Here are my thoughts after watching this film again last night.
In order to give some context to my review, I’ll state a few things I’ve mentioned before. As the title of this thread warns, there are spoilers here.
* Yes, I am one of the legion of fans disappointed that the producers did not take a different (i.e. more faithful) approach to adapting the books.
* I too was initially puzzled by the casting of Idris Elba, mostly because I already had this vision of the traditional blue-eyed western archetype built up in my mind for the last few decades (I started reading the series when I was a wee lad in the 80s). However, I had no doubt whatsoever that Elba could capably embody the character. Watch Luther and you’ll understand the online cry for him to be the new James Bond. The dude has got it down: the swagger, the charm, the acting ability, the looks, he is the complete package.
* The moment I saw Mr King's "Last Time Around" tweet and then the follow-up announcement explaining that the film is the final cycle of Roland's journey, I thought: okay, that's interesting. Obviously not what I want, but the creative team now have the luxury of cherry-picking parts of the entire series to weave an entirely new narrative which should be intriguing not to mention being able to translate it better for cinema. I’m game.
* I was disappointed when Ron Howard left the project and Akiva Goldsman remained in charge. Akiva Goldsman has a poor track record of adapting any genre material that isn't a straight-up drama. The ensuing trailers and limited marketing/promotion didn’t exactly fill me with anticipation.
* Whenever I watch any film based on an existing source (book, play, comic, etc.), I always critique it based on two criteria: how well it holds up as a film on its own, and how well it adapts the source material. Understandably, it's difficult to separate the two sometimes. That’s why I went to see this film twice, the second time with a friend of mine who isn’t familiar with SK’s works and thus doesn’t have the baggage or attachment that I do.
* I pay little attention to reviews or review sites. I make up my mind whether I want to see a film based on the story, creative and casting teams involved, and the trailers. Critics don’t pay for my ticket, so if any money gets wasted, it's mine and mine alone, and life will go on. Since I don't have clout in the entertainment industry or a hundred million dollars to produce my own film, I risk walking away disappointed but hey, there are too many unread books or unwatched films to wallow in my dismay.
I’ll start off with how it holds up as far as adapting the source material (bearing in mind that this is a continuation of Roland’s journey). This is a very bare-bones adaptation. A lot of the rich mythology has been eschewed in favour of an introductory line giving a simplistic explanation of the Tower’s place in the Universe, followed by a Cliff’s Notes sprinkling throughout the first act of the principal elements: the Gunslinger, the Man in Black, the Devar-Toi’s role in attacking the Tower and the ensuing effect on all realities (but mostly Mid-World and our own Keystone Earth). While it does a serviceable (is that even a word? Forgive me, Sai King) enough job, I think the setup would have benefited from a brief prologue similar to that in Fellowship of the Ring. Remember that lovely introduction with Galadriel narrating the history of the One Ring and Sauron’s larger intent? It gave the audience just what we needed to know and allowed us to uncover the larger mythology during the course of the three films. I think employing a similar storytelling device would have started off this film on a more solid footing. For instance, Roland is first seen in one of Jake's visions, where the Gunslinger and his father face down Walter. It’s not a bad scene, but I thought it was an ineffective way of introducing the true protagonist of the story. The first time we actually “meet” Roland is after Jake escapes to Mid-World, and the former draws his gun on the young boy who just wants a drink of water. I thought this was a splendid way of introducing Roland, and the showdown between father, son and the Man in Black should have been shuffled down a little later in the narrative.
The cinematography is quite good. The scenes filmed in South Africa are enhanced with just the right touch of CGI, making for a Mid-World that is truly beautiful in its desolation. The film’s short running time works against this though, as the viewer really wants to spend a little more time exploring this alien terrain with its ancient relics hinting at connections with other worlds. But it’s a nice touch after seeing all this and then switching back to New York with its harsh neon lighting and huge concrete structures. While the special effects were pretty good, I do wish the threat to Roland and Jake in the forest was less a CGI-creation and instead some stuntmen in prosthetics playing Slow Mutants. Any excuse for Roland to show off more gunplay (more on that later). Seeing the Taheen/Low Men was nice as well.
