The Dark Tower series filmed adaptation

[Bev Vincent]

The book was difficult to get through. I can't imagine a straight-up adaptation would be all that great. Especially for a wider audience.

Perhaps but if the reviews are telling the truth would the outcome have been any worse? Maybe the issue is trying to make DT appeal to a wide blockbuster audience in the first place.

The concept that Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman came up with five years ago was to pull the quest apart into two components. Put the big, epic stuff on the movie screen and reserve the more intimate, character-driven stuff for the small screen TV series. Check out my interview with Goldsman, conducted in 2012.

[St. Troy]

Maybe the issue is trying to make DT appeal to a wide blockbuster audience in the first place.

Yes - like trying to make hot dog-flavored ice cream or something.

I know - let's create a cold creamy dessert based on hot dogs for people who don't enjoy tubes of unspecified meat. We'll make millions!

Well, not that bad; making movies from books is hardly new or dangerous. It just might've been an ill-fit.

[mae]

[Ben Staad]

That is not a ringing endorsement. I really hope I like it but based on the early returns I will be bored.

[Iwritecode]

The book was difficult to get through. I can't imagine a straight-up adaptation would be all that great. Especially for a wider audience.

Maybe the issue is trying to make DT appeal to a wide blockbuster audience in the first place.

That is and always has been the biggest challenge that this book series faces. It is do-able though. How big were the fan bases for Harry Potter or Game of Thrones or LOTR before the movies/TV shows came out?

[Ben Staad]

Or The Walking Dead for that matter. I think a straight adaption would have worked well and initiated a renewal of interest in the books. Without seeing the movie first my best guess is, based on reviews and my opinion, that this film will not inspire many people to search out the books.

I hope I'm wrong because the books are amazing (even the last one) and should be appreciated by a much larger audience.

The book was difficult to get through. I can't imagine a straight-up adaptation would be all that great. Especially for a wider audience.

Maybe the issue is trying to make DT appeal to a wide blockbuster audience in the first place.

That is and always has been the biggest challenge that this book series faces. It is do-able though. How big were the fan bases for Harry Potter or Game of Thrones or LOTR before the movies/TV shows came out?

[BuctherOfTull]

Im so glad The Last of Us movie fell through. Sony would of messed that one up too.

[St. Troy]

The concept that Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman came up with five years ago was to pull the quest apart into two components. Put the big, epic stuff on the movie screen and reserve the more intimate, character-driven stuff for the small screen TV series

In theory, this should work, and work well, but the sad fact is that the whole enterprise might be stillborn due to the first impressions on the first filmed product.

[fernandito]

Money cures all ills. Regardless of the quality of the first film, if it makes enough to justify a sequel, the studio will move forward with it. Obviously the comparisons don't line up perfectly, but look at something like Fifty Shades of Gray - mauled by critics, but made so much money they were able to continue with their plans for a sequel.

Now I'm not saying that I'll accept mediocrity from the series, but if the first film makes enough money and the studio learns and improves on everything they did wrong, the franchise is still salvageable.

Let's see...

[Randall Flagg]

How well do you guys think this will do at the Box Office? I predict 35 to 40 mil opening. #2 It wont beat Bojack Batman(Logo Batman)that movie will still be #1.

It will be lucky to get $15 million. Like a Vegas bookie, I set the over/under at $8.5 million.

It will be interesting to see if my Vegas money line is accurate.

[Lookwhoitis]

This is the saddest day this site has seen since carlosdetweiler left the boards

[Ricky]

Not to mention the impossibility of finding an actor to play young Roland in the flashback scenes and then have that same actor play the part when they get around to making W&G.

That's one of my concerns with Tom Taylor -- in the press photos from earlier this week, he's almost as tall as Idris Elba. I think he's had a major growth spurt since principal photography!

I hadn't seen any of the press photos so I had to Google. Holy crap! Major might be an understatement.

If they do another one, I can see a time jump happening.

[georgiesarm]

Entertaining discussion. I don't believe I heard any big spoilers.

[Randall Flagg]

‘The Dark Tower’: What you see is what you get



http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article...t-11731478.php

Ouch!

[Ricky]

Fantastic review, Bev. I appreciated the honest perception of a fan of the books who also didn't freak out to the nth degree that it wasn't a word-for-word, page-by-page adaptation. You made me excited for the movie again. I don't think I'm going to read any other reviews, since I have a feeling they're negative and whiny.

[St. Troy]

At the moment, I've got two things I'm reading reviews of because I'm going to see or hear them myself soon: DT, and a new album. The experiences couldn't be more different; the album is generating rave reviews, and the DT movie, well...

[CyberGhostface]

Fantastic review, Bev. I appreciated the honest perception of a fan of the books who also didn't freak out to the nth degree that it wasn't a word-for-word, page-by-page adaptation. You made me excited for the movie again. I don't think I'm going to read any other reviews, since I have a feeling they're negative and whiny.

Who expected a word for word page by page adaptation?

It is kind of funny that if you haven't read the books and dislike this movie it doesn't count because you haven't read the books. And if you have read them and dislike it, well you're a negative whiner.

[mae]

[georgiesarm]

I don't think I've seen one bad review from a fan where the person freaked out because it wasn't a word-for-word, page-by-page adaptation. Most say they would've embraced that, but it's just that a bland, gutted adaptation that goes against The Dark Tower in many ways.

[mae]

[mae]

[mae]

[Iwritecode]

Dialogue between a huge fan of the books and someone who hasn't read them, both of them have been anticipating the film on their youtube channel for months.

This review was really interesting. Even though one has read the books and one hasn't, they both mentioned the same problems with the movie. There were a lot of things in it that simply didn't make sense or weren't explained enough and that it felt rushed and probably should have been at least 30 minutes longer.

I also watched their spoiler review and a couple of the things they mention really have me concerned for this movie franchise going forward.

[mae]

[mae]