'The Dark Tower' (2017) Movie Review

After years of languishing in development hell, a cinematic adaptation of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series finally got released.  The results are.....eeh?  It's telling that the blurb on the DVD cover states "it delivers Idris Elba as an action star". 

Even putting aside the fact that the series is lengthy and deep, this outing had several things working against it. With only a 95 minute run time, a lot feels glossed over.  There's a lot more telling than showing and Roland's big arc feels rushed.

The latter part is also due to the fact that Jake is made the main character.  I get it, he's from our world, so he can be the audience identifier.  On the other hand, when you're coming in to see Idris Elba, Tom Taylor doesn't really cut it.  He does OK for the most part, but that wasn't what we were sold.  This problem does fix itself once Jake makes it to Mid-world and partners up with Roland, but it does lead to a first act that feels slow and is generally unwelcome.

There is also a noticeable lack of tension at several points.  The action sequences are largely well done and have their fair share of highlights, but it still feels hollow.

What really props this take up is the two leads.  Granted, Elba doesn't have a whole lot to do, but when he has material to work with, he brings what he can.  While he does well showing off Roland's badassery, I think the fish out of water scenes in New York will leave a more lasting impression on viewers.

McConaughey, on the other hand, works really well as Walter aka The Man in Black.  He's clearly having fun with it, but he's also able to bring a good amount of menace to his performance.  He is also able to use Kilgrave's skill set much more effectively.  Yeah, that's right, he came off much creepier and unnerving than Tennant.

As this is an attempt to streamline the narrative, there are lots of little homages to specific aspects of the books.  Fittingly, the movie also makes nods to other King works.  Jake is a psychic now, with it specifically being referred to as "the shine".  Roland also uses a spider as an example when talking about the dark forces that exist beyond the barrier of the multiverse.  Heck, even the main plot itself of using psychic kids to power a big machine is taken straight from "Black House".  The people behind this were clearly familiar with the material, they just didn't have the time to bring it all together as effectively as one might hope.

One thing that Dark Tower fans were quick to note was that Roland still had the horn.  This was meant to indicate that this wasn't so much an adaptation of the books, but a sort of sequel.  It was a clever way to explain the differences and give the producers some leeway, but I'm afraid even that only goes so far.  I mean, even the nature of the tower itself is different.  I don't know if you can handwave that with "time loop".  Not much is made of the horn or the time loop, though Walter does have one line where he compares Roland's quest (as well as their overall conflict) to a dog playing fetch.  I thought it was an amusing wink to the fans.

This is hardly the worst King adaptation out there.  It's not awful, there are things to like, but it is an underwhelming undertaking.  I think a longer run time would have really helped get us invested in this world.  As it is, it's just blah.  I know the intent was to turn this into a multi-movie franchise, but I'm not sure how that would work.  Walter's dead (though they could write that off as some sort of trick.)  The movie does allude to the Crimson King, but would he just do the same thing?  Would some other dark force be enlisted that would force Roland to go to the tower?  I have no idea, but it's a moot point as the movie didn't do so hot at the box office and a sequel seems unlikely.  I've heard rumors that they are trying to do a TV series based on the books.  The way the story is structured they could "reboot" it by just making that another loop and still keeping it all canon.  We'll see if that ever comes to fruition, though.  In the meantime, this one doesn't hurt, but there's no real reason to go out of your way to see it.  It's worth a rental at best, but there are better options out there.

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'Jessica Jones' Season 2,Episode 12: 'AKA Pray For My Patsy'

I don't know why, but this episode gave me problems.  They weren't so much in the episode's content, but in the fact that Netflix just did not want to cooperate.  I had to deal with repeated crashes and freezing.  The app didn't need to update and the phone still seems to work (as evidenced by the fact that I was able to watch an episode of "The Flash" with no trouble.)  I figure a lot of people are watching the new season, but I didn't have this problem with "Defenders", so I don't know what the deal was.

As a result, it was hard to really get pulled into this the way I, as a viewer would want.

Still, the episode brings a lot to the table.  It goes to great lengths to isolate Jessica.  Acosta, her cop friend essentially severs ties when Alisa kills his partner, Trish rips into Jess for not living up to the superhero ideal, and Dorothy (Trish's mother) tries to pin the blame on Jess shortly after offering an olive branch and assuring her that it wasn't the case.

Between trying to kill Trish and killing the aforementioned cop, it becomes clear that Jessica has to kill her own mother.  She doesn't come to this decision easily, even chastising the cops for adopting a "shoot to kill" approach to the situation, but ultimately there's no other option.  It culminates in a rather tense stand-off where our hero holds her mentally unbalanced matriarch at gun point.

