The Dark Tower series filmed adaptation

[CyberGhostface]

Yeah you've nailed how I feel on this and not just stuff like DT.

Like apparently in the new It movie Georgie just goes missing as opposed to being killed outright (not a spoiler, this is something that the director said in an interview to promote the film) so as opposed to avenging his death Bill is trying to see if he's still alive. What purpose does that serve? Do you really think you're going to best King on this?

[georgiesarm]

Knowing a bit about how the Georgie thing plays out, it does actually help to convey the cold rift between Bill and his parents more clearly on film and adds dynamics to their relationship & drama to Bill's arc.

Also, this is not really a spoiler if you've read the book, but we as a viewer do clearly see that Georgie is killed outright.

[CyberGhostface]

So apparently Matt turned down Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for this. Wonder if he regrets that now? I suppose it comes down to hindsight, if I were an actor I'd pick Flagg every time.

Although Kurt Russell was perfect in the role that Matt was offered so I guess it worked out in the end.

[Mystery Train]

Hello. New to the forum and was lurking for a while to see what fans thought of the movie. Decided to register to share my own take on it, having watched it yesterday. As a die hard fan of the books, I had adjusted my expectations for the movie to account for all the bad things that book-fans complain about when their cherished quest tales become movies: casting of actors that didn't meet my expectations, cutting/editing out/reducing key characters, simplifying plot lines, excessive "hollywoodization" to capture non-fans' attention, etc., etc. I avoided reading reviews, but did see from headlines that it was getting panned. So I lowered my expectations a bit more, and went in with an open mind, hoping for a mildly entertaining sketch of a few characters from my old Ka-Tet and some of their exploits along the path of The Beam. Unfortunately, I didn't set my expectations low enough. Bottom line: This is a bad piece of fan fiction. At it's heart, DT is a quest tale. This movie is an abduction/revenge story sprinkled with bread crumbs and easter eggs to tease the real fans. I felt like the studio couldn't decide whether to make a film for fans of the books or for non-fans and ended up with a dish that would satisfy neither. I get it. Making this story into a single movie or even a trilogy is the sort of Sysiphusian task that would break even the most talented and honest filmmakers. But even granting these producers and directors and screenwriters that acknowledgement, choosing to focus on the parts of the story they did and wasting the talents of the actors they had (poor Idris!) was a real crime in my eyes. On the bright side: It wasn't awful. But mediocre is somehow worse when compared to the source material and the potential for amazing cinema. I also actually (much to my surprise) really liked McConaughey as Walter. He nailed it, and in some ways, they made this character more interesting than even King's original version. There were glimpses of what this movie could have been, which made it all the more tortuous for me. If you're a fan of the books, you almost have no choice but to go see it, for better or worse. But my advice is to go in expecting to see your favorite tale butchered by studio executives who had no clue about the real soul of the story.

[Lookwhoitis]

There are plenty of reasons why Detta Walker hated Roland Deschain.

Yes that he was white and because he had a penis.

Do we really want to go down this road again?

No one is arguing that Detta did not aim racist and homophobic slurs towards Roland. The issue is whether there can be an antagonistic relationship between Detta and dark-skinned Roland Deschain. The answer is: Yes.

Apparently the whole film is from Jake's perspective and Roland doesn't arrive until a third of way into the film.

That's what I get for failing to clarify that I don't want any spoilers .

see the fucking movie already LOL or perhaps u just like for entertainment

[Lookwhoitis]

