Though there are many excellent movie adaptations of the works of Stephen King, movie adaptations of Stephen King's stories vary wildly in quality, with some hailed as classic horror movies while others have almost been universally forgotten.
Though Stephen King is primarily known as the master of the horror genre, he has branched out into other genres, too. King has tried his hand at writing crime, sci-fi, and fantasy over the years, although far fewer of these adaptions have made it to the big screen. One of King's most famous works outside the horror genre is his Dark Tower series, a genre-bending narrative that blends elements of Westerns, fantasy, and sci-fi into one. The Dark Tower boasts a sizable readership, and it seemed logical that that's something that could translate well to Hollywood.
The resulting 2017 movie adaptation of The Dark Tower was a huge disappointment for a number of reasons. Stephen King himself hated The Dark Tower for its insistence on boiling the story down to PG-13 levels, establishing itself as a sequel rather than a faithful adaptation in the process. The film's failure was in no way indicative of the massive popularity of the Dark Tower books, but it also had an unwanted side effect for better King adaptations. The Dark Tower exists at the center of King's expanded fictional universe, and therefore, it affects all of his other stories. While other standalone movies generally only have their own individual legacies to worry about, The Dark Tower establishes itself as part of a wider network of King stories thanks to shared plot points and narrative devices. Thus, in one swoop, the movie unduly tarnishes several other projects.
The Dark Tower's Failure Is A Problem For Better Stephen King Movies
One key element connects a number of Stephen King's stories: the Shine. The Shine is a name for a certain type of telepathic ability used by numerous King characters across the stories of Shining Easter egg, linking the Stephen King universe across multiple films.
However, the underwhelming approach to The Dark Tower's story is a problem, because its poor quality reflects badly on The Shining and other well-received King movies. Though the connection may not be intrinsic to each individual film's story, the notion that The Dark Tower and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining exist in the same universe is particularly disconcerting. The Dark Tower does very little to earn its connection to other King movies - it simply refers to Jake Chambers' gift as "the Shine", and briefly flashes a picture of the Overlook Hotel, thereby creating a lazy but irrefutable connection.
It's become an undisputed fact that some Stephen King adaptations work better than others. However, The Dark Tower was especially disappointing, particularly as its lazy approach to worldbuilding permeated every aspect of the movie. This hurt not just The Dark Tower but also Stephen King's Macroverse, which connects so many of his beloved stories, because it implies the existence of Idris Elba's Gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey's uninspired Man in Black in multiple unrelated movies. By failing to properly adapt one of King's most pivotal works, The Dark Tower created a huge unnecessary problem for a number of other Stephen King adaptations.
