As someone who read and loved both LOTR and Dune as a teen, I think Denis Villaneuve did for Dune what Peter Jackson did for LOTR: take a densely written, complex story with multiple characters and plot lines, and made it both enjoyable by someone who hasn’t read the book, while still pleasing most fans of the books. Enjoyed your reaction and can’t wait to see you watch Part 2, which even surpasses Part 1. 😎👍
@@ispbrotherwolf yep, too many liberties and changes as well. Also just some blatant disservices to the books. The end duel of part 1 being one of the prime examples. Fremen would never dual in a stil suit. War there isn't a choice, but duals are a luxuary where there is time to remove them.
@@cliveklg7739 I really can't count that as a disservice - Fremen certainly fight in still suits, and it would have been too confusing to the non-reader to tack on another 20 minutes to the film to get to a Fremen settlement before the dual - I think the way the film portrays it adds to, not denigrates, the story.
The TLDR of Dune history is that humans became super advanced, and relied on 'thinking machines' (AI) to do everything. Then the machines rose up in rebellion. Humanity won, barely, but then outlawed all forms of advanced computers. Because of this, humanity started experimenting on their own biology to take up the roles that AI machines used to. The Guild Navigators, Mentats (like Thufir and Piter), and Bene Gesserit are all examples of this. Remember this book was written over a decade before personal computers were sold, so it was massively ahead of its time.
its a niptpick but in Herberts original trilogy. It was more that people became so reliant on AI they they became indolent. Then other people who knew how AI worked used it to take over and enslave everyone else. It was just after his son started writing that we got the "skynet" scenario
@@Aeolusdallas Didn't know that, thanks. I know the prequels are widely panned but I enjoyed them. I think the _theme_ of people becoming complacent/indolent is more interesting than as a literal story, as in letting the AI takeover is a compelling plot to me
There are many more Dune books than that to adapt. Considering the next Dune show, Dune: Prophesy, is taken from the book, Sisterhood of Dune, WB is delving into the entire book franchise and not just the original Dune Saga.
Only the first 6 were written by FrankHerbert,@@swordmonkey6635 ... The others, including Prophesy, were co-written with others by FrankH's son, Brian.
The novel is not a linear narrative that can be filmed 1-1. It covers 34,000 years of history and has lengthy explanations of the ecology of Arrakis and the political machinations of the Imperium.Villeneuve does an excellent job of filming the main plot throughline and capturing the essence of the universe. Paul was heir to the most advanced disciplines in human history. He'd been trained since infancy by a Bene Gesserit in the deepest understanding of the human body and psychology. Thufir Hawat trained him to be a Mentat, a human supercomputer. Duncan Idaho was a swordmaster of the Ginaz, the best swordfighting school in the Imperium and more than equal to the Emperor's elite Sardaukar, and Gurney Halleck was one of the most feared and cunning soldiers and strategists known. Dr. Yueh taught him how to LEARN, and of course, he was the son of Leto the Just.
I remember being interested in the book once (before the movie was announced) and my friend (who had it) told me it's a tough read, he started reading but quickly stopped.
The first book only spans 2-3 years, although there is backstory dating back 10,000 years to the formation of the guild, the writing of the O.C. Bible etc. and another appendix set a few decades before the main novel. The book sequels do take place over a longer timeline though.
@@GoldenLeafsMovies the first book is pretty easy. It tells a nice adventure story at a surface level so is easy to read without even needing to think about the deeper layers. The subsequent books get weirder and weirder as they go though, and harder to read as a result.
When Paul is out of the thopter when the worm attacks the spice harvester, he says, "I recognise your footsteps, old man." We're meant to connect that with the sparring scene with Gurney because he said the same thing to Gurney, and Gurney grabs Paul to run back to the thopter, but the Fremen word for the sand worm, Shai-Hulud, means 'Old Man of the Desert.' In that moment, Paul is talking to both Gurney Halleck and the sand worm. Denis Villeneuve gets it, man.
As a lifelong fan of the book, I think this is as good a film version as we could realistically expect. All the changes that were made in these 2 parts make a lot of sense when having to translate the text into image and sound. Thanks for the reaction vid, this was fun!
I agree, I was shocked at how much the director was able to convey with so little exposition, given how dense and dialogue driven the book is. He also picked good stories to spotlight, obviously there are many more characters and their subplots. At most I wish they’d have kept the dinner party scene in, I think it would have helped lay the groundwork for how much political scheming and tension there is, along with introducing the various houses and organizations. I understand it would probably add too much unnecessary info for single film. I’d love to see a super extended cut.
Jessica is the royal concubine, not Duke Leto's wife. Paul is his announced heir (though technically a bastard). Leto needed to keep his marriage options open for political reasons.
This is true, but it's important to mention that Duke Leto never intended to actually marry anyone other than Lady Jessica. It was a bluff in negotiations with other houses and Leto genuinely loved Jessica.
The author of Dune, Frank Herbert, thought the first Star Wars film borrowed a lot from Dune (the desert planet, the Force being able to control people with a voice, the galactic empire, the sand people, even the skeleton of some huge snake/worm in the desert). Herbert wanted to sue. But his lawyer said things were just different enough that he didn't have a case. There's a horror movie called Phantasm that includes the a scene that's almost identical to Paul's test where he puts his hand in the box. The director, Don Coscarelli, was a big Dune fan. In another of his films, The Beastmaster, there a scene where the hero is blinded, but is able to see through the eyes of his animals. This is similar to a scene in Dune Messiah.
Don't listen to the people saying it's a difficult book(s). It isn't. I devoured the first two when I was maybe 14. It opened me up to science-fiction beyond what I knew, which was mostly Star Wars. There's also more to the story than meets the eye, and the story isn't necessarily what we think it is when we first encounter it. But you'll figure that out.
@@reactswithjax What got me reading it was seeing the 80s film version, directed by David Lynch. Opinions vary on it. It's a surrealist filmmaker's take on it. I loved it, but not everyone does. Anyway, it blew my mind and sent me straight to the library, and probably launched me into a lifetime of reading sci-fi.:)
The only thing I found challenging with the book was how it switched between different characters' perspectives, often with no sign. In the same chapter we'd go from Paul's inner thoughts to Jessica's, with no signal that that's what was happening, so I'd have to figure it out as I went. But I attribute that to just being a book written in the 60s by someone who hadn't written books before; more a product of the times than something simply bad.
@@CountryMusicMann interesting pov, I first read the book at 13 years old, and it blew my mind. I don't agree with any of what you said, maybe it's your point of view which needs contemplation.
@@chrisw.5138 It's not simply my point of view. Dune was written in 3rd person omniscient point of view, whereas 3rd person limited is much more widespread today and is thus what I had much more experience reading. The difference is that in 3rd omniscient, we can swap freely between different characters' thoughts, or even pull out to note things the characters themselves aren't aware of. In 3rd person limited, the narrative is restricted to only a single POV character's inner thoughts at a time, and is restricted to only what that character would know. It's really just a technical difference that took me a little to adjust to, but I thought was worth pointing out for someone just getting into Dune.
I read the book in my teens and finally understood what "mind blown" truly meant. I also felt a sense of pride that I belonged to the same species as someone who could produce such a masterpiece. I was disappointed in the David Lynch adaption but this current one is satisfying. Not that it completely conveys even half of what the book conveyed but I think it does the best job possible for an adaption.
the sci-fi mini series isn't bad alot closer to the book than Lynch's movie and take you all the way to GOD Emperor. Think it was around 2000 or so when came out. Your right though these two movies are the best adaptation so far. So much to dune you need 2 three hours movies for each book.
Huge Frank Herbert fan here and as good as this movie was Dune 2 has become one of my favorite movies in recent memory. Looking forward to your reaction.
@@CyberBeep_kenshi Absolutely. The sets, scenery and the sound design are epic. I read the books back in the 70s and never thought we'd see a decent film adaptation. Villeneuve did an amazing job with this and with part 2
@@OldRod99 hans zimmer for the music, with lots of artists i have know for a long time. just epic. the sound design is also crazy. watched a docu on that. worth the time. that famous scene in 2 where he jumps on the...... that's practical effects! i like Nolan a lot, but Ville is on a whole other level
*He is the Kwizats Haderach! He was born of Caladan!* *And will take the Gom Jabar~* *He has the power to foresee or to look into the past!* *HE'S THE RULER OF THE **_STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!_*
Jessica is a Bene Gesserit, they can control everything in their bodies: Gender of their child is one of it. Their fighting style is a high speed martial art style where they let their muscles overrule their minds.
"Ooooh his poor mother.." HA HA HA HA! Thanks for all your awesome videos and for being you! These two movies may be my favorite films of the last 10 yrs maybe more. The visuals, acting, costumes and world design are soo amazing.
