Stephen King's Epic "The Dark Tower" - Part 1

[DarthSkywalker]

Roland's quest, his past in Gilead, Jake's involvement, what looks like it might be Tull. Walter.

I kind of expected to be dropped into the middle of the story based on rumors, and maybe they will still go that route.

You said you wanted something like a Leone Western. Leone Westerns, and imitations of said, the whole spaghetti Western thing, are what many people think of as when they think about a generic cinematic Western. An attempt to recreate that tone and feel.

Past that, when people start to imply that something has to look or feel a specific way to be considered an appropriate take on a Western, my eyes start to glaze over. That's really limiting something.

THE GUNSLINGER, as a book, wasn't a straight up Western. It started with that tone to be sure, but fairly soon, like the series itself, becomes something else entirely. That's what King does with the series, lulls you into thinking you know what something is, when most of the time you're just seeing the surface of it. In the case of The Gunslinger, it's not just a Western tale, it's got demons, mutants, a post apocalyptic world, elements of knighthood, and an encounter with someone who might as well be a wizard.

Jake's involvement does not speak of "The Gunslinger". It looks almost directly [BLACKOUT]pulled from "The Waste Lands"[/BLACKOUT]. Of course Walter is going to be there. Roland's quest is a Dark Tower thing, not simply a Gunslinger thing. I might be wrong, but I remember most of the Gilead stuff coming in "Wizard and Glass".

I also mentioned mutliple times I wanted some GDT and Fury Road to this Western. But to label Leone generic western dhows a lack of knowledge of the spaghetti westerns. Which took the generic US western, and put a spin on it. Where they were shot also gave them a distinct look apart from the John Wayne and John Ford westerns. The hundreds that came out in Hollywood during the golden age.

I feel like you didn't actually read any of my post. I made it clear The Gunslinger and the Dark Tower wasn't a simple Western. But the idea is for it to look similar to one, especially the first book. All this crazy crap happens in a odd western looking setting.

 

[Lily Adler]

Elba was still hot though, so there's that.

 

[moviedoors]

THE GUNSLINGER, as a book, wasn't a straight up Western. It started with that tone to be sure, but fairly soon, like the series itself, becomes something else entirely. That's what King does with the series, lulls you into thinking you know what something is, when most of the time you're just seeing the surface of it. In the case of The Gunslinger, it's not just a Western tale, it's got demons, mutants, a post apocalyptic world, elements of knighthood, and an encounter with someone who might as well be a wizard.

I think before anything else, be it Western, Fantasy, or Horror, THE GUNSLINGER comes off as just strange. I think it reads as Weird Fiction. If you came to that book blind, you wouldn't get 30 pages before realizing that it's not at all a Western.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

McConaughey wasnt remotely sinister in the trailer. Seemed like typical McConaughey with a laughable hairstyle.

Put him in the suit, and he'd look more like a Gunslinger though. Kind of annoying seeing him look so annoyingly modern, but still capturing the general Gunslinger look better. Who dressed Elba? He looks more like an odd Aragorn from the Peter Jackson movies.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I think before anything else, be it Western, Fantasy, or Horror, THE GUNSLINGER comes off as just strange. I think it reads as Weird Fiction. If you came to that book blind, you wouldn't get 30 pages before realizing that it's not at all a Western.

Missing the point. It has a very Western setting, even with all the oddities. That is the idea. Sun beating down, very blue skies, a lot of sand, etc. But then all this weird stuff is happening.

This looks like it was filmed in Canada, filter and all.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

What is the film's budget I wonder?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

What is the film's budget I wonder?

I read 60m earlier today. Not sure how accurate that is.

 

[moviedoors]

Missing the point. It has a very Western setting, even with all the oddities. That is the idea. Sun beating down, very blue skies, a lot of sand, etc. But then all this weird stuff is happening.

This looks like it was filmed in Canada, filter and all.

Oh, I get it. I'm wrong to not be up in arms about this.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I read 60m earlier today. Not sure how accurate that is.

It looked below a 100mil to me.

 

[Mysteryman]

Is King involved with this project?

 

[FunkMiller]

THE GUNSLINGER, as a book, wasn't a straight up Western. It started with that tone to be sure, but fairly soon, like the series itself, becomes something else entirely. That's what King does with the series, lulls you into thinking you know what something is, when most of the time you're just seeing the surface of it. In the case of The Gunslinger, it's not just a Western tale, it's got demons, mutants, a post apocalyptic world, elements of knighthood, and an encounter with someone who might as well be a wizard.

Completely agree. That's why this trailer is so disappointing. This trailer isn't pulling us into believing it's something, before showing us something different. It looks like a sci-fi action movie, pretty bereft of originality... and that's exactly what it's going to be! While trailers don't give the whole movie away, this one quite clearly sets out the tone and style of the movie, which is completely wrong IMO.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Oh, I get it. I'm wrong to not be up in arms about this.

