The dark tower stands in the middle of the universe reaching above the clouds protecting us from the ultimate evil. In this fight of good versus evil, Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger (Idris Elba) is seeking revenge against the evil Man in Black, a sorcerer, Walter O’Dim (Matthew McConaughey) who killed Roland’s father Steven (Dennis Haysbert) in the Midland. The last Gunslinger of his kind Roland is more concerned of destroying the Man in Black rather than protecting the tower. It seems that by using the minds of children Walter is able to destroy parts of the tower but he hasn’t quite found the ultimate child, the chosen one that is powerful enough to shine and destroy the entire tower with his psychic abilities.

Back on earth young Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) is having nightmares of Walter, Roland, the tower and this other world and when he awakens he continues to draw images that he saw in his dreams. Jake knows that every time the tower is attacked earth is hit with major earthquakes causing destruction in his hometown of New York City. His mother Laurie (Kathryn Winnick) has made arrangements to move Jake to an institution to help him with his issues but little does she know that his dreams are part of reality. When Jake runs away from home he finds a portal that transports him to the Midland where he finds Roland and joins him on a journey to destroy Walter. According to Walter death always wins that’s the deal but if Jake can convince Roland to forget about revenge and rather help to protect the tower he and mankind will live to see another day. In the end Roland kills with his heart and learns that on earth a hot dog does not come in breeds.

I really enjoyed the film but for some odd reason it felt longer than 95 minutes and I’m not sure if that is a good thing. I found the story to be interesting but the acting to be a bit over-done except for Taylor’s character, Jake, which I enjoyed quite a bit. The special effects for the most part are done well except for the forest scene when Jake encounters his father I thought it was a bit cartoonish and could have been done much better than what they used. A good score and some decent writing helps but I thought some of the direction was just a bit amateur and I would have rather of seen a bit more strength to the characters. At times the actors seemed a bit distracted from their characters and not performing to their capabilities. I mean Elba and McConaughey are both star actors and during several moments in the story I felt Taylor outshined them both. No pun intended! The rest of the characters had very little development but were rather just filler and I would have rather enjoyed a bit more from several of the key players. Overall this is a fun film to see on the big screen and opening week will be the judge if it survives longevity in the theaters. If they continue the series I hope they consider another director and possibly a little better development in the story since I felt I missed a few chapters of dialogue. As for you animal lovers I spotted a Saint Bernard and a Tarantula in the film and neither seemed to play a major part or get used in any bad ways in the story line.