One of the most influential books ever. I remember the day in 1970 when my cousin gave me a ‘phone book’ called Dune to read! A few weeks after I saw Denis Villenueve’s film, I was in the school playground waiting to pick up my son. I saw strange markings and footprints on the ground. I recognized it. School kids have been doing the Fremen ‘sand walk’! As my son and I walked home from school, we could hear the school kids yelling out to one another, “Lisan-al-Ghaib! As Duncan said, the Fremen are the finest fighters in the Imperium. For Lady Jessica to beat the leader Stilgar is a big deal.
praying they release it in IMAX ratios someday, as there is no point watching it at home otherwise in my opinion. If Disney can put IMAX formatted content on D+, there is no excuse for WB to withhold the film in its proper aspect ratio
@Professor_Wisteria_ Totally agree. I almost feel bad for those watching on monitors.. Denis is a genius at conveying Scale cinematiclly. Worms, Heighiner Space Folding Ship Transporters etc. It can't work on a screen where the smaller object is an inch; or whatever size..
@@Alvan81 it almost seems a disservice to the insane attention to sound design and lighting when you're sitting at home watching on a PC with headphones, it is nowhere near the same as being fully immersed in the sight and sound from the big screen. i usually never go see movies in theaters but i would argue it's almost required for these ones
So glad you're going to read the book. The movies are masterpieces, but they're forced to leave a lot of context out. You'll learn a lot more about the people of Arrakis and the organization of the Empire through the books.
Why they need to travel between stars- it’s an interconnected economy at this point, cutting off all travel would be like suddenly cutting off all international trade _and_ communication would be for us. Some planets/systems, like some countries, would be more or less fine aside from being entirely isolated. Others that depended on things they can’t produce locally, in some cases even enough food for their population, would be devastated. A lot of people would die and humanity would become a million scattered islands that would never interact again, at least until/unless some other way to travel was managed.
@@technofilejr3401 In the book that certain person was perfectly fine with it, as he/she/it was fully aware of how the Great Houses did things, as well as his/her/its own people's customs. Quite frankly, I felt that that character was diminshed greatly in the movie by his/her/its reaction there.
I love how the director made the personal shields give off a rhythmic pulsing sound when they activate. It makes total sense why that sound would incite a worm feeding frenzy. Like blowing a dog whistle near a starving wolf pack… with wolves the size of the Chrysler Building.
I think you were giving some commentary JUST as House Harkonen was explaining why the emperor was orchestrating House Atreades' downfall. Atreades was gaining too much power and respect in the system. They were becoming a threat to the emperor's rule. Thus he created the conditions for war, and then backed the Harkonens.
1:26 Everyone in this movie is actually Human, but the Spice has mutated them into somewhat different species. The guild navigators, the Atreidies, the Fremen, the Harkonnen, are all humans that have evolved different paths about 10,000 - 30,000 years into the future from where we are now.
Denis is a lifelong fan of the books and has been thinking about this story since his teens. As the guy behind Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, it seems natural for him to do the adaptation. A third film is coming, an adaptation of the second novel of the series. Part 1 sets it all up, Part 2 pays it all off, but similar to Part 1, ends on a real "to be continued" moment. The cinematography is spectacular, and Zimmer again delivers amazing scores for both films. The cast is nuts, and it makes me think that Denis and Nolan represent the modern version of Terrence Malick, a director who had A-list actors lining up for a chance to be in one of his films even if the character had five lines. Denis is also slated to direct an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama," and I'm really looking forward to that one as well.
Definitely read Frank Herbert's books (NOT his son's) it'll give you all the background lore you crave about why things are the way they are and why the Emperor, the Bene Gesserit, the Bene Thleilax, the Spacing Guild, the Fremen, the Great Houses and the Landsraad behave the way they do. These movies, by necessity, are truncated (and altered) from the original story.
Please watch Dune part 2 after this one! It's even more amazing than part 1. I love both movies. The first one is an excellent introduction to the world of Dune but It feels very incomplete without the second one. I can't wait to see part 3 which is due to be released in 2026. And yeah...read the book! It's a sci-fi masterpiece!
@@lucagiovanetti9870 Of course part 2 is better, it’s the 2nd and 3rd acts of the story as a whole. Part 1 is all world building, with very little action till ¾ of the way through. Part 3 is Dune Messiah, right?
Dune has been called "Star Wars for grown ups". Its actually where George Lucas got most of his inspiration for Star Wars. Desert Planet, indigenous people culture and names, emperor, giant creatures, is Jabba the Hutt the Baron? Blood lines, special powers, chosen one, galaxy politics, etc... He even took specific scenes like the Hunter Seeker burning a hole in the wall to creep into his room to assassinate him... There is even "spice" in Star Wars that is considered a drug and sold by smugglers.
yep, not to mention telepathic twins, Alia = Leia, the "Spice Mines of Kessel" in star wars, Jabba is not the Baron... Jabba is the God Emperor of Dune, the Sarlaac = sandworms, Storm Troopers = Sardaukar, Tattooine = Arrakis, Jedis = Bene Gesserit with the Voice, lightsabers in star wars parallel blade battles in Dune, a secret reveal of the hero being related to the villain in both series
I read the six original novels, by Frank Herbert in the 80's, when I was a teen. (I'm now 55 years) -around when David Lynch made his film version (Much sorter, studio inference, yet has quality) Later the SyFy Channel made interesting adaptations of the first three novels. I was so glad that this two part adaptation was made,....and at least the next novel, in near future. You asked, Jax, where the planet Canadian was filmed -in Norway. Arrakis was filmed in Jordan and the UAE. Studios were in Hungary.
When Paul is in his trance at the crawler, right before Gurney grabs him, he says “I recognize your footsteps, Old Man.” This is a really cool double-meaning, as he says this line verbatim to Gurney earlier in the movie, but also the Sandworm is known to the Fremen as “The Old Man in the Desert.”
It's hard to show how the shields without relying on exposition: Shields stop fast moving objects especially bullets, but lasers cause a massive explosion at both points so its suicidal to use. They developed a slow moving sword technique to bypass shields, Duncan is a master at it and possibly the best in the Galaxy.
The hand in the box test turned up in the 1979 horror film “PHANTASM” (the film with the flying chrome sphere that attaches itself to people’s foreheads and drills holes in their skulls).
@@calvinkopp1735 No, it's 10,000 years from the Butlerian Jihad, which was 10,000 years from now. So, 20 thousand and some change..they started a new calendar after the Jihad.
Villeneuve did a fantastic job of threading the needle with this story. Making a movie of Dune shares many of the same potential pitfalls as making a movie of Lord of the Rings. The world is so huge and there is so much back story, and side story, to everything it makes it tough to present to an audience that is not already initiated. Villeneuve and Jackson both show what amazing directors and storytellers they are.
The way the Spacing Guild ships travel safely seems to need more explanation. The ships move by their own power; but it's the navigators that steer them, and avoid any timelines where they can't reach their destination. Much like how Paul avoided the possibilty of losing his Amtal duel. At least that's what I remember from the first book.
"They can ride the worms?" Oh yeah. And more. Bless the Maker and his water. Bless the coming and going of him. May his passage cleanse the world, and keep the world for his People.
“Cousin” is more of a term that the great houses use to refer to one another, kind of like a power aristocracy way of acknowledging some one who has a similar sphere of influence. They aren’t actually cousins. Part 2 is gonna blow your mind.
It’s a bit more than that. The Imperial Cousines are actually related to the ruling Imperial House Corrino. It’s a bit like Victorian Europe where all the ruling families are related through a common ancestor, but in this case that common ancestor is not a currently ruling monarch, but rather a member of House Corrino who lived centuries ago. So, Duke Leto and Baron Vladimir are actually very distant cousins. Of course, there are also other, closer, more recent relations among the Great Houses.
@@markhamstra1083 correct they are distant cousins, but like distant distant distant distant cousins, so distant that word doesn’t have the same meaning as the word does in our reality whatsoever. If we go back far enough you and I are probably “cousins” too lol.
The story is basically Lawrence of Arabia set in space. Substitute oil for spice, the Arabian Peninsula for Arrakis, the Arabs for the Fremen, and T.E. Lawrence for Paul, and boom, you've got your story.
I was about 16 or 17 When I read Dune which must have been in the early '70s. I was in high school and by this time I had read a couple dozen science fiction books. This completely blew me away. Unfortunately I knew no one at that time who was into science fiction. In fact some people told me my love of this book was kind of goofy. Then about 2 years later Star Wars came out and those same people were lining up at the theater to see it multiple times. If you look you can see The influence This book had on George Lucas's thinking about how to make a movie. Lucas didn't rip Herbert off just influenced him. And when I saw Star Wars I longed to see this story I loved turned into a movie. But as you guessed it couldn't be done till now. The book had an influence on my life. I wasn't too convinced that religion was the answer for me. Now I'm not saying this alone change my belief system but it is the skepticism of religion that is the theme of this book that had the most influence on me. It dethroned religion as the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong because it can be manipulated. It taught me all power seeking control is based on manipulation towards the goals of the powerful. Dune taught me that to blindly follow is the path towards war and domination. 8:03 A gift is not a gift if it becomes an obligation. It could create unreasonable possibly crushing demands. It instead becomes a curse. 28:46 BINGO 🔔🔔🔔 the power of house Atreides could interfere with the emperor's plans other houses we're falling in line behind them. The Harkonnens were becoming too rich, the cost of this war will help correct that.