Hello. New to the forum and was lurking for a while to see what fans thought of the movie. Decided to register to share my own take on it, having watched it yesterday. As a die hard fan of the books, I had adjusted my expectations for the movie to account for all the bad things that book-fans complain about when their cherished quest tales become movies: casting of actors that didn't meet my expectations, cutting/editing out/reducing key characters, simplifying plot lines, excessive "hollywoodization" to capture non-fans' attention, etc., etc. I avoided reading reviews, but did see from headlines that it was getting panned. So I lowered my expectations a bit more, and went in with an open mind, hoping for a mildly entertaining sketch of a few characters from my old Ka-Tet and some of their exploits along the path of The Beam. Unfortunately, I didn't set my expectations low enough. Bottom line: This is a bad piece of fan fiction. At it's heart, DT is a quest tale. This movie is an abduction/revenge story sprinkled with bread crumbs and easter eggs to tease the real fans. I felt like the studio couldn't decide whether to make a film for fans of the books or for non-fans and ended up with a dish that would satisfy neither. I get it. Making this story into a single movie or even a trilogy is the sort of Sysiphusian task that would break even the most talented and honest filmmakers. But even granting these producers and directors and screenwriters that acknowledgement, choosing to focus on the parts of the story they did and wasting the talents of the actors they had (poor Idris!) was a real crime in my eyes. On the bright side: It wasn't awful. But mediocre is somehow worse when compared to the source material and the potential for amazing cinema. I also actually (much to my surprise) really liked McConaughey as Walter. He nailed it, and in some ways, they made this character more interesting than even King's original version. There were glimpses of what this movie could have been, which made it all the more tortuous for me. If you're a fan of the books, you almost have no choice but to go see it, for better or worse. But my advice is to go in expecting to see your favorite tale butchered by studio executives who had no clue about the real soul of the story.

spot on! I agree with a lot in your post.

[mtdman]

But yet these movies they have to just throw out everything and condense it to 95 minutes? WTF is that? Cowardly movie making, that 's what.

*rubs temples*

That's how I feel about the cowardly movie making and King's lack of ability, or desire, to protect his work. It's not just this movie. Most of the movies from his work are not faithful to the written word. Again, seems to work out fine in Harry Potter and Tolkein land, where those in charge of the literature safe guard it from this kind of crap.

[Lookwhoitis]

But yet these movies they have to just throw out everything and condense it to 95 minutes? WTF is that? Cowardly movie making, that 's what.

*rubs temples*

That's how I feel about the cowardly movie making and King's lack of ability, or desire, to protect his work. It's not just this movie. Most of the movies from his work are not faithful to the written word. Again, seems to work out fine in Harry Potter and Tolkein land, where those in charge of the literature safe guard it from this kind of crap.

I do not think King has a lack of desire to protect his work. He just has an intuitive understanding that translation of his material is difficult in a pictorial medium and is happy when every so often that one of em turns out right and also when he gets to cash his checks.

[ICry4Oy]

There are plenty of reasons why Detta Walker hated Roland Deschain.

Yes that he was white and because he had a penis.

No one is arguing that Detta did not aim racist and homophobic slurs towards Roland. The issue is whether there can be an antagonistic relationship between Detta and dark-skinned Roland Deschain. The answer is: Yes.

Of course there CAN be such an antagonistic relationship based on factors other than race or male. But the movie producer/director/screenwriter would have to make something up. Stephen King, for better or worse, wrote what he wrote and there's no denying what the basis of the antagonistic relationship was. You may be fine with movie moguls tossing out the author's creation for something "better" or that serves the filmed story better, but it's still a hard pill to swallow when the source material is so good. Some Hollywood hack can write a better character or develop a relationship better than King? Of course, some tweaking to fit a movie is fine and I'm totally on board with necessary minor tweaks. But at some point, completely changing the nature of the characters' relationship means you are filming YOUR story; not the author's story.

Having said that, since we in fact do have a black Roland, finding a way to change Detta/Odetta/Susannah to get her into the story would be fine by me if it served to augment a good movie. But here it would seem to be just one more change for change's sake. Hollywood would change her into Xena/Warrior Princess if it thought that would sell 10 more tickets to the YA crowd or do 2.7% better in test screenings. Doesn't mean I have to agree with the approach.

IF another movie gets made, I bet you Detta turns out to be a saucy Latina.

[WeDealInLead]

But yet these movies they have to just throw out everything and condense it to 95 minutes? WTF is that? Cowardly movie making, that 's what.

*rubs temples*

That's how I feel about the cowardly movie making and King's lack of ability, or desire, to protect his work. It's not just this movie. Most of the movies from his work are not faithful to the written word. Again, seems to work out fine in Harry Potter and Tolkein land, where those in charge of the literature safe guard it from this kind of crap.

Yeah, except in those movies there's a clear good vs. evil conflict and the good guys you can root for. The so-called protagonist in DT rapes a woman with a revolver, slaughters an entire village essentially to get his dick wet and then drops an innocent kid into a chasm. And then it sort of just... ends. Good luck with a faithful adaptation. Not even HBO would go for that.

