The Dark Tower (2017)

The Dark Tower is a 2017 American horror science fiction fantasy western action film directed and co-written by Nikolaj Arcel. Based on the novel by Stephen King of the same name, the film stars Idris Elba as Roland Deschain, a gunslinger on a quest to protect the Dark Tower—a mythical structure which supports all realities while Matthew McConaughey plays his nemesis, Walter Padick / the Man in Black and Tom Taylor stars as Jake Chambers, a New York boy who becomes Roland's apprentice.

Plot
The film opens in a camp full of children in the land known as Mid-World. A group of creatures wearing synthetic skins gather the kids and bring a few of them to a machine. Overseeing everything is Walter Padick, AKA The Man in Black. A girl is strapped to the machine as the creatures use her "shine" to send a powerful blast toward The Dark Tower.

This is a dream being had by teenager Jake Chambers in the middle of an earthquake. He lives in New York City with his mother Laurie and stepfather Lon, whom Jake doesn't get along with. It has been a year since Jake's father Elmar passed away trying to save people in a fire. Jake sees psychologists for his behavior and the frequent dreams he has about Mid-World, which he depicts in his drawings. The dreams are dismissed as being trauma from Elmar's death. At school, Jake is drawing another one of his dreams, only for his sketchbook to be snatched by a bully. Jake punches the bully and starts attacking him before getting pulled off by other students.

In Mid-World, The Gunslinger Roland Deschain is with his father Steven in the woods. They hear Walter's voice and get their guns ready while reciting the Gunslinger's creed. Walter appears and uses his manipulation magic to cut off Steven's breathing, killing him. Roland, however, is immune to Walter's magic. He tries to shoot Walter, but he catches Roland's bullets. Meanwhile, Jake sees an abandoned house in one of his dreams and finds a picture of it. He goes on a forum to see if anyone knows where it is located.

Two people claiming to be from a psychiatric center working for the school come to pick up Jake at the urging of Lon. Jake quickly notices the scar from the fake skin on one of their necks. Laurie tries talking Jake into going with them for his own good. He then sees that someone responded to the inquiry of the house, saying it is located in Brooklyn. Jake figures this is a great opportunity to go find the house. He goes into the bathroom and escapes out the window. The two villains chase him through the city streets, but Jake manages to evade them.

Jake heads off to Brooklyn and finds the house. Inside is a machine that activates a portal to Mid-World. After walking through the portal, Jake walks through the vast desert and finds the woods where he meets Roland. He at first thinks Jake is working for Walter, but Jake shows Roland his dream drawings and what he's seen in Mid-World. Roland explains that Walter is using children with "shine" (a special kind of power mentioned in the novel and film 'The Shining') to destroy The Dark Tower, which is what connects Mid-World with Earth. If Walter brings it down, he will unleash monsters into both worlds. At night, Jake sees a hallucination of his father calling to him. Before Roland can stop him, Jake takes his father's hand to reveal a monster. It tries to trick Roland by taking on the form of his own father, but Roland is not fooled, and kills the monster.

In Walter's lair, he learns that the portal that Jake went through was activated. He learns from one of his minions who Jake is, leading Walter to realise that Jake has a powerful shine. He proceeds to Earth to investigate. Walter goes to Jake's apartment where Laurie and Lon find him. Walter kills Lon and forces Laurie to bring him to Jake's room, where Walter finds all of his drawings and realises that Jake knows about Mid-World. Roland brings Jake to a village of seers and speaks to one called Arra to interpret his visions. Later that night, the village is attacked by Walter's minions. They kill some of the villagers before one of them tries to kidnap Jake. Roland ends up killing all the other goons. The creature gets far as Roland tries to concentrate on his target. He shoots straight and hits the goon, saving Jake.

Roland and Jake return to Earth and go to a hospital where doctors treat Roland. He leaves and goes with Jake to his apartment. He finds Lon dead in the living room before running to his room and seeing a burnt hole in the floor, causing Jake to realise that Walter killed his mother. He even sees a vision confirming this. Jake breaks down. Roland tries to comfort him by promising to kill Walter. Jake is still angry, so Roland tries to teach him the ways of the Gunslingers, including how to shoot and how to recite the creed: "I do not aim with my hand. He who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father. I am with my eye. I do not shoot with my hand. I shoot with my mind. I do not kill with my gun. I kill with my heart." Roland goes to a gun store to reload, only to lose Jake as he is captured by Walter's minions. Walter confronts Roland in the gun store and manipulates the shop owner into shooting at Roland. Walter leaves Roland and takes Jake back to Mid-World.

Walter has Jake strapped to the machine and proceeds to strike at the Dark Tower. Earthquakes hit New York, and the sky glows red. Roland arrives and fights his way through Walter's lair and all of his minions. Jake uses his mental connection to Roland to help him find Jake. Walter faces off with Roland by continuously deflecting all of his bullets. Jake reaches out to Roland and inspires confidence by retelling him the Gunslinger's creed. Roland shoots one bullet and then another to bounce off the other to strike Walter in the chest. Roland shoots him again until he finishes him off with a head shot. Roland frees Jake, and the entire lair blows up. In the final scene, Roland and Jake are back on Earth, which is back to normal. Roland invites Jake to join him in Mid-World since he now has nowhere else to go. Jake accepts and they step through the portal.

Cast

 * Idris Elba as Roland Deschain: The last of the Gunslingers.
 * Matthew McConaughey as Walter Padick: A ruthless ageless deceiver and sorcerer who seeks to reach the Tower and rule over its seemingly infinite kingdoms.
 * Tom Taylor as Jake Chambers: A young boy whom Roland must call upon to complete his journey, and a son-like figure to Deschain.
 * Claudia Kim as Arra Champignon, a seer
 * Fran Kranz as Pimli, one of Walter's Taheen techniciens
 * Abbey Lee as Tirana, another of Walter's Taheen technicians.
 * Jackie Earle Haley as Sayre, a Taheen
 * Katheryn Winnick as Laurie Chambers, Jake's mother
 * Dennis Haysbert as Steven Deschain, Roland's father
 * Michael Barbieri as Timmy, Jake's neighbour
 * José Zúñiga as Dr. Hotchkiss
 * Nicholas Hamilton as Lucas Hanson
 * De-Wet Nagel as Taheen Tech

Production
Efforts to adapt The Dark Tower series for the screen started in 2007, with periodic reports and official announcements. The project was shelved, before the rights were transitioned to a different production company. Development experienced starts and stops with various filmmakers and studios at different times, including Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Lionsgate Entertainment. The adaptation went through three major phases of planning: with J. J. Abrams from 2007 to 2009, Ron Howard from 2010 to 2015, and finally, the current iteration, announced in March 2015, produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Media Rights Capital, with Nikolaj Arcel directing and Howard remaining in a producing role.