Denis Villeneuve is a genius at visualization. No one else could or has been able to make an adaptation of Dune as well. He respects the story as a fan. David Lynch's version was good, but he famously stated that he didn't like science fiction. Not the person who should have been tasked with adapting one of the greatest science fiction stories ever written.
The book is really good. I just finished it. I'm on the second book now. The two movies cover the first book. You get a much better look at their worlds in the book.
the ONLY problem i have with this movie and the sequel is that there is simply so goddamn much content in the original material from the books that it would be nearly impossible to make a cohesive narrative in a movie format, so you wont get anywhere near the "full" story by watching them. literally everything else about them is incredible and i cannot freaking WAIT for part 3 also yes as you guessed the books are amazing, if a little long-winded at times
“I wonder why they need to travel between the stars?” For a galactic empire that’s like asking, “I wonder why Americans need to travel between the cities?” Or “I wonder why Earthlings need to travel between the nations.”
“They are very educated people.” The sign language is Atredies Silent, a battle language unique to Atredies Family and House fighters that allows them to communicate silently and privately. Even if you knew ASL…it would be completely different. They ALSO speak Atredies Battle Language, another version that IS spoken verbally, so they can speak privately over radios. They likely speak 7 or so languages each.
Thopter. Gravity on Arakis is 90% of that on Earth. Surprising, considering that Arakis is only about the size of Earth’s Moon. While our moon is largely hollow, Arakis’ core must be dense indeed.
The dragonfly design of the thopters is actually a pretty good idea. It so happens that dragonflies are the most _efficient_ hunters on Earth. They pretty much capture 100% of what they chase - that *double-set* of wings gives them a level of maneuverability that is far superior to all of their prey.
The books are amazing, I can't remember how many times I have read them. Their education is deeper than you can imagine. They speak several languages, including battle languages, signing, a finger language for when they are in physical contact. Paul is training to be a mentat, a living computer because computers are outlawed. The shields are not for training, they are used in combat. Then you get to his mother and her background, which is a huge rabbit hole.
That's not Helen Mirren but Charlotte Rampling, another Oscar-recognized beauty from the avant garde English cinema (and New Hollywood) of the '60s-'70s. Both are known for being strong women (and never having been bashful about their bodies, regardless of their age).
To understand the importance of Spice, think like this: without Spice, no interstellar space travel would be possible, no travel and no trade! Spice allow Guild's Navigator to fold the space itself bringing two planet closer to each other.
Interstellar travel is still possible without it. All it does is let them 'see' the future to navigate through space (so they can avoid hitting planets and such)
I promise you that the book is completely worth the read. Details will be spelled out and guide you beautifully along in this extraordinary and complex world. Thank you for sharing your reaction with us. It's lovely to have your company and input while enjoying watching this film. 😊
Gurney Halleck could best be described as a Bard. A warrior poet and singer who inspires his allies with his songs and tales of heroism. He is War Master of House Atreides. One of my all time favorite literary characters.
Jessica was going to say about he Crysknife that it's a "maker of death", a standard Bene Gesserit wording that the Freman may have been implanted with, she knew saying the right thing was critically important but she got lucky, one of names the Freman have the the giant worms are the "Makers" and the Crysknifes are made from worm tooth. Maybe it was fate.
Jax, you have a good ear. Baron Harkonnen was played by Stelan Skarsgard, who was Dr. Selvig in the Marvel movies. There were some differences in this movie from the book, but I think the director did an excellent job of capturing the flavor of the Dune universe while transferring the story to a very different medium. Particularly the sand worms. I'm with you on that one. They are truly terrifying, as they were meant to be. Excellent reaction. Can't wait for Part 2.
The Emperor was jealous of Duke Leto's popularity and growing influence in the empire's version of the senate. Instead of directly attacking the Duke, which would cause the other Houses to turn on him, the Emperor used the longtime enemy of the Atreides, the Harkonnen as a proxy. Because the Atreides were a powerful House, the Emperor had to basically cede Arrakis to them (instead of only managing the planet like the Harkonnens were doing). That's why the entire House was moving off Caladan at the start of the movie, they were transferring their flag to Arrakis completely (whereas the Harkonnens were still based on Giedi Prime as a House). The Harkonnens agreed to "give up" Arrakis without much complaint because they knew it was only temporary and once the Atreides were eliminated, Arrakis would go back to the Harkonnens. In the scheme of the Empire, the Emperor and Duke Leto are cousins. House Atreides is a Major House in the government while House Harkonnen is a less powerful and less liked house. That's why the Atreides were being given title of Arrakis whereas the Harkonnens could only run it as a temporary fiefdom while ownership remained with the Emperor and CHOAM (the major trade and economic faction of the universe).
I read Dune when I was in high school, and it was a tough book to get into. Took me two tries before I finished it, it's just so dense with jargon that I'd never heard of. Also, I was like 12 when I first tried, so I had to take a break and spend about a year getting a few more "grown-up" books under my belt before trying again. I'd recommend if you're going to read the book before watching part 2, stop right after the fight between Paul and Jamis, so you're not spoiling part 2. In terms of the film itself, they did leave out a couple of sub-plots, but they really had to if they hoped to finish the story in two films. There was a whole big thing about the politics of the universe, which explained how the houses and the Bene Gesserit worked. The other sub-plot was that Thufir Hawat, the Atreides mentat, thought that Jessica wasn't trustworthy, and he suspected she might have been a Harkonnen spy. Exploring those storylines probably would've added an extra 20-30 minutes to the film, not to mention tying them up in part 2 would've made that film longer too. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the film, it really is great. Can't wait to see you react to part 2!
The Shield, while great for training is a defensive item used by the Militaries. But Shields when hit by Lasers, have a chance of basically going Nuclear... either the Shield or Gun could go off at that point. So Shields, and Lasers, tend to be only used in specialized scenarios.
you'll definitely love the book.. they made a great movie out of the first book.. there were changes made as you'll see when you get to read the book.. over all excellent movie.. awesome reaction 👍😊
Dune is a wild story. It's really more about the ideas than the characters to a degree. You have to keep in mind the era and trends in writing both when Frank Herbert grew up and when he was developing the idea for this book. There used to be a genre of, for lack of a better term because I don't think there even is one, but there should be, Philosophy Fiction. Fictional stories that explored Social and Philosophical concepts in a manner that was more engaging than a Philosophical Treatise would be. Examples would be Aldus Huxley's "Brave New World", Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha", Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451", and the works of Ayn Rand. Dune belongs alongside works like those moreso than Science Fiction like Star Wars or Flash Gordon and those types of action adventure tales.
1:24 To answer that question, no, it is not a parallel universe. This is 30,000 years into our future. Old Earth has been forgotten. Different Royal Houses control different colonized planetary systems.
As others are telling you, the novel is a sprawling, heavy, nut ultimately brilliant story that has so many layers that it was considered unfilmable. Denis Villeneuve did a great job getting as much as he could into six hours. If you enjoyed the film then the book takes EVERYTHING so much deeper.
The Herald of the Change, Benjamin Clementine…I saw him perform as an opener for David Byrne in 2018. Interesting, to say the least. 😂 In one “song,” I guess you might call it…he tossed manikin parts around.
47:12 Jamis' family would not seek revenge - but they would expect Paul to provide for them, and if desired take on his wife as his own .. combat is their way.
Hey, Jax! This is a wonderful story, and the novel is my favorite of all-time! Your reaction was a lot of fun to watch. I could see how much you fell under the spell of it. A few things... - Frank Herbert, who created the Dune universe, wrote them as a warning against charismatic leaders and the messianic impulse. He spent five years researching and mapping out the story. When it was written, it was much like Lord of the Rings and was broken down into three novels. Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune. The first novel cameout in 1965. This film and Dune 2 are only the first novel. The third part being worked on is Dune Messiah, which basically wraps up Paul's story but not the whole story. Frank wrote six Dune books before his passing in 1986, but in the early 2000s, his son Brian Herbert, with Kevin J. Anderson, began to write more Dune novels based on Frank's notes, and there are 14 more novels. - There are many great quotes, especially the one that is the Bene Gessrit Litany Against Fear, "I must fear. Fear is the mind-killer..." - The voice of Paul's film books is not an actor but the film's editor, who won an Oscar for Best Editing for Dune. - Both director Denis Villeneuve and composer Hans Zimmer were huge fans of the novel as teens. Denis's lifelong dream was to make his own version of the story, and when Hans heard that a new version of Dune was being made, he lobbied to score the film. Hans won an Oscar for Best Score. - This is the third filmed adaptation of Dune, and there was even an early attempt that wasn't made. In the 1970s, a filmmaker named Alejandro Jodorowsky tried to make a 14-hour version that he believed would change the world with a huge cast. The production design, the casting, and the script were all brought into place....but the money was cut off. No one would fund the film. The documentary Jodowrosky's Dune tells this really fantastic story of the adaptation that wasn't...and yet, inspired tons of Hollywood films for decades since. The first complete film version was directed by David Lynch in 1984, with a cast including Patrick Stewart (Gurney Halleck), Kyle MacLachlan (Paul), and singer Sting (as Feyd). It tanked at the box office but is considered a flawed masterpiece and a cult classic today. The next was a successful six-hour TV miniseries for the Sci-Fi Channel in 2000, with William Hurt as Leto. It was so successful that there was a sequel miniseries that covered books 2 and 3 called Children of Dune (part 1 was Dune Messiah, Parts 2 & 3 were Children of Dune), which featured a pre-stardom James MacAvoy and Susan Sarandon. Each version has good and bad parts...but Villeneuve's version is the best. - The best place for any explanations about Dune and the universe that Frank Herbert created, I recommend the TH-cam channel Quinn's Ideas. He built his channel on deep dives into the books, the lore, and the author.
