My Dune review

[PanzerMeyer]

Ok, I can write pages and pages on this but I'll keep it as brief as possible. I saw Villeneuve's adaptation of "Dune" this evening on the big screen and the very first thought that came into my mind is for anyone who has read and enjoyed the book, you must go out and see this and preferably on the big screen. This adaptation is very true to the book and the visuals are so stunning that I think even a 70" HDTV won't do them justice. The caveat to this is that for someone who has not read the book or at least have some background knowledge with the story, I can clearly see why that person might be bored or confused. The best way I can put it is that this movie is not really "friendly" to those viewers who have no prior knowledge of the story.

Secondly, comparisons with the Lynch film from 1984 are unavoidable and I have a few observations:

1. I was disappointed with the portrayals of Dr. Yueh, Piter de Vries and Thufir Hawat. I haven't quite nailed down how much of this was due to the director and how much was due to the actor but those three roles I found rather dull and forgettable. Compare this with Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif and Freddy Jones who played those roles brilliantly. I also found it interesting just how little screen time both Piter de Vries and Dr. Yueh had when you consider that this film (part 1) was 2.5 hours long.

2. However, Jason Momoa IS Duncan Idaho as far as I'm concerned and Josh Brolin was really great as Gurney Halleck. I love Patrick Stewart but Josh Brolin was much more believable as a master swordsman than Patrick Stewart was.

3. And now we we come to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. What really amazed me here is just how understated Stellan Skaarsgard played the role but still maintained a compelling level of creepiness and dread. This was the polar opposite of the bombastic performance by Kenneth McMillan in Lynch's Dune.


Anyway my bottom line is that this movie is a must-see for anyone who has read and is a fan of the book. For those who haven't, it really depends on what kind of scifi the person typically watches. If they only care for the action-oriented scifi like Star Wars or the JJ Abrams Star Trek then they will most likely find "Dune" to be a total bore. If they like stuff such as "2001" and "Blade Runner" then there's a good chance they will appreciate "Dune".

[Grifter]

What kind of scifi a person watches? I watch all of it. I'm sure I'll love the new Dune. Have heard great things. But, I'll have to wait until it hits stream. Won't go into a theater to watch it right now, unfortunately. Upside is that I will be watching on my "big enough" tv screen with surround sound, and I can pause whenever I like.

[PanzerMeyer]

What kind of scifi a person watches?

Absolutely. For example, both "Independence Day" and "2001" are science fiction but they are also drastically different as far as pacing, depth of script and dialogue, the themes explored and overall atmosphere.

[Grifter]

I was being facetious. I recognize that some people may have more particular tastes. Personally, I pretty much watch mostly everything scifi I can get my hands on unless it's so horribly written it isn't worth my time.

[PanzerMeyer]

unless it's so horribly written it isn't worth my time.

I've made that mistake several times in my lifetime:

Battlefield Earth
Soldier
Battleship
Deep Blue Sea
Wing Commander

And many, many more.

[Bones]

I liked Soldier!

Plus it happens in the same universe as Blade Runner. It is where Offworld and the Nexus revolt was happening (IIRC).

I liked Battleship also, but only because I thought it was clever how they integrated the gameinto it. Otherwise yeah it was cheesy, especially Rhianna saying "Mahalo" as a kill one liner.

v6,
boNes

[PanzerMeyer]

Plus it happens in the same universe as Blade Runner. It is where Offworld and the Nexus revolt was happening (IIRC).


v6,
boNes

Yes it does take place in the same universe. It's just too bad that "Soldier" isn't even in the same galaxy as "Blade Runner" when it comes to film-making quality. I'm pretty sure this movie was strictly a "gimme ma paycheck" scenario for Kurt Russell.

[Jedi Master]

If you have HBO Max you can watch Dune right now. That's what I did. For 30 days after release, then it disappears for a few months.
So you have until right before Turkey Day.

[Falker939]

I don’t think there was enough dark skin color with black leadership playing the key roles, and a special black youth who has more talent and brains than everyone else , the one who will save the entire galaxy someday. Only then... would this move have blended well with 2021. – just saying

Other than that , it was alright which is better than okay. Although, They better pick it up next year where they left off.

[PanzerMeyer]

Other than that , it was alright which is better than okay. Although, They better pick it up next year where they left off.

Have you read the novel? It's been my experience that people who have read the novel overwhelmingly really liked the movie while those who have not read the book were somewhat divided. My wife saw the movie with me and she said it was "slow" which is a common complaint from people who have not read the novel.

[Falker939]

Right? That’s what everyone was saying when the first movie came out in 1984. That Oh - you just got to read the book… I had the paperback in my hands a few times and it was thick. Twice as fat as a regular sci-fi novel . At the time I thought the original move was long and slow - but entertaining, I couldn’t imagine reading the book when there were other good sci-fi reads out there and I was just getting started.

[PanzerMeyer]

Right? That’s what everyone was saying when the first movie came out in 1984. That Oh - you just got to read the book… I had the paperback in my hands a few times and it was thick. Twice as fat as a regular sci-fi novel . At the time I thought the original move was long and slow - but entertaining, I couldn’t imagine reading the book when there were other good sci-fi reads out there and I was just getting started.

If you thought the Lynch film was too long then don't even bother with the new film.

[Falker939]

Oh I’ve seen the 2021 version of Dune - It seemed like that left off right in the middle of the movie. I’d like to see some space battles in the next show , maybe blow up a planet or two, but - that’s just wishful thinking.

[PanzerMeyer]

It seemed like that left off right in the middle of the movie.

That's because IT DID! The second part is slated to be released around October 2023.