THE DARK TOWER | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"THE DARK TOWER"
(2017) (Tom Taylor, Idris Elba) (PG-13)

QUICK TAKE:: Sci-Fi: A 14-year-old finds himself in the middle of a conflict where the safety of the universe is at stake.

PLOT:

14-year-old Jake Chambers (TOM TAYLOR) lives in New York City with his mom, Laurie (KATHERYN WINNICK), and stepfather, Lon (NICHOLAS PAULING). She's concerned and he's increasingly perturbed by the boy's claims of having visions of a gunslinger, a man in black, and an apocalyptic scenario.

Little do they or Jake know that he has a supernatural ability known as "shine" that allows him to see into other worlds and dimensions, or that Roland Deschain, a.k.a. The Gunslinger (IDRIS ELBA), and Walter O'Dim, a.k.a. The Man in Black (MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY), are real figures who've been locked in battle forever.

The Gunslinger is the last of his kind, a sort of cowboy warrior equipped with six-shooters forged from the legendary sword Excalibur, and he's been tasked with protecting The Tower that holds the universe together. His sorcerer nemesis, The Man in Black, desires to bring that down and thus allow demons like him into the universe, and legend has it that a child will be the only one capable of accomplishing that feat. After testing any number of children, The Man in Black believes he's found the right kid in Jake, but is already one step behind as the teen has discovered and traveled through a portal to Mid-World where he teams up with the Gunslinger.

From that point on, the Man in Black and his minions attempt to get their hands on the boy, all while The Gunslinger tries to protect the boy and get revenge on his nemesis for killing everyone he loves.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of the novel series by Stephen King and/or anyone who's in the cast, they probably will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For thematic material including sequences of gun violence and action.

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