The Dark Tower

Matthew McConaughey prepares to unleash hell on Earth while dressed, distractingly, as a 1980s magician in this cynical adaptation of Stephen King's book series. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, it is a pick-and-mix of ideas taken from across the eight volumes, with generic fantasy elements thrown in. Meanwhile, a shift in protagonist and its bloodless action enables it to fit comfortably into the young adult bracket. Tom Taylor plays a troubled youngster living in New York City who is plagued by visions of another world inhabited by a disaffected gunslinger (Idris Elba) and a dastardly sorcerer (McConaughey) who's bent on destroying the tower that stands at the centre of the universe to ward off evil forces. The action is vaguely diverting, Elba glowers suitably and softens convincingly, while Taylor is blandly credible. However McConaughey quickly lapses into self-parody - he's less sinister, more smug. The Dark Tower favours flashy spectacle and relentless exposition over characterisation as it hastens to a depressingly open-ended dénouement. Rather like the casing that falls from the gunslinger's pistol, it has been stripped of impact, and hits the ground as an empty shell.