Detta is prejudiced against all white people, not just Roland. Holy moly, we've covered this ground a quadrillion times. Her hatred for him isn't just skin deep. Talk about fans defending source material not actually remembering source material. Here's the thing, the relationship between Detta and Roland is a lot more complicated than just her screaming "honky". Re-read The Drawing. King even capitalizes it for you, just so you don't miss it. She keeps calling Roland something because he figured her out. She's terrified of him and tries to kill him because he's a threat, not because he's a white dude. She's seen white dudes before, she didn't try to kill them, now did she? It's because this is much more profound. Seriously, re-read the said chapters and make up your mind.

Last point: Roland doesn't even know what a honky is. He doesn't care about those insults because he doesn't know what they mean. So for the last time, there's more than just race involved.

[CyberGhostface]

Yeah, except in those movies there's a clear good vs. evil conflict and the good guys you can root for. The so-called protagonist in DT rapes a woman with a revolver, slaughters an entire village essentially to get his dick wet and then drops an innocent kid into a chasm. And then it sort of just... ends. Good luck with a faithful adaptation. Not even HBO would go for that.

Then you haven't seen Oz or The Sopranos.

Besides we're talking maybe 3-4 episodes for The Gunslinger if HBO were to make it a series so there'd be some growth for Roland to move on towards DotT. The only issue I could see is whether or not people would stick around that long (which is why I think Netflix would be the way to go).

She keeps calling Roland something because he figured her out. She's terrified of him and tries to kill him because he's a threat, not because he's a white dude. She's seen white dudes before, she didn't try to kill them, now did she? It's because this is much more profound. Seriously, re-read the said chapters and make up your mind.

The first time Detta really surfaced she tried to claw out a white person's eyes. She was always dangerous and hateful.

One hand came up and slashed five slits through the air within an inch of his face—any closer and he would have been in the E.R. getting his cheek stitched up instead of smoking Chesties with Julio Estavez. “YOU AIN’T NUTHIN BUT A BUNCH A HONKY SONSA BITCHES!” she screamed. Her face was monstrous, her eyes full of hell’s own light. It wasn’t even the face of a human being. “GOAN KILL EVERY MAHFAHIN HONKY I SEE! GOAN GELD EM FUST! GOAN CUT OFF THEIR BALLS AND SPIT EM IN THEY FACES! GOAN—”

That's how I feel about the cowardly movie making and King's lack of ability, or desire, to protect his work. It's not just this movie. Most of the movies from his work are not faithful to the written word. Again, seems to work out fine in Harry Potter and Tolkein land, where those in charge of the literature safe guard it from this kind of crap.

Funny you mention LotR as Tolkien's son hated what Peter Jackson did. Although I do think those are cases where the people involved and the studios behind it felt invested in 'getting it right'. Harry Potter was a huge franchise and LotR was one of the most ambitious film series ever made. They weren't just going to half-ass it. DT on the other hand you could tell from the getgo that no one high up had much faith in it being a big thing.

[WeDealInLead]

I've seen both those shows and in the episodes I've seen, the supposed good guy wasn't shooting children in the head.

Edit: just so there's no misunderstanding, I really want a legitimate, faithful adaptation. I'm just more open to this movie and sequels I hope will follow.

[webstar1000]

There are plenty of reasons why Detta Walker hated Roland Deschain.

Yes that he was white and because he had a penis.

Do we really want to go down this road again?

No one is arguing that Detta did not aim racist and homophobic slurs towards Roland. The issue is whether there can be an antagonistic relationship between Detta and dark-skinned Roland Deschain. The answer is: Yes.

Apparently the whole film is from Jake's perspective and Roland doesn't arrive until a third of way into the film.

That's what I get for failing to clarify that I don't want any spoilers .

see the fucking movie already LOL or perhaps u just like for entertainment

100% agree. Or don't come to this thread.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Isamu Dyson]

But yet these movies they have to just throw out everything and condense it to 95 minutes? WTF is that? Cowardly movie making, that 's what.

