Message:So for the most part, I found new Dune to be as problematic as the other Dunes. The book (and series) are not written cinematically so filmmakers have to consider what they believe to be essential from the source which, of course, will not please all fans of the books — Cannot please all fans.
This new one, while EPIC, was more often than not, quite dull (the Sleeper is taking a nap…). Perhaps I’ve seen the Lynch variation too many times, but I kept hearing the characters’ whisper-thoughts (even when this one used sotto voce muttered/subtitled scifi languages as a replacement) and I kept wishing Zimmer’s very serious score was replaced by Toto’s triumphant and inspirational score. I want to ride sand worms with Toto’s music playing, not Zimmer’s.
Also, David Dastmalchian is an excellent actor so why cast him as Piter de Vries only to strip the character of anything interesting. We could have had more Piter and less guy watering trees.
Did we need guy watering trees at all? We could have had the greenhouse from the book and some necessary exposition instead of this rather meh interaction to remind us of the value of water on Arrakis.
Also, why make the Fremen “diverse” in such a way that doubles down on Paul as the “White Savior” to the point that in one of his visions, Jamis, played by a black actor, is presented as an older, wiser friend/guide? Could we tell this story without making it racially charged? Having Jamis played by a black actor is particularly problematic because we are left with Paul’s first act as a member of the sietch being the killing of a black man and subsequent possession of his family (along with wife who will become his servant).
If the Harkonnens on Geidi Prime had been shot in black and white, would anyone have noticed? Also, does Beast Rabban bathe in sunscreen before going outside on Arrakis? Why were the Harkonnens defining red hair replaced by unpigmented, hairless skin? How would we recognize that Jessica is the Baron’s daughter?
And the Baron had NO reaction to the Duke’s suicidal attack. The Baron looked cool with the suspensors, but was so restrained overall that he was boring.
Was there an interesting villain in this film? Aside from Duncan (and Dr. Kynes) was anyone interesting at all?
I did like all the Duncan Idaho stuff. As he is the most important character in the Dune books, it was nice to see him featured properly. Of course, it was at the expense of Thufir Hawat and Dr. Yueh (was he the singular Asian actor in the film and if so, is it problematic that he is then the infamous and tragic double-crosser and then is it more problematic that we are never really told that to break the Imperial training is impossible?).
The Duke had no pugs for Gurney to heroically rescue. Otherwise, I enjoyed Oscar Isaac’s performance, but had to stifle my laughter when he said he wished he could have been a pilot because the line could have been anything else and we would not have immediately thought of Poe Dameron.
Timothée Chalomet was serviceable, but I did not buy that he had been trained to his position. People complain that Kyle MacLachlin was stiff, but I disagree. HIs Paul felt like a young Royal with a lifetime of formal military leadership training who was also trained to be a mental-assassin and a Bene Gesserit messiah. This new Paul wants to go to Tosche Station to get some power converters. And why almost no mention of the Kwisatz Haderach?
Oh, Jessica? Did you forget when Paul just helped you kill the Fremen pilots? Paul wasn’t toying with Jamis because of the killing but because he was trained to fight with shields, which requires a different technique.
Also, Warner Brothers? Don’t release a Part One without a Part Two in production. Do people get their money back if Chani’s promise that this is only the beginning is a lie? The second film should already be in post given the time that has passed since the original was completed. I’m sure Zimmer has some extra serious music on his hard drive that is ready to go for whatever extra serious genre film is need of Academy consideration.
There is nothing inherently better about this variant than its precedent iterations. I suspect people who say it is just kind of want it to be so because if it is not, it just may be that there will never be a kwisatz haderach cinematic adaptation and we’re destined to a collection of the corpses of those that tried and failed and died
Yours,
TashaEx23
23-Oct-2021