Stephen King is well known for his horror stories and this film is the adaptation of one of his epic fantasy series. It incorporates many different genres, most notably fantasy, western, and science fiction. Following the main characters Roland Deschain (The Gunslinger) and a young boy called Jake Chambers through a fantastical quest against the Man in Black (played by Matthew McConaughey). McConaughey plays a dark magician who uses children with psychic abilities (the shine) to power the destruction of the tower that keeps all the darkness from entering the different worlds. I couldn’t possibly go into the intricacies of the plot, as it is complicated and I could not do it justice. Suffice to say, this screen adaptation of a small part of an eight novel series is more than adequate. it makes you want to find out what happens beyond this first quest. Idris Elba was fantastic as “the gunslinger” and the young actor Tom Taylor portrayed his unlikely side-kick Jake superbly. The special effects, especially when it came to shoot outs was, excuse the pun “out of this world”.
Even if you aren’t a fan of Stephen King, or the science fiction/fantasy genre there is more to the film than just thrills. The relationship between the two main character is actually heartwarming and it is essentially a good vs evil plot with a roller coaster ride to the end. I for one will begin reading the rest of the series now I’ve come to see King’s characters on screen. Not the best film I’ve seen this year but definitely a must see.