The Dark Tower
Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 2:55 pmSo, I'm certainly not the biggest Stephen King fan out there, but likely the biggest one you know. I'll read/see just about anything he releases. He's put out a lot of shite, and the movie adaptions run the spectrum from some of the best movies ever made, to some of the worst. But his best books are so meaningful to me that I'll remain a constant reader.
None of the books in the 8 part series of The Dark Tower is my favorite of his, but as a whole it stands on top. I've read through the whole series 4 times, and the earlier books I've read even more times than that. When the making of this movie was announced, I went back to read the whole series for what I thought might be the last time. I have my own picture of Roland and his Ka-Tet in my head, and it's hard to go back to that once you've seen someone else's vision of it.
Today is the release day, and I even took the day off of work for it. However, the movie actually was released last night so I went to see it. I wasn't sure what to expect. I learned a while back that it isn't a direct remake of the books, which I thought was a good thing. It would be nearly impossible to do so. But what makes it work is that (spoiler if you ever think you'll read all 8 books) Ka is a wheel so you can consider this the next go around.
My verdict: two thumbs up. Four stars. A+. I really didn't expect to like it this much. But it was very well done. It wasn't the books, but it was the Universe. It preserved the nature of the series. It didn't have any cheesy elements that commonly make it in to SK adaptations. SK himself said "Killer, no filler" at only 95 minutes long. Plus, it is a Ron Howard movie, who tends to get it right!
What I can't tell is how people who haven't read the books will react. I hope they like it. But I can't remove myself from it enough to judge whether the story on its own is a strong one. I think it's important for it to have broad appeal, becuase the plan for sequels depends on that. So go see it! Tell 'em Pi sent ya!
Next up: a remake of It. Oh Holy Hell, that one looks scary!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7no56Zw1e20
None of the books in the 8 part series of The Dark Tower is my favorite of his, but as a whole it stands on top. I've read through the whole series 4 times, and the earlier books I've read even more times than that. When the making of this movie was announced, I went back to read the whole series for what I thought might be the last time. I have my own picture of Roland and his Ka-Tet in my head, and it's hard to go back to that once you've seen someone else's vision of it.
Today is the release day, and I even took the day off of work for it. However, the movie actually was released last night so I went to see it. I wasn't sure what to expect. I learned a while back that it isn't a direct remake of the books, which I thought was a good thing. It would be nearly impossible to do so. But what makes it work is that (spoiler if you ever think you'll read all 8 books) Ka is a wheel so you can consider this the next go around.
My verdict: two thumbs up. Four stars. A+. I really didn't expect to like it this much. But it was very well done. It wasn't the books, but it was the Universe. It preserved the nature of the series. It didn't have any cheesy elements that commonly make it in to SK adaptations. SK himself said "Killer, no filler" at only 95 minutes long. Plus, it is a Ron Howard movie, who tends to get it right!
What I can't tell is how people who haven't read the books will react. I hope they like it. But I can't remove myself from it enough to judge whether the story on its own is a strong one. I think it's important for it to have broad appeal, becuase the plan for sequels depends on that. So go see it! Tell 'em Pi sent ya!
Next up: a remake of It. Oh Holy Hell, that one looks scary!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7no56Zw1e20
