The Dark Tower International Trailer: The War Comes to Earth
An international trailer for The Dark Tower has arrived. Based on Stephen King’s epic series of novels, The Dark Tower is directed by Nikolaj Arcel, and stars Idris Elba as Roland Deschain/ The Gunslinger; Matthew McConaughey as The Man in Black, and Tom Taylor as Jake Chambers. The Dark Tower is not a direct adaptation of any of King’s books; rather it pulls influence from across the whole series of Dark Tower novels, while also adding its own take on the events we see unfold in the books. In effect, it is another retelling of Roland’s story, similar to what happens when he reaches the Dark Tower itself, only to find his story starts again.
The first Dark Tower trailer gave a good look at the movie, which is just as well since we’d all been waiting so long. There were some impressive gun loading sequences from Elba; something King fans were really hoping for since that is often described in the books. It’s also good to see that on display again here; the influence of old Western movies is very clear, both in the action sequences and in Roland’s style and The Man in Black’s Southern drawl. The international preview contains some previously unseen footage, and can be viewed above.
The international trailer has a much better feel to it than the first trailer did. For a start, it feels like more of the epic adventure that King gave us in the books, and it also gives a better look at The Man in Black’s gleeful tormenting of the Gunslinger. Note that he taunts him about how everyone he’s with always dies; in the books, Roland suffers huge personal loss throughout his life, which is partly why the bond with Jake becomes so important to him. He’s determined the same fate won’t befall the boy, and the trailer shows Roland using his senses to pinpoint the exact location of the men who try and kidnap his young charge, shooting them dead from a vast distance. However, as much as Roland might try to save Jake at every turn, fate could well have other ideas.
The Dark Tower had its initial release date pushed back, in order that more time could be spent working on effects. Hopefully, this will show in the finished product, and the movie will be a solid adaptation of King’s work. Given the length of time fans have been waiting for this to arrive, and the high caliber casting, The Dark Tower has a huge amount riding on it. If Sony gets this right, we could see subsequent movies and a TV spinoff, something the books are certainly worthy of.
The first Dark Tower trailer had a number of literary references and Easter Eggs relating to other King works. Though this trailer is shorter, the links back to the books are clear, and that is also something that will be pleasing to King fans. It remains to be seen if this movie will appeal to a broader audience. Possibly some will attend on the strength of Elba and McConaughey’s casting, of course, but The Dark Tower will need to set out its narrative pretty quickly and succinctly in order to make it easy to follow. While in the books, a reader can flick back and forth, we don’t have that luxury in a movie theater. Hopefully, the strength of the source material, coupled with a great screenplay, solid direction and captivating performances from Elba and McConaughey, will all come together to make The Dark Tower a success.
http://screenrant.com/dark-tower-int...er-idris-elba/
