The Dark Tower
Movie, 2017, The 2000s and 2010s, Set in Mid-World
The Dark Tower is #24 of 42 in release order and #15 of 42 in chronological order in the Stephen King Universe.
The story
A boy haunted by visions of a parallel world aids its disillusioned guardian in preventing the destruction of the nexus of universes known as the Dark Tower.
The Dark Tower recap
The Dark Tower (2017) sends a New York boy into Mid-World, where the last Gunslinger hunts a sorcerer bent on toppling the tower that holds up the universe. Nikolaj Arcel directs Tom Taylor as Jake Chambers, Idris Elba as Roland Deschain and Matthew McConaughey as Walter Padick, the Man in Black. Jake has visions of the Tower, Roland and Walter, and his mother and therapist think he is ill. Walter abducts children with strong psychic gifts, the shine, and uses their minds to fire beams at the Tower, which keeps out the darkness beyond. Jake escapes Walter's agents, finds a portal in an abandoned house in Brooklyn and steps into Mid-World. Roland, who wants only revenge for his father's death at Walter's hands, takes him to a village of seers. When the two return to New York to hunt Walter, Walter kills Jake's mother and takes the boy to his base, Devar-Toi.
The Dark Tower ending explained
The Dark Tower ends with Roland killing Walter and saving the Tower. Roland fights his way into Devar-Toi as Jake is strapped into Walter's machine. Walter deflects his bullets, but Roland ricochets a shot around him and kills him, then shuts the machine down. Back in New York, Roland asks Jake to come with him, and the two return to Mid-World together.
Post-credits scenes
No. The Dark Tower has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower is streaming on fuboTV and Paramount+ in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 5.6/10, Rotten Tomatoes 16%
Where it fits
- Release order: after 11.22.63, before Gerald's Game.
- Chronological order: after 11.22.63, before Gerald's Game.
What to watch before The Dark Tower
In release order, 14 Stephen King Universe essentials come before The Dark Tower (2017), from Carrie (1976) to 11.22.63 (2016).
Cast
- Idris Elba as Roland Deschain
- Matthew McConaughey as Walter O’Dim
- Tom Taylor as Jake Chambers
- Claudia Kim as Arra Champignon
- Fran Kranz as Pimli Prentiss
- Abbey Lee as Tirana
- Jackie Earle Haley as Richard Sayre
- Katheryn Winnick as Laurie Chambers
- Dennis Haysbert as Steven Deschain
- Michael Barbieri as Timmy
- José Zúñiga as Dr. Hotchkiss
- Alex McGregor as Susan Delgado
Directed by Nikolaj Arcel.