What Is ‘The Dark Tower’ on Netflix? Know Everything About the 2017 Sci-Fi

Once upon a time in 1997, Netflix started as a humble DVD-by-mail gig, founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph—basically the fairy godfathers of couch potatoes. With no late fees and endless rentals, it was Blockbuster’s worst nightmare. Fast forward to now, Netflix is a genre buffet with something for every mood. But let us talk sci-fi—the mind-bending, space-twisting genre that glues eyeballs to screens. Ever heard of The Dark Tower? It is streaming now… but what in the multiverse is it really about?

The Dark Tower (2017), directed by Nikolaj Arcel and based on Stephen King’s books, has people scrambling to Google it—because seriously, who watches interdimensional chaos without a clue first?

A sci-fi rollercoaster: What The Dark Tower really is?

Jake Chambers, a teen with wild visions, is convinced a dark force wants to destroy the Dark Tower, the universe’s core. His dreams show a creepy warlock, Walter Padick, and a Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, chasing him. Dismissed as crazy, Chambers escapes creepy doctors and stumbles into a portal to Mid-World. There, Deschain reveals Padick’s evil plan—using kids with psychic powers to destroy the Tower and unleash darkness. After a tragic loss, Chambers trains under Deschain, gearing up for a battle that could save or destroy everything.

While grabbing ammo like it is a grocery run, Roland Deschain is ambushed by none other than Walter Padick, who kidnaps Jake Chambers and drags him to a giant apocalypse machine powered by Chambers’ psychic brain juice. But Chambers pulls a genius move—telepathically slips Deschain the portal code. Roland Deschain blasts through baddies as Jake Chambers holds the portal like a legend, and boom—showdown time. Padick wounds Roland Deschain, but the Gunslinger’s Creed hits harder. One jaw-dropping trick shot later, Padick is toast. The tower was saved. But hey… did critics cheer or cringe?

In 2022, Mike Flanagan teased a The Dark Tower TV show, but its fate is still up in the air. Audiences gave it a lukewarm 44%, while critics? They practically set it on fire!

Cash, chaos, and critics: The box office tale of The Dark Tower

The Dark Tower burst into cinemas with big hopes and even bigger expectations—only to fizzle like a wet firework. It pulled in $19.1 million on opening weekend and $113.2 million worldwide, enough to dethrone Dunkirk but not enough to impress. Critics came for it with flaming pitchforks—Rotten Tomatoes hit it with a brutal 15%, Metacritic rolled out a gloomy 34, and reviews called it “boring and flavorless” a maze for the uninitiated, and “wildly unfaithful” to Stephen King’s original saga. Fans were baffled. Newcomers were lost.

Critics tore The Dark Tower apart, with TheWrap’s Dan Callahan calling it a “complete disaster,” while Mike Ryan from Uproxx slammed the film for ditching the dense plot and rich characters for a 95-minute rush job. While critics tore the movie apart, the film still had its fans, much like The Life List, which also got a cold reception but saw a revival after Netflix’s magic touch. Now, The Dark Tower is still streaming on Netflix—who knew a sci-fi flop could stay relevant?

Did you watch The Dark Tower on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!