The reason they need to space travel is because the empire is thousands of planets in size at that point and 4,000 to 5,000 light years in diameter. Earth is a historic planet in Dune and is the homeworld of all the humans but by the time of the movie it has been turned into a national park after its destruction in 2798 AD. The movie is set about 20,000 years in the future. Also the movie doesn't touch on this but all of computation is done by mentats (human computers) who use spice to enhance their computing power. The reason for this is because there was a Butlerian Jihan in the empire in the past where thinking machines (robots) fought humans and the robots were banned after the humans won.
35:15 "what does the emperor want from all of this...?" Its more what does the Bene Gesserit want from all of this? They are the ones pulling all the strings behind the scenes. Cant wait to see your reaction to part II 👍
the story and whole universe is so rich and well built, it's ridiculous I haven't read the books, but after watching both movies, I spent literally hours on some Dune wiki to fully understand some quite important details there, because it's hard to grasp everything just from the movie, let alone after single watch
I think I heard that the "pet" @17:30 is actually that dude (who betrayed the king)'s wife. But was changed to have a torturous existence. The guy with the mark on his chin, they roll their eyes back. They are basically a form of computer. AI is banned in this universe, those those people are "computers" doing data calculation. Lasers are rarely used because based on the "science" of the universe, if the lasers hit the shield (personal or even larger) it results in a nuclear explosion at both the point of the shield AND at the point of the laser being fired.
The Emperor, who you’ll meet in the next movie, is a scheming politician, much like many of the characters in Game of Thrones. He made the calculation that House Atreides had grown powerful and influential enough to be a potential threat to him. Much like his own father, Duke Leto inadvertently provoked the wrong bull. Him and Baron Harkonen weren’t actually cousins, calling each other cousin is just a thing aristocrats do. Also, yes, this is a difficult book to adapt into a movie, they tried before in the 80s and it was...not good.
It's really something watching your astonishment at all the aspects of the world. To add to your comment about the 'Marvel cast', the original David Lynch one had Patrick Stewart in it. :)
This film is the best adaptation of any book that I've ever seen. And yes what captivated me about the book was the rich world building. I tried reading the sequels but they didn't hold up.
Glad you enjoyed it, Jax! I think you should watch part 2 before reading the novel, to avoid spoilers. Of course, you could read until the part where the movie ends. That said, the movies are very much their own thing, and they offer a slightly different experience from the book - that's why I think you should watch them together. I don't think the novel can be fully adapted, at least not in movie format: it's not very big, but it *is* very dense - for the most part, a couple of pages from Dune have enough content as you might find in an entire chapter from another book. It's one of the reasons why I love it - it's my favorite sci-fi book.
So happy that you enjoyed the movie so much. If you do intend to read the book, this, and the second part will be a good primer so that the book goes more smoothly for you. The book was a difficult read for the first part of it. You just have so much you need to learn when you start reading the book. These movies will definitely reduce your confusion when you start the book. I have read the book 3 times and have enjoyed and learned more each time. This empire he created in the book is so complex and intricate. It is fun, exciting and so suspenseful. if you do read at least the first book you will enjoy the hell out of it. On a lighter note I just love watching your reactions to all my favorite movies. I lost my wife last September 2023 and I miss watching my favorite movies with her. you have kind of filled a hole that I didn’t realize I missed. Thank you and keep on doing it I really appreciate it.
So far I have the same feeling about the adaptation of this story as I have towards the adaption of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in the way that while there is a LOT missing of the story, they have managed to capture the FEELING of the story / the world very very well. And it is SO clearly adapted by fans of the books. I really like these movies. :)
At the start you asked if this was the future, then it showed the year was 10,191. This is actually approximately 20,000 years into our future, as the "current" calendar is based on the creation of the Spacing Guild, establishing instantaneous travel to anywhere in the galaxy. The Voice is a technique created by the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood that allows them to alter their voice so that it acts on the subconscious mind. You see it used to great effect later, causing the target to become dazed as they obey the compulsion. Paul almost had it perfect at the start, but the compulsion wasn't strong enough yet. The Emperor set all of this up because Duke Leto was becoming very popular among the other Houses, and the Atreides army was extremely well trained. And as Baron Harkonnen said, "The Emperor is a jealous man. A dangerous, jealous man." There's a long standing blood feud between Houses Atreides and Harkonnen, so it wouldn't be strange for House Harkonnen to attack the Atreides over being replaced. The "cousin" thing is because they are both of Royal bloodlines. So, kind of a Noble House thing, "we can trace our bloodlines so far back we ARE related" and such. And, as I've seen others say, this movie and Part 2 are the entire first book. The DeLaurentis film was also the first book exclusively. I think we're getting books 2 and 3 as a single film from Villeneuve, too.
Funny you should say there a lot of moving pieces. A line repeated in the book is "plans within plans" or "plots within plots". There's a reason it is considered one of the greatest science fiction books ever. The world building is incredible, from the environments to the politics, to the technology (and lack thereof). You should definitely give it a read.
The 1st time when i met with the Dune world when i was play with Dune II building of a dynasty in 1992. I was 6. After that i hooked up :) Btw Dune was shot in Hungary, Jordan, Slovakia, Norway, United Arab Emirates, and Austria. Filming at the Origo Film Studios in Budapest, Hungary.
As someone who read and loved both LOTR and Dune as a teen, I think Denis Villaneuve did for Dune what Peter Jackson did for LOTR: take a densely written, complex story with multiple characters and plot lines, and made it both enjoyable by someone who hasn’t read the book, while still pleasing most fans of the books. Enjoyed your reaction and can’t wait to see you watch Part 2, which even surpasses Part 1. 😎👍
Yes and no, he left some really important stuff out, like the dinner that explain a lot. But as always with DV, he is a master of view and sound 🙂
@@ispbrotherwolf yep, too many liberties and changes as well. Also just some blatant disservices to the books. The end duel of part 1 being one of the prime examples. Fremen would never dual in a stil suit. War there isn't a choice, but duals are a luxuary where there is time to remove them.
@@cliveklg7739 I really can't count that as a disservice - Fremen certainly fight in still suits, and it would have been too confusing to the non-reader to tack on another 20 minutes to the film to get to a Fremen settlement before the dual - I think the way the film portrays it adds to, not denigrates, the story.
I have to disagree about part two. Part two strayed very far from the book.
@@dall1786 to the point they butchered Chani's character.
The TLDR of Dune history is that humans became super advanced, and relied on 'thinking machines' (AI) to do everything. Then the machines rose up in rebellion. Humanity won, barely, but then outlawed all forms of advanced computers. Because of this, humanity started experimenting on their own biology to take up the roles that AI machines used to. The Guild Navigators, Mentats (like Thufir and Piter), and Bene Gesserit are all examples of this.
Remember this book was written over a decade before personal computers were sold, so it was massively ahead of its time.
its a niptpick but in Herberts original trilogy. It was more that people became so reliant on AI they they became indolent. Then other people who knew how AI worked used it to take over and enslave everyone else. It was just after his son started writing that we got the "skynet" scenario
@@Aeolusdallas Didn't know that, thanks. I know the prequels are widely panned but I enjoyed them. I think the _theme_ of people becoming complacent/indolent is more interesting than as a literal story, as in letting the AI takeover is a compelling plot to me
@@TheJerbol I don't think the prequels are bad. But the don't have the same philosophical view that the original books did. The first 4 in particular
What a relevant concept today!
Dune Part 2 is actually the second half of the first book. These two movies are just one book and there are SIX books that are ready to be adapted.
There are many more Dune books than that to adapt. Considering the next Dune show, Dune: Prophesy, is taken from the book, Sisterhood of Dune, WB is delving into the entire book franchise and not just the original Dune Saga.
@@swordmonkey6635 I don't personally count them as Dune books. I see them as a seperate thing.
@@swordmonkey6635And few years from now, Dune: Messiah will be released as the final movie before the director Denis moves on to different projects.
Only the first 6 were written by FrankHerbert,@@swordmonkey6635 ... The others, including Prophesy, were co-written with others by FrankH's son, Brian.
@@calvinkopp1735 the final movie of his trilogy, yes. The door will be left open for WB to continue with another director
The novel is not a linear narrative that can be filmed 1-1. It covers 34,000 years of history and has lengthy explanations of the ecology of Arrakis and the political machinations of the Imperium.Villeneuve does an excellent job of filming the main plot throughline and capturing the essence of the universe.
