Dune to be directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049)

Is it easy to follow? I've never read the book but I've seen the Lynch version several times, and I couldn't begin to tell you what it's about. Something about spice, and some big worms?

 

At the outset, there are a few ethnic group names to take in but it isn't overwhelming. It's a very simple story really: a king and queen and their prince with great destiny before him. The nasty enemy and the ones that live out in the desert. That's it. After the initial scene setting one is drawn into a simple, basic struggle which is gripping.

 

The Guardian review 5/5

Dune review – blockbuster cinema at its dizzying, dazzling best

Dune reminds us what a Hollywood blockbuster can be. Implicitly, its message written again and again in the sand, Denis Villeneuve’s fantasy epic tells us that big-budget spectaculars don’t have to be dumb or hyperactive, that it’s possible to allow the odd quiet passage amid the explosions. Adapted from Frank Herbert’s 60s opus, Dune is dense, moody and quite often sublime – the missing link bridging the multiplex and the arthouse. Encountering it here was like stumbling across some fabulous lost tribe, or a breakaway branch of America’s founding fathers who laid out the template for a different and better New World.

 

There are a large number of important characters and the complexities lie in the relationships between them, the politics of the different people and ethnic relationships for lack of a better word. All of this is queued by the situation in our own world, of course, but Herbert has mapped out a truly complex interplanetary story. Can't wait to see the first film that actually does it justice.

 

As I said earlier in the thread, its my favorite book. Unfortunately there isn't an Imax screen within 250 miles of where I'm currently living

 

Of course, there is plenty of depth and symbolism in Frank Herbert's book (which I started decades ago but didn't finish) but Villeneuve doesn't weigh down the entertainment factor of the movie with it all.

 

Right. There are a ton of easter eggs for book readers in the new movie. So while points of exposition might seemingly be skipped, characters might mention them in other conversations. You can tell the director knows the source material and respects it, despite making the story more understandable for mainstream viewers.

 

I did not like the original that much, not looking forward to remake either..
also what's with the one actress just going by the first name Zendaya? I always thought going by first name was more for musicians than actors?

 

I rarely feel like I do tonight after seeing a movie but I will be the traitor and break ranks. I will start by saying that I adore Denis and his work, but this movie? I honestly can't fathom what people are talking about with Dune. It is vastly over-produced to the point of it being irritating. The acting is so bare bones because there is almost no scenes with extended dialog (without Denis obliterating it with throwing in cuts. The flow is terrible, so many cuts and switching back and forth. The music is intrusive, terribly so, if this was a Nolan movie everyone would be waxing lyrical about his overuse of noise. The picture is beautiful but not without problems. It is dreadfully saturated at times. Near the end it is just horrid and the big moment is shrouded in cold dark greys.

The thing that bafffles me is how badly cut it is, DV has over-produced this to such a degree that I am amazed he is not still at it now.

People can have their opinion by all means and I don't wish to argue with those who liked it, I am happy for you, but I can't give this movie a rating.

 

From wiki: "Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Satellite Award and a Saturn Award. Zendaya began her career as a child model and backup dancer."

Between the earlier version and this there were one or two advances in CGI and building stories in CG worlds that make it a good time for a remake.

 

It's not a remake. It's another adaption of the book.

 

I liked the "bare bones", or rather subdued/understated acting and the fact that there arent "scenes with extended dialogue". I also didn't find the music intrusive at all. It complimented the film perfectly in my opinion. The cutting didn't bother me at all either but just a one thing struck me in the flow was that when Paul joyfully reunited with warrior Duncan (Jason Momoa), he did the same thing again in a scene not too long after. One doesn't get the notion that a lot of time had passed between the two reunions. Also, the "D U N E" title page came and went in a flash, which was bizarre.
Minor quibbles because I loved the movie.

 

I found the lack of any extended scenes a bizarre choice for a movie like Dune. It thrives on its politics and extended character moments. As for the music, it was used poorly imo, at times attemtping to add emotion to an otherwise cold movie.

Glad you enjoyed.

 

Yes but Villeneuve obviously wanted to steer the Dune saga towards a wider audience, probably fearing that too much religious and political prose would clog it up.