*rubs temples*

That's how I feel about the cowardly movie making and King's lack of ability, or desire, to protect his work. It's not just this movie. Most of the movies from his work are not faithful to the written word. Again, seems to work out fine in Harry Potter and Tolkein land, where those in charge of the literature safe guard it from this kind of crap.

The massaging of my cranium was in response to the implication (outright statement?) that the filmmakers tried to cram everything into one film. As has been repeated, there were/are plans for film sequels and a television show. Clearly, then, they aren't attempting to shoehorn the entirety of the story into ninety-five minutes.

The first time Detta really surfaced she tried to claw out a white person's eyes. She was always dangerous and hateful.

One hand came up and slashed five slits through the air within an inch of his face—any closer and he would have been in the E.R. getting his cheek stitched up instead of smoking Chesties with Julio Estavez. “YOU AIN’T NUTHIN BUT A BUNCH A HONKY SONSA BITCHES!” she screamed. Her face was monstrous, her eyes full of hell’s own light. It wasn’t even the face of a human being. “GOAN KILL EVERY MAHFAHIN HONKY I SEE! GOAN GELD EM FUST! GOAN CUT OFF THEIR BALLS AND SPIT EM IN THEY FACES! GOAN—”

Come now. With Roland specifically, she harbored hatred and fear in alternating levels of importance because the man is an intelligent ice cold killer utterly determined in his quest. "Honkey" was just the frosting on top.

100% agree. Or don't come to this thread.

Fair point. After tomorrow - be it in the afternoon or evening - i'll rejoin you fellas in order to share my perspective on the film.

[CyberGhostface]

I've seen both those shows and in the episodes I've seen, the supposed good guy wasn't shooting children in the head.

Not that far but both shows have lead characters who are pretty horrible and borderline sociopathic. In terms of the prisoner characters on Oz there was maybe one or two out of the entire cast who hadn't done something despicable by the time series ended. With Roland we have a character at least who develops and becomes gradually more human and even heroic as opposed to vice versa.

And not the same thing but in Breaking Bad the protagonist was willing to help get rid of a kid's body after one of his partners shot him.

[Mystery Train]

But yet these movies they have to just throw out everything and condense it to 95 minutes? WTF is that? Cowardly movie making, that 's what.

*rubs temples*

That's how I feel about the cowardly movie making and King's lack of ability, or desire, to protect his work. It's not just this movie. Most of the movies from his work are not faithful to the written word. Again, seems to work out fine in Harry Potter and Tolkein land, where those in charge of the literature safe guard it from this kind of crap.

The massaging of my cranium was in response to the implication (outright statement?) that the filmmakers tried to cram everything into one film. As has been repeated, there were/are plans for film sequels and a television show. Clearly, then, they aren't attempting to shoehorn the entirety of the story into ninety-five minutes.

The first time Detta really surfaced she tried to claw out a white person's eyes. She was always dangerous and hateful.

One hand came up and slashed five slits through the air within an inch of his face—any closer and he would have been in the E.R. getting his cheek stitched up instead of smoking Chesties with Julio Estavez. “YOU AIN’T NUTHIN BUT A BUNCH A HONKY SONSA BITCHES!” she screamed. Her face was monstrous, her eyes full of hell’s own light. It wasn’t even the face of a human being. “GOAN KILL EVERY MAHFAHIN HONKY I SEE! GOAN GELD EM FUST! GOAN CUT OFF THEIR BALLS AND SPIT EM IN THEY FACES! GOAN—”

Come now. With Roland specifically, she harbored hatred and fear in alternating levels of importance because the man is an intelligent ice cold killer utterly determined in his quest. "Honkey" was just the frosting on top.

100% agree. Or don't come to this thread.

Fair point. After tomorrow - be it in the afternoon or evening - i'll rejoin you fellas in order to share my perspective on the film.

Yes, go see it and report back. I'm curious to hear your take.

I was totally open to this story being modified in all sorts of ways. I knew that I wasn't going to get a faithful re-telling of the book. But I hoped the spirit of the books and the characters would be in tact, and for me, this wasn't the case. I thought that most of the modifications were either dumb choices or poorly executed. And aside from deviations from the source material, it just isn't very well done. I'd be surprised if anyone who hasn't read the books would be inspired to pick them up after watching this.

[Telynn]

There are plenty of reasons why Detta Walker hated Roland Deschain.

