The Dark Tower, directed by the Danish Nikolaj Arcel, best known for his work as a screenwriter in Millennium: Men who did not love women, brings a film that suffers from lack of structure and a relationship not very happy with the book of the same title of the writer Stephen King. While film critics disparaged the film with 18 percent positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes site, the general public gave 61 percent approval, not enough to save the film that promised to create the same excitement of fantasy franchises and science fiction. Moreover, the great difference in acceptance reveals the lack of internal coherence of production.
King’s book seemed perfect for today’s audience. With a mixture of genres such as horror, fantasy, old west and science fiction, and relying on a series of 8 successful books, King tells the story of a magical world protected by a group with ideals similar to those of the legend of King Arthur, where nobility and courage are valued. This universe, however, unlike the medieval times of King Arthur, looks very much like the old American West. The main character, Roland Deschain, was inspired by Clint Eastwood’s little-spoken characters. He is a captivating figure called the Gunslinger, who uses his revolver impressively and never gives up until he reaches his goal of defeating evil forces, leaving personal emotions aside to save everyone.
The film exposes several features of the book and assumes that the viewer will understand what it is about. Terms like “house demon” or “Crimson King” appear in the movie and are never explained. In a movie theater where all the lengths are remakes or based on famous books, maybe The Black Tower has gone too far in the belief that the public will understand the film because of the work.
However, the opposite is also true, The Dark Tower changes both the book so much that it changes, too, who is the main character. With the possible attempt to target children and families, the main character ends up being Jake Chambers, played by Tom Taylor, a young teenager who discovers to have magical powers and that helps Roland, played by Idris Elba, in his quest to defeat the enemy. Jake, who just knew the world of Roland, ends up becoming the spiritual guide of a hero who doubts himself. While it is possible to identify and like Jake, he clearly does not have the same charm as Roland, and the choice to put him as the main character in front of a much more interesting character is an unfortunate choice.
There are, however, good points in the film. Scenes where the world created by King affects the planet Earth were well developed and give urgency to the story, making the show more exciting. Idris’s acting, which often makes Roland’s character look like a fish out of water, produces moving and even comedic scenes. Even so, the lack of harmony in relation to the book, where sometimes it assumes that the public knows the work of kissed hand and by others it takes the freedom to even change who is the main personage, does not allow that the film is the first one of a hugely successful franchise.
(article translated from the original version in portuguese, by Google Translate)