Welcome back to Sound Off!, a semi-regular column where members of Speculative Chic gather together to chat about the latest BIG THING in entertainment. This time, aim with your eye and discuss The Dark Tower, which premiered in the United States on Friday, August 4, 2017.

Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After all, while we are all individuals, even mutual love of something (or hate) can come from different places: you may find everything from critique to fangirling to maybe even hate-watching.

Now, join Venessa Giunta and Casey Price as they talk about The Dark Tower! [Note: No spoilers.]

Venessa: If you’ve read The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, the first thing you must do prior to seeing the movie is to put out of your head that you’re going to be watching a movie version of the books. If you have any sort of expectation along those lines, you’re going to be heartbroken. Because this is a different story altogether.

There’s a reason for this. I wrote a little bit about why back in June here on Speculative Chic. But the short answer is that this movie is meant to be a sequel to the books, not an adaptation.

So I went into the theater putting aside the idea that I knew what this story would be. I think that helped me to enjoy it much more than I would have had I expected it to follow the books in any way.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It’s definitely an action flick versus a dark fantasy or horror flick, which was pretty clear from the trailers. (I consider the books to be dark fantasy, myself.) I found the acting to be well done, especially Tom Taylor, who played the boy Jake Chambers. I’m looking forward to seeing him grow up, because he’s already a fine actor; he’s going to be a talent, for sure.

I loved the little shout-outs to folks who had read the books or who are Stephen King fans. From the framed poster of the Overlook Hotel (The Shining), to the dilapidated amusement park sign that read “Pennywise,” to the psychic powers being called “shine” (also The Shining), to the female voice that recites the first sentence of the book about fifteen minutes in: “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” There were several little things like that throughout the movie, which made it fun on a level just past regular movie-watching.

One thing that did strike me as I left the theater was that the movie was very…quick. I mean that even if someone hadn’t read the book, the movie feels, at least to me, that it’s all only the tip of the iceberg. Every scene felt like there were things about those people, that place, that we needed to know, but we didn’t, as if we’re just on the surface.

This makes sense, considering The Dark Tower books span 6,000 or so pages and the world itself encompasses all of Stephen King’s works. But I think if I didn’t already have all that depth from having read the series (and most of King’s other books), it would bother me. That feeling of not having the whole story, of only just shaving the tip off the iceberg.

I’m not entirely sure I’d have been 100% satisfied.

Casey: “Well, that happened.”

That was my first thought as the credits began to roll on The Dark Tower. Upon reflection, I have a few other thoughts. I enjoyed hunting for Stephen King Easter eggs (personal favorite was probably the portal numbered 14-08, with a second prize going to the red and white model car that Jake’s friend played with — I choose to believe it was a nod to Christine). The visuals were almost as impressive as I thought they would be. The acting was great. Otherwise, I felt like this was an extremely superficial glossing over of something that could and should have been so much more.

I realize that this is a new story and not an adaptation, but it doesn’t stand well on its own for people who aren’t already familiar with Roland, Jake, and Walter. Spouse and I saw this with a friend. Our friend said that it didn’t really leave him with anything more than a lot of questions. I can understand that. It’s not a story for the casual moviegoer. This is definitely a film for fans of The Dark Tower book series. Too much was simply stated and left to the viewer to figure out what was going on. I’m not done with the book series, personally, but I know of the Crimson King, the portals, and what it means for a world to have “moved on.” I knew exactly what Walter was referring to when he taunted Roland in the gun shop.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s a good movie and I hope that people watch and enjoy it, and then seek out the novels. I’m just concerned that this outcome won’t happen, and we won’t get a chance to see Roland on the big (or small) screen again as a result. Either way, despite my misgivings, I’m glad I saw this on the big screen and look forward to watching it again after I finish the book series and can fully appreciate what’s going on.