The performances were good all around. I want to say they were excellent, but the actors do the best they can with what little they are given. Very little of King’s weighty dialogue and drama is seen here, something I blame squarely on Akiva Goldsman being the chief creative force behind this film. The story is told from Jake’s point of view, but unlike some reviews I’ve read, I didn’t think the characters of Roland or Walter were short-changed because of it. Tom Taylor is quite good here as Jake, especially touching in the scenes showing his grief over Walter’s cruelty. Matthew McConaughey is superb in every scene. I love how he gets in everyone’s personal space as a way of unsettling them, oozing charm and venom. His facial tics, body language, the way he enunciates his words, his casual acts of cruelty and pettiness, this guy IS the Walkin’ Dude. I wish somehow Sony would have also gotten the rights to The Stand so they could bring him back to play Randall Flagg. He is that good. And what of Idris Elba? Well, Mr Elba is every bit the haunted, cold, tragic hero that we need our Roland Deschain to be. And when he draws his guns? Man, you’d better GTFO of that guy’s way, because he doesn’t exactly waste bullets. The shootout at the Dixie Pig is particularly impressive, although Hollywood’s obsession with hyper-stylized stunts made me wince at the sight of Roland shooting his guns sideways like a common thug or while jumping off a balcony. What impedes Elba’s performance here is the same for all the characters. The film’s perfunctory dialogue, rushed pace and unwillingness to flesh out the characters undermine the material, preventing the key players from elevating it to anything approaching the greatness this story deserves. The inhabitants of the Dixie Pig, for instance, are wasted here. I was looking forward to seeing Jackie Earle Hayley as the vampire Sayre, but the film instead treats him as a glorified lackey. Indeed, the inhabitants of the Dixie Pig are just shabbily dressed miscreants rather than the mish-mash of other-worldly creatures that should have added to the weird mystique of this film.
Speaking of perfunctory dialogue, this film really had either too many writers or not enough good ones. I was dismayed at the often lack of elegance in the exchanges between some characters. Reference to Jake’s “shine” for instance is painfully overused. Roland’s speech patterns are not as sophisticated at times as they should be. Elba brings a subdued regal air to Roland, and his dialogue should have been brought up-to-scratch to enhance this quality. I know this sounds like a minor quibble, but more attention should also have been paid to the residents of Mid-World sounding distinct from us Keystone dwellers.
Is this a bad film? Certainly not. Taken on its own merits, I’d say it was a decent action film and a fun evening at the cinema. My friend who knows zip about Stephen King’s books said as much, but commented that he was confused about the mythology it was trying to establish. He pointed to the All Hail the Crimson King graffiti appearing throughout the movie as an example. Is the Crimson King Walter, or someone else? After Roland and Walter have their final confrontation at the film’s climax, does a threat to The Tower still exist? Where are Roland and Jake rushing off to, and why? Why does the final scene show that painting of the rose on the wall? And my friend is right. This film shows the wear-and-tear of too many cooks in the kitchen. And here is where my issue with the short running time becomes relevant. An extra fifteen minutes paying more attention to character beats and motivation, as well as properly shaping the mythology would have made for a less confusing and well above-average fantasy action piece. As it stands, poor storytelling choices fail to properly convey the magnitude or imperative of Roland’s quest or establish the lore of The Dark Tower, leaving the audience (the non-King readers) at the end of the film with questions arising more out of confusion than a genuine passion to know what comes next.
That being said, do I want a sequel? Yes I do, but not simply because I am a Stephen King fan. As a fan of movies in general, I believe that while this film has its shortcomings, there is nothing so broken that it can’t be improved by putting a better creative team in charge, including and especially a more competent writer. Yes, the King fanboy in me wants to see The Tower and its field of roses (it wasn’t shown here), and I am truly saddened by the throwaway mention in this film of the opening line in The Gunslinger novel (I waited so many years to see that line used properly in a film, and it wasn’t). However, I think what’s established in this first film can certainly be expanded and improved on. I also think that even some of the major changes introduced by this film (and its conceit of being a continuation of the books) can be used by clever enough writers to present an effective sequel that honours Mr King’s epic.
Bottom-line: anyone looking for a faithful adaptation of the books, you won't find it here (but you already knew that from the Last Time Around tweet). If you're in the mood for a fun fantasy-action movie, you'll like this. Yes, I had my problems with it, but I also had fun watching Roland and Walter go at each other. Enough fun to want another film. Let's see what happens.