Paul was heir to the most advanced disciplines in human history. He'd been trained since infancy by a Bene Gesserit in the deepest understanding of the human body and psychology. Thufir Hawat trained him to be a Mentat, a human supercomputer. Duncan Idaho was a swordmaster of the Ginaz, the best swordfighting school in the Imperium and more than equal to the Emperor's elite Sardaukar, and Gurney Halleck was one of the most feared and cunning soldiers and strategists known. Dr. Yueh taught him how to LEARN, and of course, he was the son of Leto the Just.
Shut up nerd
I remember being interested in the book once (before the movie was announced) and my friend (who had it) told me it's a tough read, he started reading but quickly stopped.
The first book only spans 2-3 years, although there is backstory dating back 10,000 years to the formation of the guild, the writing of the O.C. Bible etc. and another appendix set a few decades before the main novel.
The book sequels do take place over a longer timeline though.
@@GoldenLeafsMovies the first book is pretty easy. It tells a nice adventure story at a surface level so is easy to read without even needing to think about the deeper layers. The subsequent books get weirder and weirder as they go though, and harder to read as a result.
@@gregmantis I think he meant the backstory before the main events and the explanation of the great houses was kind of a slog to go through.
When Paul is out of the thopter when the worm attacks the spice harvester, he says, "I recognise your footsteps, old man." We're meant to connect that with the sparring scene with Gurney because he said the same thing to Gurney, and Gurney grabs Paul to run back to the thopter, but the Fremen word for the sand worm, Shai-Hulud, means 'Old Man of the Desert.' In that moment, Paul is talking to both Gurney Halleck and the sand worm.
Denis Villeneuve gets it, man.
That is so cool! I thought it was only a reference to Gurney but the fact that there is a double meaning is awesome!!
Good catch, the layering is real
As a lifelong fan of the book, I think this is as good a film version as we could realistically expect.
All the changes that were made in these 2 parts make a lot of sense when having to translate the text into image and sound.
Thanks for the reaction vid, this was fun!
I agree, I was shocked at how much the director was able to convey with so little exposition, given how dense and dialogue driven the book is. He also picked good stories to spotlight, obviously there are many more characters and their subplots.
At most I wish they’d have kept the dinner party scene in, I think it would have helped lay the groundwork for how much political scheming and tension there is, along with introducing the various houses and organizations. I understand it would probably add too much unnecessary info for single film.
I’d love to see a super extended cut.
Jessica is the royal concubine, not Duke Leto's wife. Paul is his announced heir (though technically a bastard). Leto needed to keep his marriage options open for political reasons.
In the books, it takes her quite a while to shake off the rumor she is the traitor of the Duke.
Political options is important in Dune.
This is true, but it's important to mention that Duke Leto never intended to actually marry anyone other than Lady Jessica. It was a bluff in negotiations with other houses and Leto genuinely loved Jessica.
Ooh okay!
Jessica reciting the Fear Litany while Paul pilots the 'thropter sort of reminds me of my mother praying while she was teaching me how to drive.
Hahaha!
@@reactswithjax😢😢😢
The author of Dune, Frank Herbert, thought the first Star Wars film borrowed a lot from Dune (the desert planet, the Force being able to control people with a voice, the galactic empire, the sand people, even the skeleton of some huge snake/worm in the desert). Herbert wanted to sue. But his lawyer said things were just different enough that he didn't have a case.
There's a horror movie called Phantasm that includes the a scene that's almost identical to Paul's test where he puts his hand in the box. The director, Don Coscarelli, was a big Dune fan. In another of his films, The Beastmaster, there a scene where the hero is blinded, but is able to see through the eyes of his animals. This is similar to a scene in Dune Messiah.
Fun fact: the raw footage of part 1 was over 5 hours long. Naturally they had to cut a ton out.
Hope one day they make a longer miniseries using more.
Don't listen to the people saying it's a difficult book(s). It isn't. I devoured the first two when I was maybe 14. It opened me up to science-fiction beyond what I knew, which was mostly Star Wars. There's also more to the story than meets the eye, and the story isn't necessarily what we think it is when we first encounter it. But you'll figure that out.
Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading it. How cool that you dived into this world at such a young age!
@@reactswithjax What got me reading it was seeing the 80s film version, directed by David Lynch. Opinions vary on it. It's a surrealist filmmaker's take on it. I loved it, but not everyone does. Anyway, it blew my mind and sent me straight to the library, and probably launched me into a lifetime of reading sci-fi.:)
The only thing I found challenging with the book was how it switched between different characters' perspectives, often with no sign. In the same chapter we'd go from Paul's inner thoughts to Jessica's, with no signal that that's what was happening, so I'd have to figure it out as I went. But I attribute that to just being a book written in the 60s by someone who hadn't written books before; more a product of the times than something simply bad.
@@CountryMusicMann interesting pov, I first read the book at 13 years old, and it blew my mind. I don't agree with any of what you said, maybe it's your point of view which needs contemplation.
@@chrisw.5138 It's not simply my point of view. Dune was written in 3rd person omniscient point of view, whereas 3rd person limited is much more widespread today and is thus what I had much more experience reading. The difference is that in 3rd omniscient, we can swap freely between different characters' thoughts, or even pull out to note things the characters themselves aren't aware of. In 3rd person limited, the narrative is restricted to only a single POV character's inner thoughts at a time, and is restricted to only what that character would know.
It's really just a technical difference that took me a little to adjust to, but I thought was worth pointing out for someone just getting into Dune.
I read the book in my teens and finally understood what "mind blown" truly meant.
I also felt a sense of pride that I belonged to the same species as someone who could produce such a masterpiece.
I was disappointed in the David Lynch adaption but this current one is satisfying. Not that it completely conveys even half of what the book conveyed but I think it does the best job possible for an adaption.
the sci-fi mini series isn't bad alot closer to the book than Lynch's movie and take you all the way to GOD Emperor. Think it was around 2000 or so when came out. Your right though these two movies are the best adaptation so far. So much to dune you need 2 three hours movies for each book.
Huge Frank Herbert fan here and as good as this movie was Dune 2 has become one of my favorite movies in recent memory. Looking forward to your reaction.
both are astounding.
You can't be a Herbert fan though.
@@CyberBeep_kenshi Absolutely. The sets, scenery and the sound design are epic. I read the books back in the 70s and never thought we'd see a decent film adaptation. Villeneuve did an amazing job with this and with part 2
@@OldRod99 hans zimmer for the music, with lots of artists i have know for a long time. just epic. the sound design is also crazy. watched a docu on that. worth the time. that famous scene in 2 where he jumps on the...... that's practical effects!
i like Nolan a lot, but Ville is on a whole other level
My first exposure to Dune wasn't the book or the early 80s movie, but instead an Iron Maiden song, "To Tame a Land", with lyrics based on the book.
*He is the Kwizats Haderach! He was born of Caladan!*
*And will take the Gom Jabar~*
*He has the power to foresee or to look into the past!*
*HE'S THE RULER OF THE **_STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!_*
It brought us all Piece of Mind.
I had no idea of that music.
Learn something new even after 35 years of being a Dune fan. Thanks!
this and Dune 2 are absolute masterpieces. also more is practical effects than you might think. What a feast:)
Jessica is a Bene Gesserit, they can control everything in their bodies: Gender of their child is one of it. Their fighting style is a high speed martial art style where they let their muscles overrule their minds.
"What wealth can you offer greater than the water in your flesh?"
"We can send you water bottles?"
I laughed harder than I should have xD
"Ooooh his poor mother.." HA HA HA HA! Thanks for all your awesome videos and for being you! These two movies may be my favorite films of the last 10 yrs maybe more. The visuals, acting, costumes and world design are soo amazing.
One of the most influential books ever. I remember the day in 1970 when my cousin gave me a ‘phone book’ called Dune to read! A few weeks after I saw Denis Villenueve’s film, I was in the school playground waiting to pick up my son. I saw strange markings and footprints on the ground. I recognized it. School kids have been doing the Fremen ‘sand walk’! As my son and I walked home from school, we could hear the school kids yelling out to one another, “Lisan-al-Ghaib! As Duncan said, the Fremen are the finest fighters in the Imperium. For Lady Jessica to beat the leader Stilgar is a big deal.
As a book fan of over thirty years, reading your story gave me chills.
This movie and the second one was perfect for the cinema. It’s great on the little screen, but the big screen was really fantastic
praying they release it in IMAX ratios someday, as there is no point watching it at home otherwise in my opinion. If Disney can put IMAX formatted content on D+, there is no excuse for WB to withhold the film in its proper aspect ratio
seeing this and Part Two in theaters genuinely were in my top 5 cinema experiences ever
@Professor_Wisteria_ Totally agree. I almost feel bad for those watching on monitors.. Denis is a genius at conveying Scale cinematiclly. Worms, Heighiner Space Folding Ship Transporters etc.
It can't work on a screen where the smaller object is an inch; or whatever size..
@@Alvan81 it almost seems a disservice to the insane attention to sound design and lighting when you're sitting at home watching on a PC with headphones, it is nowhere near the same as being fully immersed in the sight and sound from the big screen.
i usually never go see movies in theaters but i would argue it's almost required for these ones
So glad you're going to read the book. The movies are masterpieces, but they're forced to leave a lot of context out. You'll learn a lot more about the people of Arrakis and the organization of the Empire through the books.