Yes that he was white and because he had a penis.

No one is arguing that Detta did not aim racist and homophobic slurs towards Roland. The issue is whether there can be an antagonistic relationship between Detta and dark-skinned Roland Deschain. The answer is: Yes.

Of course there CAN be such an antagonistic relationship based on factors other than race or male. But the movie producer/director/screenwriter would have to make something up. Stephen King, for better or worse, wrote what he wrote and there's no denying what the basis of the antagonistic relationship was. You may be fine with movie moguls tossing out the author's creation for something "better" or that serves the filmed story better, but it's still a hard pill to swallow when the source material is so good. Some Hollywood hack can write a better character or develop a relationship better than King? Of course, some tweaking to fit a movie is fine and I'm totally on board with necessary minor tweaks. But at some point, completely changing the nature of the characters' relationship means you are filming YOUR story; not the author's story.

Having said that, since we in fact do have a black Roland, finding a way to change Detta/Odetta/Susannah to get her into the story would be fine by me if it served to augment a good movie. But here it would seem to be just one more change for change's sake. Hollywood would change her into Xena/Warrior Princess if it thought that would sell 10 more tickets to the YA crowd or do 2.7% better in test screenings. Doesn't mean I have to agree with the approach.

IF another movie gets made, I bet you Detta turns out to be a saucy Latina.

I'm betting on a while racist woman. I hope I'm wrong, but I would bet on it. Could be we never get to find out.

[Cook]

There are plenty of reasons why Detta Walker hated Roland Deschain.

Yes that he was white and because he had a penis.

No one is arguing that Detta did not aim racist and homophobic slurs towards Roland. The issue is whether there can be an antagonistic relationship between Detta and dark-skinned Roland Deschain. The answer is: Yes.

Of course there CAN be such an antagonistic relationship based on factors other than race or male. But the movie producer/director/screenwriter would have to make something up. Stephen King, for better or worse, wrote what he wrote and there's no denying what the basis of the antagonistic relationship was. You may be fine with movie moguls tossing out the author's creation for something "better" or that serves the filmed story better, but it's still a hard pill to swallow when the source material is so good. Some Hollywood hack can write a better character or develop a relationship better than King? Of course, some tweaking to fit a movie is fine and I'm totally on board with necessary minor tweaks. But at some point, completely changing the nature of the characters' relationship means you are filming YOUR story; not the author's story.

Having said that, since we in fact do have a black Roland, finding a way to change Detta/Odetta/Susannah to get her into the story would be fine by me if it served to augment a good movie. But here it would seem to be just one more change for change's sake. Hollywood would change her into Xena/Warrior Princess if it thought that would sell 10 more tickets to the YA crowd or do 2.7% better in test screenings. Doesn't mean I have to agree with the approach.

IF another movie gets made, I bet you Detta turns out to be a saucy Latina.

I'm betting on a while racist woman. I hope I'm wrong, but I would bet on it. Could be we never get to find out.

A "White" racist (any gender) is a horrible idea in any movie.

[Telynn]

Yes I meant white. I hate missed typos like that.

I agree it would be awful, but I could see some people loving it. And with Roland being black, kinda sets it up.

[needfulthings]

YEA LIKE...
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER.TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD,IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, WHITE DOG &

Spoiler:

[CyberGhostface]

Yes I meant white. I hate missed typos like that.

I agree it would be awful, but I could see some people loving it. And with Roland being black, kinda sets it up.

That would be a huge PR nightmare for everyone involved.

[CyberGhostface]

From Sai King:

Thanks to all of you who went to Mid-world this past weekend and made THE DARK TOWER the #1 movie in America.

[Girlystevedave]

I saw the movie over the weekend and enjoyed it. Went and saw it a second time today and I still liked it. It's not an exact replica of The Gunslinger, but is still a good movie. And I have to say Tom Taylor as Jake was fucking perfect.

[Bethany]

I enjoyed it very much. Idris Elba's portrayal was completely first book Roland.. Dry, terse, single minded. The bringing together of source material, new direction as well as DT related books was a perfect balance for me. I already have plans to see it a second time--something I haven't done since seeing The Fox and The Hound twice in theaters.

[Lookwhoitis]

There is no way in hell that is a good movie rofl