Dune (Denis Villeneuve, 2021)

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Yeah, he's good too.



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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra



What is really crazy is that he was being considered for Star Wars. Imagine RotJ directed by David Lynch.



SILENCIO! I am cowboy. I am here to make sure you will bring balance to the force. You will see me three more times in your dreams if you act appropriately. Two more times if you don't. Come, let us drink wine from Chewbacca's skull as C-3PO talks backwards.

Don't forget the dancing Ewoks in the Black Lodge.



I finally watched this a couple of days ago (not on HBOMax, but in a theater as God intended), and as far as its (moderate) flaws go, I'd say the biggest one is with the movie's slightly unwieldy overall structure, where the first half spent a ton of time on character introductions, table-setting the central conflicts, and general world-building and exposition with the various cultures and technologies of the "Duniverse", while the second half was essentially an overlong extended climax, with the number of false endings used proving to be even more egregious than those of Return Of The King.

That being said though, I still liked the movie a good deal on the whole, and speaking of Lord Of The Rings, like that series, I think part two of this will be even better, now that part one's done a lot of the hard work of introducing us to this particular universe. For now though, I'll just say that, even as someone who's never read the book (or even watched the reportedly abbreviated Lynch adaptation), this Dune still did a good job of acclimatizing me to the iconic world that Frank Herbert created, as, despite the overall complexity of the story, I was rarely at any serious loss as to what was going on, and besides that, it feels like a movie tailor-made for Villeneuve's strengths as a director, as both an overwhelming sensory experience (an attack by a massive sandworm on a Spice harvester stands out in particular), as well as a bold work of Science-Fiction, full of big, ambitious ideas, the kind that's made the genre a favorite of mine; bring on part two, baby!

Final Score: 8.5



with the number of false endings used proving to be even more egregious than those of Return Of The King.

My experience was more framed by my experience with the original text. I found myself wondering, "Will they do this bit?" and "Will they get to this plot point before the end?" It didn't feel like a false ending to me, because it is pre-framed for me as the opener. Without that framing, however, I guess it would that one might sense false endings, as a film is expected to stand on its own as a product.



I think it ends, thematically, in the right place.
WARNING: "It is by will alone that you drink the juice of Sapho..." spoilers below
Paul has accepted his destiny and will not run, but rather join the Fremen.



Just wanted to share this fun little Letterboxd easter egg.

The typical "Reviewed' icon:



This movie's:

Holy ****.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Good to see the Harry Potter chap doing well.



A system of cells interlinked
Quickly becoming one of my favorite sci-fi films, and I have seen it 4 time already.

Amazing stuff!
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“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



You ready? You look ready.
I saw it once. Once was enough. Great nap time movie, though.

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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza



You ready? You look ready.
If I recall, you aren't a fan of Villeneuve's other films, right?
I loved Blade Runner 2049 and Sicario, but I think Prisoners is still his best work. I was left shook at the end of that, so I definitely like the guy's work.

I think the problem with Dune is that he loves Dune. A lot of the movie had this aura of "I'm trying hard to adapt a really long book". I'm holding my judgement on it until Dune 2.

I was pretty pissed that I saw it in theaters instead of Bond. Bad choice on my part.

But basically, Dune is first and foremost a boring series of books, so by its very nature an adaption of a boring book makes for an equally boring movie.



A system of cells interlinked
I loved Blade Runner 2049 and Sicario, but I think Prisoners is still his best work. I was left shook at the end of that, so I definitely like the guy's work.

I think the problem with Dune is that he loves Dune. A lot of the movie had this aura of "I'm trying hard to adapt a really long book". I'm holding my judgement on it until Dune 2.

I was pretty pissed that I saw it in theaters instead of Bond. Bad choice on my part.

But basically, Dune is first and foremost a boring series of books, so by its very nature an adaption of a boring book makes for an equally boring movie.
Prisoners definitely hit both Lisa and I really hard. So much so, she won't watch it again!

Everything you said about Dune in the above post: Hard disagree!

Different strokes...



You ready? You look ready.
Prisoners definitely hit both Lisa and I really hard. So much so, she won't watch it again!

Everything you said about Dune in the above post: Hard disagree!

Different strokes...
Seriously? The first book is literally a how to manual on putting someone into a coma. I would expect nothing less but the same of a movie made from that source material.

Like I said tho, we will wait till Dune 2 to pass judgment. As this first one is just an unfinished teaser trailer.



Speaking of Dune 2...I suppose I have to watch it now, but I'm sure not happy about it. I mean that's a lot of hours invested in Villeneuve's Dune. It better be good is all I can say.



The trick is not minding
Having seen Dune, I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s not as emotionally fulfilling as Blade Runner 2049 (much more existential), nor as harrowing as Polytechnique, but it’s not meant to be, of course.

What it accomplishes, to me, is a intriguing sci fi epic set to the beat of a political coup. I couldn’t connect with Chalamet, and felt they probably could have cast someone better, but that’s a not a deal breaker.

Looking forward to part 2.