Jax It's impossible not to laugh while watching your reactions When you said "That's such a big scroll for such a short message". 😂😂😂😂
So literally, "That's what she said!" then? 😂
Hahaha! The scroll was a bit dramatic!
No one ever really reads the Terms and Conditions.
Why they need to travel between stars- it’s an interconnected economy at this point, cutting off all travel would be like suddenly cutting off all international trade _and_ communication would be for us. Some planets/systems, like some countries, would be more or less fine aside from being entirely isolated. Others that depended on things they can’t produce locally, in some cases even enough food for their population, would be devastated. A lot of people would die and humanity would become a million scattered islands that would never interact again, at least until/unless some other way to travel was managed.
Jax is so funny. "The more you cry, the more you can drink" That's almost like a Motto for Arrakis 😊
In the novel you find out that Jamis had a wife and 2 sons. No vengence was sought by them, in fact Paul inherited them.
Which makes a certain persons reactions to Paul's decisions in the second movie seem odd.
@@technofilejr3401 In the book that certain person was perfectly fine with it, as he/she/it was fully aware of how the Great Houses did things, as well as his/her/its own people's customs. Quite frankly, I felt that that character was diminshed greatly in the movie by his/her/its reaction there.
I love how the director made the personal shields give off a rhythmic pulsing sound when they activate. It makes total sense why that sound would incite a worm feeding frenzy. Like blowing a dog whistle near a starving wolf pack… with wolves the size of the Chrysler Building.
I think you were giving some commentary JUST as House Harkonen was explaining why the emperor was orchestrating House Atreades' downfall. Atreades was gaining too much power and respect in the system. They were becoming a threat to the emperor's rule. Thus he created the conditions for war, and then backed the Harkonens.
1:26 Everyone in this movie is actually Human, but the Spice has mutated them into somewhat different species. The guild navigators, the Atreidies, the Fremen, the Harkonnen, are all humans that have evolved different paths about 10,000 - 30,000 years into the future from where we are now.
Denis is a lifelong fan of the books and has been thinking about this story since his teens. As the guy behind Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, it seems natural for him to do the adaptation. A third film is coming, an adaptation of the second novel of the series. Part 1 sets it all up, Part 2 pays it all off, but similar to Part 1, ends on a real "to be continued" moment.
The cinematography is spectacular, and Zimmer again delivers amazing scores for both films. The cast is nuts, and it makes me think that Denis and Nolan represent the modern version of Terrence Malick, a director who had A-list actors lining up for a chance to be in one of his films even if the character had five lines. Denis is also slated to direct an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke's "Rendezvous with Rama," and I'm really looking forward to that one as well.
It is criminal to not upload part 2 right away
Definitely read Frank Herbert's books (NOT his son's) it'll give you all the background lore you crave about why things are the way they are and why the Emperor, the Bene Gesserit, the Bene Thleilax, the Spacing Guild, the Fremen, the Great Houses and the Landsraad behave the way they do. These movies, by necessity, are truncated (and altered) from the original story.
Please watch Dune part 2 after this one! It's even more amazing than part 1. I love both movies. The first one is an excellent introduction to the world of Dune but It feels very incomplete without the second one. I can't wait to see part 3 which is due to be released in 2026. And yeah...read the book! It's a sci-fi masterpiece!
@@lucagiovanetti9870 Of course part 2 is better, it’s the 2nd and 3rd acts of the story as a whole. Part 1 is all world building, with very little action till ¾ of the way through.
Part 3 is Dune Messiah, right?
@@MrDarkwing78 Yes, it's not Part 3, it's Dune Messiah.
Dune has been called "Star Wars for grown ups". Its actually where George Lucas got most of his inspiration for Star Wars. Desert Planet, indigenous people culture and names, emperor, giant creatures, is Jabba the Hutt the Baron? Blood lines, special powers, chosen one, galaxy politics, etc... He even took specific scenes like the Hunter Seeker burning a hole in the wall to creep into his room to assassinate him... There is even "spice" in Star Wars that is considered a drug and sold by smugglers.
Yep. These books are the source of Star Wars. If it weren’t for them, Star Wars wouldn’t exist at all.
Actually Foundation is the source for both.
yep, not to mention telepathic twins, Alia = Leia, the "Spice Mines of Kessel" in star wars, Jabba is not the Baron... Jabba is the God Emperor of Dune, the Sarlaac = sandworms, Storm Troopers = Sardaukar, Tattooine = Arrakis, Jedis = Bene Gesserit with the Voice, lightsabers in star wars parallel blade battles in Dune, a secret reveal of the hero being related to the villain in both series
Don't forget the Jedi Mind Trick.
I don't know if "most" is fair. Lucas is cribbing from a lot of things.
I read the six original novels, by Frank Herbert in the 80's, when I was a teen. (I'm now 55 years) -around when David Lynch made his film version (Much sorter, studio inference, yet has quality) Later the SyFy Channel made interesting adaptations of the first three novels. I was so glad that this two part adaptation was made,....and at least the next novel, in near future.
You asked, Jax, where the planet Canadian was filmed -in Norway. Arrakis was filmed in Jordan and the UAE. Studios were in Hungary.
28:38 - That's the reason. Absolutely the reason the Emperor did it.
yupp, diminishing both houses in the process. it cost Harkonnen 70 years of production to move the troops. which is insane :)
Games within games within games
When Paul is in his trance at the crawler, right before Gurney grabs him, he says “I recognize your footsteps, Old Man.” This is a really cool double-meaning, as he says this line verbatim to Gurney earlier in the movie, but also the Sandworm is known to the Fremen as “The Old Man in the Desert.”
It's hard to show how the shields without relying on exposition:
Shields stop fast moving objects especially bullets, but lasers cause a massive explosion at both points so its suicidal to use.
They developed a slow moving sword technique to bypass shields, Duncan is a master at it and possibly the best in the Galaxy.
The hand in the box test turned up in the 1979 horror film “PHANTASM” (the film with the flying chrome sphere that attaches itself to people’s foreheads and drills holes in their skulls).
Waiting for part 2!
Jax blocking her face from the sand is why i love Jax's reactions 😂 when she's watching something - she's IMMERSED
Part 2 is going to blow you away.
The worms ARE necessary. They process the spice into the water of life,
They don't. Spice is a byproduct of the worm life cycle, sort of worm droppings. Water of life is basically worm blood.
In this Dune universe, it is the future of our same universe. 20,000 years in the future, and Earth is a forgotten planet
@@calvinkopp1735no, buddy, they're not using our calendar anymore. It's like 26,000 something AD
@@calvinkopp1735 No, it's 10,000 years from the Butlerian Jihad, which was 10,000 years from now. So, 20 thousand and some change..they started a new calendar after the Jihad.
@@calvinkopp1735 10,000 in the new calendar. It's really 20,000 from present day
@@calvinkopp1735 movie watchers making declarations about the world without having read the books, LOL
Earth is forgotten and devastated.
Frank Herbert was a conservationist, and wrote Dune initially as an allegory for our dependence on oil and destruction of the natural world.
Villeneuve did a fantastic job of threading the needle with this story. Making a movie of Dune shares many of the same potential pitfalls as making a movie of Lord of the Rings. The world is so huge and there is so much back story, and side story, to everything it makes it tough to present to an audience that is not already initiated. Villeneuve and Jackson both show what amazing directors and storytellers they are.
You are going to LOVE at least the first thee books. It gets wild after that, and you will either back away slowly, or love it all even more.
The way the Spacing Guild ships travel safely seems to need more explanation. The ships move by their own power; but it's the navigators that steer them, and avoid any timelines where they can't reach their destination.
Much like how Paul avoided the possibilty of losing his Amtal duel.
At least that's what I remember from the first book.
*There is no call we do not answer. There is no faith that we betray!*
Goosebumps every time
why?
"They can ride the worms?" Oh yeah. And more.
Bless the Maker and his water.
Bless the coming and going of him.
May his passage cleanse the world,
and keep the world for his People.
“Cousin” is more of a term that the great houses use to refer to one another, kind of like a power aristocracy way of acknowledging some one who has a similar sphere of influence. They aren’t actually cousins.
Part 2 is gonna blow your mind.
Correct. That said the Emperor (who isn't shown) is Duke Leto's distant cousin. With family like this who needs enemies. LOL.
It’s a bit more than that. The Imperial Cousines are actually related to the ruling Imperial House Corrino. It’s a bit like Victorian Europe where all the ruling families are related through a common ancestor, but in this case that common ancestor is not a currently ruling monarch, but rather a member of House Corrino who lived centuries ago. So, Duke Leto and Baron Vladimir are actually very distant cousins. Of course, there are also other, closer, more recent relations among the Great Houses.
@@markhamstra1083 correct they are distant cousins, but like distant distant distant distant cousins, so distant that word doesn’t have the same meaning as the word does in our reality whatsoever. If we go back far enough you and I are probably “cousins” too lol.
