10 Awesome Performances In Otherwise Awful 2017 Movies
2. Idris Elba – The Dark Tower
The quality of big screen Stephen King adaptations can vary
wildly. On one end of the spectrum we have the critically acclaimed likes of
The Shining and The Shawshank Redemption, while on the other we have films like
Children of the Corn and The Mangler. Unfortunately, The Dark Tower falls on
the latter end of the spectrum.
Based on King’s beloved books of the same name – a sprawling, ambitious series spanning several decades and seven books – the film was stuck in development hell for years and given the muddled mess it turned out to be that’s probably where it should’ve stayed.
Incomprehensible to those not familiar with the books and virtually unrecognisable to those that are, the film’s ridiculously short runtime betrayed its source material’s scope and richness and seriously undercut the role of Roland ‘The Gunslinger’ Deschanel which is baffling considering he’s the central protagonist in the books and Idris Elba’s performance is the only good thing The Dark Tower movie has going for it.
Gruff and commanding with just a pinch of pathos, Elba is a fantastic gunslinger and certainly looks every bit the action hero but unluckily for him The Dark Tower is a total waste of his talents.