The Dark Tower Trailer!

The word had been discouraging, and disappointment hung in the stale air.

Word had it that The Dark Tower had stumbled, and that those who'd seen an early glimpse of footage from the film were more than a little disappointed.

But today, today the first trailer hit. And while this isn't exactly The Dark Tower of Stephen King's novels - it feels like more of a riff - what we see is definitely in the spirit of The Dark Tower, and I for one felt more than a little encouraged by what we saw today.

We saw Idris Elba, glowering and dealing in lead, as Roland...



We saw Matthew McConaughey as The Man in Black. I still feel he's a testament to the risks of actors lending themselves to advertising, as every time I see him now, it feels like some smirking take on a Lincoln ad. But there are hints of appropriate darkness here, so I'm game...



We see worlds within worlds, and on the desk of the boy's therapist, we see my beloved Timberline Lodge, filling in as The Overlook Hotel from The Shining... 

















And we see the ruins of a bygone carnival midway, featuring "Pennywise," with the husks of balloons still aloft in the mist...















This feels like it could indeed evoke what's great and grand and thrilling about The Dark Tower, if a few degrees removed from what we all hold dear.

Let's have another look at that trailer...!