REVIEW - DUNE TOO

[number six]

In preparation I went back and watched Dune Part One. That movie is a lot better when you know there's a 2nd part that actually got made.

As expected Part 2 does a bit better in that most of the good parts of Dune happen here. Still it's hitting more or less the same beats as the 1984 movie and despite its nearly 6 hour runtime I'm not sure if it really gets that much more story across. I'm not saying it doesn't do some things better or that the production values aren't in most cases higher (in many cases due to the availability of CGI) but overall it reminded me a lot of the recent 2-part version of IT. There was a lot to like about that movie but it was mostly the same story as the TV version but twice as long.

For example Feyd is given a lot more time here than what we got with Sting in the 1984 movie. It does add some depth but the end result is the same.

Overall it's a solid good film like the original but there are still aspects of the 1984 movie I prefer. Zendaya is no Sean Young, this version skips a few things oddly.. like there's only one sentence in the opening prologue that really explains why Spice is important and you never see the Navigators.. but I guess things like that are minor. Part of it might be that Villenouve still wrote the screenplay and he's a terrible writer but at least he had Herbert to go off of here so this is still the only film of his that I've actually enjoyed.

Anyway this got rembly.. if you liked the first one you'll like this one. It's good but not the best film ever it just stands above the garbage Hollywood has been spewing out last few years so it seems like a Masterpiece when you compare it to Madame Web.

[tufnel1530]

I'll probably see it just for the visuals once the early crowds calm down, part one was a good looking mess so I wouldn't expect anything different from the second.

Its such a dense detailed book there is really no way to get it on the screen so you always feel like they are cramming things in or leaving them out.

I know people love the original movie because they saw it as kids but that thing is a hot mess also. 

It's 3 hours which doesn't help its cause.....

I agree on IT by the way the original TV version worked better than the movies even though its dated now..

[tufnel1530]

Finally saw this on the IMAX.. big meh to me

Effects and everything are entertaining enough but I couldn't be bothered to care or try and follow all the story points etc (and thats from me who actually read the book)

Check out "Jodorowsky's Dune" documentary if you don't know that story, that doc is more entertaining that the actual movies.

[number six]

I like the David Lynch dune, or should I say the Alan Smithee version because the 3 hour cut is a lot better.

I still think that version did a few things better than the villanuevu version as Lynch is still a better director.

The Jodorosky version would have been a hoot but it also would have been a colossal bomb so I can see why they pulled the plug.

[Niloc]

It's out on streaming now.

My take is pretty much the same - it was good, well-made, but they left a lot of stuff out.

Leaving out the guild annoyed me because that was an important part of the book. It appeared that the Emperor was in charge, but in reality the Guild was always in charge - they just didn't care who the figurehead was as long as they got their spice. Paul realized that he controls the guild if he controls the spice.

It's a bit interesting to see what they de-emphasized - crys knives aren't a big deal in this one, "Kwisatz Haderach" wasn't mentioned at all, etc.

The Harkonnen spice harvesters look like giant Garthim from The Dark Crystal. They blow up good at least, and are more interesting than the boring square ones from the first movie.

I don't quite get the appeal of Zendaya, but she looks right for the part and is really good at scowling.

People who haven't read the book sure aren't gonna get the plot from this any better than they did from the 1984 version.