Well, under it all it's even more complicated with the Benegeserit playing with bloodlines. Paul's lineage is troubling.
The story is basically Lawrence of Arabia set in space. Substitute oil for spice, the Arabian Peninsula for Arrakis, the Arabs for the Fremen, and T.E. Lawrence for Paul, and boom, you've got your story.
I was about 16 or 17 When I read Dune which must have been in the early '70s. I was in high school and by this time I had read a couple dozen science fiction books. This completely blew me away.
Unfortunately I knew no one at that time who was into science fiction. In fact some people told me my love of this book was kind of goofy.
Then about 2 years later Star Wars came out and those same people were lining up at the theater to see it multiple times.
If you look you can see The influence This book had on George Lucas's thinking about how to make a movie. Lucas didn't rip Herbert off just influenced him. And when I saw Star Wars I longed to see this story I loved turned into a movie. But as you guessed it couldn't be done till now.
The book had an influence on my life.
I wasn't too convinced that religion was the answer for me. Now I'm not saying this alone change my belief system but it is the skepticism of religion that is the theme of this book that had the most influence on me. It dethroned religion as the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong because it can be manipulated.
It taught me all power seeking control is based on manipulation towards the goals of the powerful.
Dune taught me that to blindly follow is the path towards war and domination.
8:03 A gift is not a gift if it becomes an obligation. It could create unreasonable possibly crushing demands. It instead becomes a curse.
28:46 BINGO 🔔🔔🔔 the power of house Atreides could interfere with the emperor's plans other houses we're falling in line behind them.
The Harkonnens were becoming too rich, the cost of this war will help correct that.
Denis Villeneuve is a genius at visualization. No one else could or has been able to make an adaptation of Dune as well. He respects the story as a fan. David Lynch's version was good, but he famously stated that he didn't like science fiction. Not the person who should have been tasked with adapting one of the greatest science fiction stories ever written.
The book is really good. I just finished it. I'm on the second book now. The two movies cover the first book. You get a much better look at their worlds in the book.
First time viewer of your channel. I have to say, it was the cheeky quip about your telepathy with Lamby that earned my subscription!
And I thought my day couldn’t get better. A fascinating reaction as always!
the ONLY problem i have with this movie and the sequel is that there is simply so goddamn much content in the original material from the books that it would be nearly impossible to make a cohesive narrative in a movie format, so you wont get anywhere near the "full" story by watching them.
literally everything else about them is incredible and i cannot freaking WAIT for part 3
also yes as you guessed the books are amazing, if a little long-winded at times
“I wonder why they need to travel between the stars?”
For a galactic empire that’s like asking, “I wonder why Americans need to travel between the cities?”
Or “I wonder why Earthlings need to travel between the nations.”
“They are very educated people.”
The sign language is Atredies Silent, a battle language unique to Atredies Family and House fighters that allows them to communicate silently and privately. Even if you knew ASL…it would be completely different.
They ALSO speak Atredies Battle Language, another version that IS spoken verbally, so they can speak privately over radios.
They likely speak 7 or so languages each.
Scarred, not scared
Thopter.
Gravity on Arakis is 90% of that on Earth.
Surprising, considering that Arakis is only about the size of Earth’s Moon.
While our moon is largely hollow, Arakis’ core must be dense indeed.
The dragonfly design of the thopters is actually a pretty good idea. It so happens that dragonflies are the most _efficient_ hunters on Earth. They pretty much capture 100% of what they chase - that *double-set* of wings gives them a level of maneuverability that is far superior to all of their prey.
I cannot recommend the book highly enough. It is one of the greats. There is a very deep ocean of a story that lies underneath the events we see here.
The books are amazing, I can't remember how many times I have read them.
Their education is deeper than you can imagine. They speak several languages, including battle languages, signing, a finger language for when they are in physical contact.
Paul is training to be a mentat, a living computer because computers are outlawed. The shields are not for training, they are used in combat.
Then you get to his mother and her background, which is a huge rabbit hole.
That's not Helen Mirren but Charlotte Rampling, another Oscar-recognized beauty from the avant garde English cinema (and New Hollywood) of the '60s-'70s. Both are known for being strong women (and never having been bashful about their bodies, regardless of their age).
Dune was heavily inspired by the story of Lawrence of Arabia. When you have spare hour or 5, it is a cinematic masterpiece worth watching.
The adventures of Dax with Jax
To understand the importance of Spice, think like this: without Spice, no interstellar space travel would be possible, no travel and no trade! Spice allow Guild's Navigator to fold the space itself bringing two planet closer to each other.
Interstellar travel is still possible without it. All it does is let them 'see' the future to navigate through space (so they can avoid hitting planets and such)
@deek60819 Clearly space travel was possible without spice, or humanity would never have discovered spice in the first place.
@@SCWillson yeah but it took time, maybe more than an average life time to travel without spice.
“ you keep adding stipulations “
Nearly choked on my Doritos 😂😂😂
The book is one of the great classics of sci-fi. I highly recommend it. I look forward to seeing your reaction to part 2!
Great reaction the 2nd one is even better
I promise you that the book is completely worth the read. Details will be spelled out and guide you beautifully along in this extraordinary and complex world.
Thank you for sharing your reaction with us. It's lovely to have your company and input while enjoying watching this film. 😊
Gurney Halleck could best be described as a Bard. A warrior poet and singer who inspires his allies with his songs and tales of heroism. He is War Master of House Atreides.
One of my all time favorite literary characters.
Jessica was going to say about he Crysknife that it's a "maker of death", a standard Bene Gesserit wording that the Freman may have been implanted with, she knew saying the right thing was critically important but she got lucky, one of names the Freman have the the giant worms are the "Makers" and the Crysknifes are made from worm tooth. Maybe it was fate.
Jax, you have a good ear. Baron Harkonnen was played by Stelan Skarsgard, who was Dr. Selvig in the Marvel movies. There were some differences in this movie from the book, but I think the director did an excellent job of capturing the flavor of the Dune universe while transferring the story to a very different medium. Particularly the sand worms. I'm with you on that one. They are truly terrifying, as they were meant to be. Excellent reaction. Can't wait for Part 2.
The Emperor was jealous of Duke Leto's popularity and growing influence in the empire's version of the senate. Instead of directly attacking the Duke, which would cause the other Houses to turn on him, the Emperor used the longtime enemy of the Atreides, the Harkonnen as a proxy. Because the Atreides were a powerful House, the Emperor had to basically cede Arrakis to them (instead of only managing the planet like the Harkonnens were doing). That's why the entire House was moving off Caladan at the start of the movie, they were transferring their flag to Arrakis completely (whereas the Harkonnens were still based on Giedi Prime as a House). The Harkonnens agreed to "give up" Arrakis without much complaint because they knew it was only temporary and once the Atreides were eliminated, Arrakis would go back to the Harkonnens.
In the scheme of the Empire, the Emperor and Duke Leto are cousins. House Atreides is a Major House in the government while House Harkonnen is a less powerful and less liked house. That's why the Atreides were being given title of Arrakis whereas the Harkonnens could only run it as a temporary fiefdom while ownership remained with the Emperor and CHOAM (the major trade and economic faction of the universe).
Also the Atreides army was getting to be as powerful as the Emperor's Sarduakar troops.
Thank you current paragraph guy, I mostly forgot the intricacies.
wasnt the bene gesserit rev. mother the one who was jealous, and convinced the emperor to do it?
I read Dune when I was in high school, and it was a tough book to get into. Took me two tries before I finished it, it's just so dense with jargon that I'd never heard of. Also, I was like 12 when I first tried, so I had to take a break and spend about a year getting a few more "grown-up" books under my belt before trying again. I'd recommend if you're going to read the book before watching part 2, stop right after the fight between Paul and Jamis, so you're not spoiling part 2.
In terms of the film itself, they did leave out a couple of sub-plots, but they really had to if they hoped to finish the story in two films. There was a whole big thing about the politics of the universe, which explained how the houses and the Bene Gesserit worked. The other sub-plot was that Thufir Hawat, the Atreides mentat, thought that Jessica wasn't trustworthy, and he suspected she might have been a Harkonnen spy. Exploring those storylines probably would've added an extra 20-30 minutes to the film, not to mention tying them up in part 2 would've made that film longer too.
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the film, it really is great. Can't wait to see you react to part 2!
The Shield, while great for training is a defensive item used by the Militaries.
But Shields when hit by Lasers, have a chance of basically going Nuclear... either the Shield or Gun could go off at that point.
So Shields, and Lasers, tend to be only used in specialized scenarios.
you'll definitely love the book.. they made a great movie out of the first book.. there were changes made as you'll see when you get to read the book.. over all excellent movie.. awesome reaction 👍😊
Dune is a wild story. It's really more about the ideas than the characters to a degree. You have to keep in mind the era and trends in writing both when Frank Herbert grew up and when he was developing the idea for this book.
There used to be a genre of, for lack of a better term because I don't think there even is one, but there should be, Philosophy Fiction. Fictional stories that explored Social and Philosophical concepts in a manner that was more engaging than a Philosophical Treatise would be.