It is a bit of an echo to Kilgrave, only Jess can't bring herself to do it.  While Alisa's pleas do fall on deaf ears, it's still a bridge too far.

It gives Alisa the window she needs to effortlessly knock out her daughter via pistol whip.  To Jess' credit, she does fare slightly better in an earlier confrontation.  When Alisa tries to use Jess' own arm to choke out Trish, Jess straight up punches her mother in the face and then throws her across the room. I still say she's in dire need of a win, but this episode at least threw her a bone.

Hogarth scores a win of her own, tracking down Shane and Inez and dishing out her own form of payback.  It was very much in character for her to set them up the way she did and it was something of a dark highlight for both the episode and the character.  Plus, it gave us a Turk appearance, those are always a highlight of any Marvel Netflix series. 

I'm ambivalent about the cliffhanger.  That final tracking shot of Alisa driving the RV to who knows where was ominous, though at the same time, it isn't like Jessica is in any real danger.  Still, it does leave you wanting to see what happens next. 

Being this close to the finale, it was bad timing for Netflix to flake out the way it did.  It kind of undercut things, but it'll still be interesting to see how things wrap up for this entry in the Marvel saga.

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'Doctor Sleep' Trailer Reaction

There have been quite a few Stephen King adaptations in the pipeline as of late.  One was for one of his recent novels, "Doctor Sleep", which is a sequel to his classic, "The Shining".  A trailer for the film adaptation just landed yesterday, as such, let's have a look and see what we're in for.







This is an interesting contrast to the recent, "It: Chapter Two" trailer. I think that this creates a stronger atmosphere and definitely comes off feeling creepier as a result. 

Like the aforementioned trailer, the second half includes a musical score that seems a little odd.  I think "It" did the better job on that front.  Granted, that one was out of place, but it still made an impact. This tune just left me feeling "eh".  Closing out with that creepy opening theme from the Kubrick film did work wonders though, brilliant touch there.

Speaking of, it seems like this is acting as a sort of loose follow up to said film.  It makes sense. You couldn't really say that it was a film sequel to the book, as that would turn potential viewers away.  I guess you could've used that TV mini-series that wasn't very well received.  Really, using the Kubrick take is the best way to go, given that it is a well regarded classic that a vast majority of people have seen.  The trailer itself strikes the right balance, acknowledging what came before and paying homage, but also showing that this story is going to go in its own direction.

Overall, this one looks solid.  Ewan McGregor looks like he's going to be a good fit for the older Danny.  I think it's going to be a good watch.  We'll find out if that turns out to be the case in November.















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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 3, Episode 12: 'The Curse of the Earth Totem'

The Legends begin the task of acquiring the various totems so that they may combat Mallus.  It was nice to see the events of Vixen's seond season get a mention.  Mari is also name dropped at a few points in the episode.  Oddly enough, while the team does visit present day Detroit, Mari herself doesn't make an appearance.  I get why Amaya would keep her distance, but you'd think the other Legends would try to bring her in.

On a similar note, Sara returns to present day Star City to go on a date with Ava.  The sub-plot itself is fine, but you'd think with everything going on re Cayden James, that there would have been some allusion to it.

Most of the episode takes place back in 1717.  This brings the crew into contact with the dreaded pirate Blackbeard.  I'm not sure about the depiction.  I mean, it does subvert expectations, and there were some good gags that came from it, but a part of me did want to see the character live up to his reputation.

Still, the pirate setting seems like a natural fit for a crew of superhero misfits.  There are bits where the episode embraces it, but it seems like they could have done more.  Mick takes to the environment like a duck to water and Amaya eventually embraces her "dread pirate" persona to an extent.  It just seems like there could have been more swashbuckling to be had.

I also think that I'm growing weary of the Darhk's as adversaries.  Damien just doesn't do it for me like he used to.  He just kind of shows up and it doesn't pack the same punch.  His best scene is when Ray comes to offer aid to a mortally wounded Nora.  The fact that he didn't hesitate to give Ray Amaya's totem back was actually pretty heartwarming. It's somewhat undercut by what happens soon after, but they are villains, so it really should've been expected.

I found the undead Earth totem revenant to be the more interesting adversary.  Well, OK, there wasn't much in the way of personality, but she was creepy and imposing.  The fact that she effortlessly disposed of the Darhk's early on in the fight did make for a great "wham moment' and you knew that this was a force to be reckoned with.  Granted, most of the Legends' heavy hitters were on the ship and Damien is ultimately the one to bring it down, but it was still a cool sequence

On other fronts, we see Rip continue his efforts to recruit Wally into the upcoming conflict.  You'd think that Wally would be game, but between Jesse leaving him (wasn't that some time ago at this point?) and not really finding a place on team flash, he seems content to focus on his newfound spiritual journey.  You'd think that he would have kept up the superhero thing independently, but such is not the case.

