long conversation where he gives the gunslinger knowledge. He's not connected to any organization. And then he walks onto the big screen in the form of Matthew Mcconaughey as a sorcerer who is leading a technological, cross-dimensional organization. I found McConaughey's performance mesmerizing, I think mainly because of the body language he brings to it; I like that he's understated, not too over-the-top.

Spoiler

And then he dies, in a very different way; unwillingly and less dignified.

The differences don't bother me, honestly I'm glad that narrative flexibility has been built in to the series. I'm quite surprised by the ratings for the movie. I've seen many really bad movies that have a higher rating than the Dark Tower. It's an average, entertaining film; and that's ok, I was entertained.

they played a little fast and loose with those portals vs the books, but it gets into more details after the first book when it comes to technology found in roland's world

 

[johntfs]

I saw this today and liked it for the most part. Roland's "gun-fu" was just amazing and Idris Elba did an excellent job portraying him as a crusader who's lost hope. The kid, Jake, didn't annoy me nearly as much as I thought he would. I really liked his portrayal of the pain of having his mother basically lose faith in his sanity. I liked the vision of Mid-World as the victim of some unnamed apocalypse mostly empty but for the MiB's creatures, demons and the few humans holding on. One question begged was "If you have portal technology, why not move somewhere else?" I liked and got most of the references. If there was a weakness in the film it was in Walter, the Man in Black. Clearly at some point he and Roland were on an actual first name basis. I wish we'd have learned more about that. Also, while McConaughey did an excellent job with his portrayal, the character seemed fairly generic. How many times have we seen some version of the "evil for the sake of evil, has a plan that's laughably unworkable" villain? Evil for the sake of evil isn't so bad and Walter's random acts of unkindness (having the failed minions kill each in the restaurant, making the little girl hate her own mother) were a little fun. Still the whole "I'll bring down the Tower, let in the monsters and they'll make me their king" seems ridiculous, especially once we actually see one of the things come through a thin spot in reality. I just wanted to say, "No, Walter, the nasty Lovecraftian demon-monsters aren't going to make you ruler of the multiverse. They're just gonna eat/enslave you like everyone else." It just seems that an overall better plan for Walter would be to find, say, the Swedish Bikini Model portal and use his magic to become king there.