You obviously don't have to be up in arms about it. t:

I am just pointing out what I mean by Western feel here. And it is mostly the setting and look for a lot of the first book. That is what makes the setting later so stark in comparison, like Lud.

 

[FunkMiller]

I read 60m earlier today. Not sure how accurate that is.

Yep. 60 million. So even if it doesn't blow the doors off, it doesn't have to perform all that well to get a sequel. Unless it bombs, we're probably getting a second film.

...this is quite good news, as I'm hoping that the film ends in more or less the same place as the book, with Roland alone by the ocean. The last shot of the first movie should be a doorway standing on a beach. Then we can go into The Drawing Of The Three more or less as written (other than it no longer being Roland's first visit to NY).

 

[Roose Bolton]

As a King fan it looks like I'm going to be very happy.....with IT.

 

[Marvolo]

Is King involved with this project?

Afaik, he has approved of and supported this adaption.

 

[FunkMiller]

Afaik, he has approved of and supported this adaption.

Oh yeah, he's been shilling this one like a muthaf****.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Oh yeah, he's been shilling this one like a muthaf****.

To be fair, he might not have seen the trailer yet.

 

[psylockolussus]

Trailer looks so meh. I wouldn't be surprised if it under performs!

 

[Victarion]

I can see this being taken by Netflix and turned into a television series.

I'd hope so. GoT and West World are doing well...Dark Tower takes a lot of elements from both. I'm surprised they don't just do a straight adaption of the books given the success of those HBO shows.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Yep. 60 million. So even if it doesn't blow the doors off, it doesn't have to perform all that well to get a sequel. Unless it bombs, we're probably getting a second film.

...this is quite good news, as I'm hoping that the film ends in more or less the same place as the book, with Roland alone by the ocean. The last shot of the first movie should be a doorway standing on a beach. Then we can go into The Drawing Of The Three more or less as written (other than it no longer being Roland's first visit to NY).

The way this looks, I can't see it performing well enough to get a sequel right now.

 

[Joe Von Zombie]

Roland's quest, his past in Gilead, Jake's involvement, what looks like it might be Tull. Walter.

I kind of expected to be dropped into the middle of the story based on rumors, and maybe they will still go that route.

You said you wanted something like a Leone Western. Leone Westerns, and imitations of said, the whole spaghetti Western thing, are what many people think of as when they think about a generic cinematic Western. An attempt to recreate that tone and feel.

Past that, when people start to imply that something has to look or feel a specific way to be considered an appropriate take on a Western, my eyes start to glaze over. That's really limiting something.

THE GUNSLINGER, as a book, wasn't a straight up Western. It started with that tone to be sure, but fairly soon, like the series itself, becomes something else entirely. That's what King does with the series, lulls you into thinking you know what something is, when most of the time you're just seeing the surface of it. In the case of The Gunslinger, it's not just a Western tale, it's got demons, mutants, a post apocalyptic world, elements of knighthood, and an encounter with someone who might as well be a wizard.

This still doesn't excuse the fact this looks like generic modern action film and the performances are frankly terrible based on what we've seen. If they're trying to get asses in seats with this trailer, they're failing. The fact that King goes on about The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the intro to the revised edition tells you everything you need to know about what a film adaption should be: Leone by way Tolkien. Does that work in the context of a big Hollywood Blockbuster? No, not really, but that should have given someone the clue to not move forward with this project rather than dumb it down.

 

[moviedoors]

You obviously don't have to be up in arms about it. t:

I am just pointing out what I mean by Western feel here. And it is mostly the setting and look for a lot of the first book. That is what makes the setting later so stark in comparison, like Lud.

I see what you're saying, especially in regards to the contrast. For me though, it's the odd elements that always made even the first novel more than just western, or just a fantasy. The paintings alone, which I stared at at the library as a kid, suggested this oddity; there was a cowboy, but what's with that tower floating in the sky? And monsters! What's the deal with the monsters?! I don't think this trailer suggests a movie that is a million miles off from that feeling.

 

[moviedoors]

and the performances are frankly terrible based on what we've seen.

I don't get this feeling at all from it. There's a general choppiness that comes from how this trailer is assembled, but that's the trailer. Elba is congenitally incapable of not being a great actor, and I doubt this turns out to be the movie where he sucks all of a sudden.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I see what you're saying, especially in regards to the contrast. For me though, it's the odd elements that always made even the first novel more than just western, or just a fantasy. The paintings alone, which I stared at at the library as a kid, suggested this oddity; there was a cowboy, but what's with that tower floating in the sky? And monsters! What's the deal with the monsters?! I don't think this trailer suggests a movie that is a million miles off from that feeling.

You mention the question of what is with this stuff. Why is it here? But this trailer is so completely devoid if that.

I think it suggest that they went to the Fantastic Four, Power Rangers and other generic looking modern "action flicks". One clearly made on a budget, with no style of its own. So when I see a monster, I don't care. I expect it. If this movie look like a Western, it plays with the expectations appropriately.

 

[The Joker]

This was a cool little easter egg;