The Dark Tower (2017)

The official film adaptation of Stephen King's fantasy western is a disaster. Beginning with Jake (Tom Taylor) in NY, it draws from more than just the first book. The boy is having dreams about the Tower that include the Man in Black; but revealing the primary antagonist so early robs him of any and all mystery - he's a man who ought to be partially defined by his elusiveness. But that's only the beginning of the film's failings; there are many, many more.

Idris Elba is weak as Roland Deschain, the book's famous gunslinger. The world in which he exists, Mid-World, gets minimal characterisation, as do its peoples. There's no allure, no sense of history, and no understanding of the series rich lore. It barely even qualifies as a western; it has more in common with sci-fi.

The filmmakers claim it's canonical; I've read all eight of the books and can understand why they think that, but it doesn't deserve to be perceived as such.

1½ skin masks out of 5