 

I'm a bit puzzled. After looking forward to it for quite some time, I found the movie to be rather underwhelming. And I'm actually sorry about that! The acting is good, the effects and sets are great. But all this great work is in service of a film that just seems so.... bland. I've seen David Lynch's version in segments over the years, and while I wouldn't say it's a great movie, at least its images have stuck with me ever since. It genuinely seems like a strange place far away in time. This one just doesn't. And the fact that EVERYONE looks like a model (except for the evil guys, of course) adds to a general sense of boringness. Not bad, just bland.

 

It seems to me that his audience for this will be those who like auteur style movies so I honestly feel he is missing the target with this. I doubt this is a movie that will meet with appraisal from most average viewers. This is an artpiece more than a movie. Cold, austere characters, distant and unaproachable imo. And I had not considered it or even thought of but @SgtPepper1983 points out that everyone who is good is beautiful, and everyone who is bad is, well, ugly to want of a better word. It is shallow.

 

I don't get the distinction. If they're doing another adaptation, isn't that a remake?

 

You're right there. It is more of an art film than the classic notion of a "sci-fi movie". I like the monolithic, solomn tone of it all. I think that audiences might find its purity refreshing after the (glorious) excesses of Star Wars, Matrix, Star Trek, Avengers, Mad Max,...
It's closer to Game Of Thrones than Star Wars.

 

I am certain that there is an audience for this movie. It is not terrible and maybe if the subject had been something else I may have enjoyed it, but its so far from the subject matter in many respects and feels like DV has purposely tried to subvert the audience with an artpiece rather than a movie. I can't fathom such a sparse use of the ability of actors unless the piece at hand is something very abstract, which this is not.

Again, I hope other people enjoy it and am glad you did.

 

I am very much looking forward to this film.

I loved the David Lynch version back in the day, and that film was my introduction to the story. I read several of the novels after seeing the film, and thought the film did a good job of capturing the story.

 

Are they remaking the Lynch movie? I guess I mean, what is this new movie based on, the Lynch movie or the original novel? It's much closer to the book than the Lynch movie was.

 

Exactly. A remake suggests it is a remake of another movie. This recent Dune is most certainly not a remake but rather an entirely new production based on the original novel.

 

Thx for your interesting take on the movie. Nice to read something critical, adds a sense of honesty to the overall reviews IMO (not saying people who rave about this are not "honest", just refreshing for me at least to read some criticism finally). I myself cannot stand movies with intrusive scores, especially the dumbed down kind where every scene has to have music that sets or telegraphs the mood or feelings that the audience is supposed be experiencing since they cannot be trusted to understand what is going on for themselves. I may end up skipping this after all, at least on the big screen, so I don't feel obligated to stay & watch the whole thing despite feeling physically and mentally assaulted by the dumbazz music.

 

While the music was intrusive imo there were some scenes that were quieter, and while I found the music overdone, it is decent music. My trouble with it is what you describe, music being used to force emotion. Some scenes had a beautiful piece of music that accompanied a helicopter take off, or a moody glance from a character and it just whiffed of trying too hard. I rarely watch a movie and feel I have nothing good to say about it but sadly I feel that way about Dune, but I wouldn't suggest you skip it. You may enjoy it, most seem to be so far. I think part of my trouble with it is how many of the major reviewers have been waxing lyrical about the movie, declaring it one for the ages, this generations Lord of the Rings, and other over-enthusiastic sentiments. For the arteur reviewer who loves cold external to any character building movies this is the movie for them.

Dune should have strong emotion, richly crafted characters yet this movie has none of that. The cast is sadly weak and they have been largely forgotten in a movie that opted for grandiose staging.

If this movie was presented in segments in a museum then it may well have engaged me, but with his previous movies in mind this feels like DV has mined them for inspiration and copy and pasted many elements from them, which would be OK if the world felt original. It unfortunately does not, it feeled 'done before' and the result is a cold emotionally stunted affair that takes 2 and a half hours to resolve.

 

It's funny that you mention this movie having been lauded as this generation's "Lord of the Rings" by some reviewers. That right there is enough to persuade me from even watching this on home video let alone in movie theaters. I thought those movies were godawful testaments to everything that is wrong with hollywood productions, especially their overdone obnoxious & intrusive use of mood setting music in every scene.

I will probably will watch this at some point out of curiosity more than anything else but it has fallen considerably off my radar of being something I wanted to go out of my way to see in a theater.