Examples would be Aldus Huxley's "Brave New World", Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha", Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451", and the works of Ayn Rand. Dune belongs alongside works like those moreso than Science Fiction like Star Wars or Flash Gordon and those types of action adventure tales.
1:24 To answer that question, no, it is not a parallel universe. This is 30,000 years into our future. Old Earth has been forgotten. Different Royal Houses control different colonized planetary systems.
26,000... even I got it wrong with that.
As others are telling you, the novel is a sprawling, heavy, nut ultimately brilliant story that has so many layers that it was considered unfilmable. Denis Villeneuve did a great job getting as much as he could into six hours. If you enjoyed the film then the book takes EVERYTHING so much deeper.
The Herald of the Change, Benjamin Clementine…I saw him perform as an opener for David Byrne in 2018.
Interesting, to say the least. 😂 In one “song,” I guess you might call it…he tossed manikin parts around.
47:12 Jamis' family would not seek revenge - but they would expect Paul to provide for them, and if desired take on his wife as his own .. combat is their way.
The book really is _so_ good. A must-read when it comes to science fiction.
Hey, Jax! This is a wonderful story, and the novel is my favorite of all-time! Your reaction was a lot of fun to watch. I could see how much you fell under the spell of it. A few things...
- Frank Herbert, who created the Dune universe, wrote them as a warning against charismatic leaders and the messianic impulse. He spent five years researching and mapping out the story. When it was written, it was much like Lord of the Rings and was broken down into three novels. Dune, Dune Messiah, and Children of Dune. The first novel cameout in 1965. This film and Dune 2 are only the first novel. The third part being worked on is Dune Messiah, which basically wraps up Paul's story but not the whole story. Frank wrote six Dune books before his passing in 1986, but in the early 2000s, his son Brian Herbert, with Kevin J. Anderson, began to write more Dune novels based on Frank's notes, and there are 14 more novels.
- There are many great quotes, especially the one that is the Bene Gessrit Litany Against Fear, "I must fear. Fear is the mind-killer..."
- The voice of Paul's film books is not an actor but the film's editor, who won an Oscar for Best Editing for Dune.
- Both director Denis Villeneuve and composer Hans Zimmer were huge fans of the novel as teens. Denis's lifelong dream was to make his own version of the story, and when Hans heard that a new version of Dune was being made, he lobbied to score the film. Hans won an Oscar for Best Score.
- This is the third filmed adaptation of Dune, and there was even an early attempt that wasn't made. In the 1970s, a filmmaker named Alejandro Jodorowsky tried to make a 14-hour version that he believed would change the world with a huge cast. The production design, the casting, and the script were all brought into place....but the money was cut off. No one would fund the film. The documentary Jodowrosky's Dune tells this really fantastic story of the adaptation that wasn't...and yet, inspired tons of Hollywood films for decades since. The first complete film version was directed by David Lynch in 1984, with a cast including Patrick Stewart (Gurney Halleck), Kyle MacLachlan (Paul), and singer Sting (as Feyd). It tanked at the box office but is considered a flawed masterpiece and a cult classic today. The next was a successful six-hour TV miniseries for the Sci-Fi Channel in 2000, with William Hurt as Leto. It was so successful that there was a sequel miniseries that covered books 2 and 3 called Children of Dune (part 1 was Dune Messiah, Parts 2 & 3 were Children of Dune), which featured a pre-stardom James MacAvoy and Susan Sarandon. Each version has good and bad parts...but Villeneuve's version is the best.
- The best place for any explanations about Dune and the universe that Frank Herbert created, I recommend the TH-cam channel Quinn's Ideas. He built his channel on deep dives into the books, the lore, and the author.
The reason they need to space travel is because the empire is thousands of planets in size at that point and 4,000 to 5,000 light years in diameter. Earth is a historic planet in Dune and is the homeworld of all the humans but by the time of the movie it has been turned into a national park after its destruction in 2798 AD. The movie is set about 20,000 years in the future.
Also the movie doesn't touch on this but all of computation is done by mentats (human computers) who use spice to enhance their computing power. The reason for this is because there was a Butlerian Jihan in the empire in the past where thinking machines (robots) fought humans and the robots were banned after the humans won.
35:15 "what does the emperor want from all of this...?"
Its more what does the Bene Gesserit want from all of this? They are the ones pulling all the strings behind the scenes.
Cant wait to see your reaction to part II 👍
One of my favorite books and movies! You will really digg the second part. 👍🏼✨
the story and whole universe is so rich and well built, it's ridiculous
I haven't read the books, but after watching both movies, I spent literally hours on some Dune wiki to fully understand some quite important details there, because it's hard to grasp everything just from the movie, let alone after single watch
I think I heard that the "pet" @17:30 is actually that dude (who betrayed the king)'s wife. But was changed to have a torturous existence.
The guy with the mark on his chin, they roll their eyes back. They are basically a form of computer. AI is banned in this universe, those those people are "computers" doing data calculation.
Lasers are rarely used because based on the "science" of the universe, if the lasers hit the shield (personal or even larger) it results in a nuclear explosion at both the point of the shield AND at the point of the laser being fired.
The Emperor, who you’ll meet in the next movie, is a scheming politician, much like many of the characters in Game of Thrones. He made the calculation that House Atreides had grown powerful and influential enough to be a potential threat to him. Much like his own father, Duke Leto inadvertently provoked the wrong bull. Him and Baron Harkonen weren’t actually cousins, calling each other cousin is just a thing aristocrats do. Also, yes, this is a difficult book to adapt into a movie, they tried before in the 80s and it was...not good.
It's really something watching your astonishment at all the aspects of the world. To add to your comment about the 'Marvel cast', the original David Lynch one had Patrick Stewart in it. :)
This film is the best adaptation of any book that I've ever seen. And yes what captivated me about the book was the rich world building. I tried reading the sequels but they didn't hold up.
Part 1 does a fantastic job of adapting the first half of the original novel. There are things omitted, but you don't notice if you haven't read it.
Glad you enjoyed it, Jax!
I think you should watch part 2 before reading the novel, to avoid spoilers.
Of course, you could read until the part where the movie ends.
That said, the movies are very much their own thing, and they offer a slightly different experience from the book - that's why I think you should watch them together.
I don't think the novel can be fully adapted, at least not in movie format: it's not very big, but it *is* very dense - for the most part, a couple of pages from Dune have enough content as you might find in an entire chapter from another book.
It's one of the reasons why I love it - it's my favorite sci-fi book.
So happy that you enjoyed the movie so much. If you do intend to read the book, this, and the second part will be a good primer so that the book goes more smoothly for you. The book was a difficult read for the first part of it. You just have so much you need to learn when you start reading the book. These movies will definitely reduce your confusion when you start the book. I have read the book 3 times and have enjoyed and learned more each time. This empire he created in the book is so complex and intricate. It is fun, exciting and so suspenseful. if you do read at least the first book you will enjoy the hell out of it. On a lighter note I just love watching your reactions to all my favorite movies. I lost my wife last September 2023 and I miss watching my favorite movies with her. you have kind of filled a hole that I didn’t realize I missed. Thank you and keep on doing it I really appreciate it.
My favorite "box" lore is when someone put Elmo into the scene.
1:06 😂 Dax is the soldier in Starship Troopers 2.
So far I have the same feeling about the adaptation of this story as I have towards the adaption of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in the way that while there is a LOT missing of the story, they have managed to capture the FEELING of the story / the world very very well. And it is SO clearly adapted by fans of the books. I really like these movies. :)
At the start you asked if this was the future, then it showed the year was 10,191. This is actually approximately 20,000 years into our future, as the "current" calendar is based on the creation of the Spacing Guild, establishing instantaneous travel to anywhere in the galaxy.
The Voice is a technique created by the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood that allows them to alter their voice so that it acts on the subconscious mind. You see it used to great effect later, causing the target to become dazed as they obey the compulsion. Paul almost had it perfect at the start, but the compulsion wasn't strong enough yet.
The Emperor set all of this up because Duke Leto was becoming very popular among the other Houses, and the Atreides army was extremely well trained. And as Baron Harkonnen said, "The Emperor is a jealous man. A dangerous, jealous man." There's a long standing blood feud between Houses Atreides and Harkonnen, so it wouldn't be strange for House Harkonnen to attack the Atreides over being replaced.
The "cousin" thing is because they are both of Royal bloodlines. So, kind of a Noble House thing, "we can trace our bloodlines so far back we ARE related" and such.
And, as I've seen others say, this movie and Part 2 are the entire first book. The DeLaurentis film was also the first book exclusively. I think we're getting books 2 and 3 as a single film from Villeneuve, too.
Funny you should say there a lot of moving pieces. A line repeated in the book is "plans within plans" or "plots within plots". There's a reason it is considered one of the greatest science fiction books ever. The world building is incredible, from the environments to the politics, to the technology (and lack thereof). You should definitely give it a read.
The 1st time when i met with the Dune world when i was play with Dune II building of a dynasty in 1992. I was 6. After that i hooked up :) Btw Dune was shot in Hungary, Jordan, Slovakia, Norway, United Arab Emirates, and Austria. Filming at the Origo Film Studios in Budapest, Hungary.