As such, the speedster and the former time master.....get drunk.  I'm not entirely clear on the logic behind this one, but it was funny.  The two do make for a good buddy pairing, even though  pair of characters have just met, the two actors play off each other very well.

This results in some great character moments, such as Rip getting his coat back and the two busting out some "Careless Whisper" at a Karaoke bar in 1992 Japan.  Is it weird that I found this to be the best part of the episode?

I'm not sure why Wally felt the need to "pants" Gary.  It does make a nod to Wally's "jokester" persona that he's had for some time and Gary is a butt monkey, but the fact that Wally doesn't even know the guy is what throws me off.  The alternative is that Rip told him to do it. I guess that does kind of work in its own way.

The sub-plot comes full circle as Rip tosses out the idea that Wally could find his place on the Waverider crew.  It is consistent with what the show has been going for and Wally himself does seem like he's at least starting to open up to the idea.  We'll have to see how that element plays out.

I wonder if the Bermuda Triangle will also play a role later.  It was likely just a plot device to get the Waverider back to the present, but it does seem like they could have investigated that a bit more.  They did hammer in the fact that it's called "the devil's triangle" and they are facing a demon, could be something there.

This episode had potential, but ultimately, it was just kind of there.  It seems like it was more about setting things up.  It does that adequately, in that Wally is starting to get brought in and the episode ends with Ray hostage and the Darhk's having a lot of the totems, giving the episode a "the villain wins" vibe.  It is a step down from the previous episode, though.  It passes the time, but I don't know how memorable this one is going to be in the long term barring the "Careless Whisper" sequence.

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'Jessica Jones' Season 2, Episode 11: 'AKA Three Lives and Counting'

While Jessica is able to regain her composure enough to make the death of the prison inmate look like a suicide, there's no doubt that the act has taken a toll on her psyche.  Even the fact that the guy was a serial killer who was about to add her to his toll does little to assuage her guilt.  Said guilt is so extreme that an imaginary manifestation of Kilgrave even returns to enable her darker tendencies and generally be a nuisance to her.

I'm kind of surprised that it took this long to use the "Kilgrave haunts Jessica" concept.  While it would have been cool to see it pop up throughout the season, having it happen now in these circumstances works quite well.  Tennant himself is fun to watch.  He seems to be having fun with it.  There's a bit of ham, but he can still bring the character in darker directions when the situation calls for it.

It presents an interesting psychological conflict for Jessica as she is forced to come to terms with who she is and what she's been through.  It's not a physical adversary, but it is an imposing one nonetheless.  The episode does a good job of escalating things so that it all culminates in the climax.  Kilgrave starts off as a pain, but eventually, it snowballs into something much more dangerous.

I did find myself wondering who the third life was.  Kilgrave and the guard make two, but for the life of me, I don't know what the third life was.  I probably wouldn't put so much focus on it, but it is the episode's title.  It also plays a big part in Kilgrave's assertion that she's good at it and is getting used to the idea of murder.  I don't think she killed anybody over the course of "The Defenders", but I can't think of any other circumstance where she would have.  On the other hand, the show has gone to great lengths not to mention that chapter in the Marvel Netflix saga, so who knows?

We also get some progression on other fronts as Trish continues her endeavor to get superpowers. It was a little weird to see Mal act so nonchalantly about getting knocked out, tied up and kept in the trunk of a car.  He seems more beat up over the fact that he didn't see Trish's turn coming.  Having Jess rip into him hardly helps matters.

The show had made something of a running gag out of Jessica firing Mal, the show makes it feel like a big moment when Jess cuts all ties with him.  It even covers itself by having Mal declare that he quits.  Granted, the trio had their ups and downs, but it does feel like a "breaking of the fellowship" moment.

It's unclear what's going to happen to Trish.  She's not in good shape by episode's end and things get worse when Alisa finds out about Malus' death.  They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and the episode' final sequence, where a rage filled Alisa busts out to wreak mad vengeance shows that in spades.  It also makes for a great cliffhanger.  It's looking like things are going to get more intense in the season's final episodes. This also works timing wise as the third season is just around the corner.  It'll make for a smooth segue.

All in all, this was a strong episode.  It was very character driven and the plot moved along at a brisk pace.  It never felt like it dragged and made for an engaging episode.  We're down to the final two episodes; it'll be interesting to see where things go from here.

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