Nobody has mentioned the way that the worms are done in this version. I love the way that the top of the worm is just above the surface, rather than the entire worm, so you get the appearance of the riders seeming to float above the sand. I also loved the worm-bus with Lady Jessica in her special tent.
Well, it looks cool...but how exactly did they get her tent on top of the worm, in the first place?🤔 Villeneuve Dune succeeded in making the task of Paul setting-up the worm ride scarily realistic. Lynch Dune took the extra (VERY important) step of showing how the worm-rider facilitated others getting onto the thing.
Also, the speed of the worms. Other versions have them moving as slow a a person can run. These worms are hauling, with all the wind & dust that entails.
I still say the Sci Fi Channel's treatment of Dune is the golden standard. Yes, it was like a stage play on film, and yes, I did not like William Hurt's hamming up his scenes like Shatner on steroids, but I still appreciated the work's treatment of the Baron like a Shakespearean villain.
It was the most complete adaptation thus far, but it's hard to get past some facets. After the '84 Dune movie, the costuming in the SciFi series looks a joke. William Hurt often sounds like an old monotone stoner hippy who's bored rather than a powerful space Duke with a lot on his mind. I still enjoyed it, despite it's issues.
Totally agree. The Baron was terribly underutilized. No where near enough dialogue was given to develop this highly intelligent and insidious character. Sci-Fi channel got him right.
I missed Alia {born}, Thufir Hawat, the Spacing Guild was absent, the son of Chaney and Paul who dies was a better reason to drink the water of life than just an attack. Now, the cinemicrography, the costumes, the sets, the special effects, the acting, totally worth the price of admission. I found Paul’s reluctant to go south the worst part of the plot. Chaney rejecting Paul’s messiah persona was a close second. Paul’s real struggle, the same for his sister Alia and then his son’s Leto was the knowledge of the future, the present and the past. In the movie Paul has visions but he never has the struggle, the fear, the need to know. I think this would have been a much better path, the golden path 😊
Honestly, if I hadn’t read the books I would have thought Paul took the Princess hand just so he had a good excuse to dump Chani. I'd 100% dump a girl if she was constantly scowling and publicly embarrassing me as Chani did to Paul. This is going to make the future interactions pretty unbelievable to the audience because Chani is basically the crazy ex now that Paul wishes he could block.
Yeah the princess was a hell of a lot hotter lets be honest here. Even in the 1984 film That princess was cute as well but Sean Young was a babe not Zendaya not even close. Chani pouting at the end stupid when all he had to do was saying he was marrying Irulean for the title and Chani as his lover that's it stupid woman. Far to much of the film about Chani's character instead of more important events.
@@bartsullivan4866 I think the changes were okay for this movie but my big problem is now a huge part of the future story makes no sense now and will need to be altered. They have really written themselves into a hole here unless Paul and Chani just magically make up and are madly loyal to each other again at the start of the next movie.
Their whole relationship was awful, she was constantly antagonizing and fighting with him just to blurt out the subtle theme of the book blatantly to the audience over and over - and remember, unlike the book they have only been "in love" for about a month or two. Would you want to devote your life to some girl you just started dating who routinely puts you down, storms off in rage constantly, tells you she loves you only if you never change in any way, slapped you after you nearly died, was forced to cry for you at metaphorical gunpoint when you were dying, and leaves you at the end because she's too dumb to realize a political marriage when it exists in her own culture as well as yours so you can rule the universe together and give the Fremen the independence she stated she wanted and help you keep your word about helping them? Yeah, I'd 100% go for Irulan if I was him and not look back, plus I find her intelligence and grace incredibly attractive, both of which are severely lacking in Chani.
I've seen two great movies in the past 3 months. Dune II and Godzilla minus One - both seen in the Cinema after a long hiatus from going to the Cinema. If I have a couple criticisms, the rushed, nigh Formula One speed ending of the movie. And, wait for it, Zendaya. Never seen her in anything else(that isn't Dune related) but man, what a plank of wood.
3:51 I know EXACTLY what you mean. They should have let Florence be FLORENCE. A DARING Ensemble would have contrasted the princess's privlidges with the obligation of the other women around her. And......We would have gotten to see Florence with a wonderful tan.
We are living in the age of the obnoxious and unlikeable boss babe, which I assume represents all the female executives involved in the film industry these days and who want to see themselves represented.
Zendaya was pretty horrible as Mary Jane Watson in the latest Spiderman movies. Come to think of It, the casting in those movies was terrible overall...
@@luiznogueira1579 I'm happy I missed that dumpster fire. Believe it or not I haven't seen most of the super hero movies of the past 10 years or so. I got lost and lacked the energy to catchup and figure out what was going on in each franchise.
@@muhdiversity7409 Yeah, I've pretty much given up watching the superhero cr*p. Fed up with the whole thing. I think they should given It a rest, too, quit making sh stuff for a few years at least.
The biggest thing for me was visualization of the era. Dune takes place in the year 10,191 AG (After Guild). Comparing Villeneuve's to Lynch's Dune, you have to ask, which one is more evocative of an era 20,000 years in the future? _Hint: It's not Villeneuve's._ (I still hope that one day David Lynch will decide to OWN his Dune and will release a 5-hour Director's Cut.)
Lynch's not going to do that. I've seen an Interview where he regrets ever having made the Dune movie, says It was the single worst experience in his carreer. Don't hold your breath.
I saw "Dune 2" in Bremen, Germany, in the original English version - I agree with Paul's assessment. I liked the film, it could have been better if the Saudukar und Harkonnen would have been more capable as they were in Dune 1. Overall, it is a very good, albeit not great, film. I think the Critical Drinker said "It did not suck, which already makes it stand out by 2020s standard" ... will, said!
I generally really enjoyed it. The sound, visuals and flow of the film were beautiful. I wasnt a fan of how Chani was much more of an angry petulant jerk in this adaptation. She was practically an antagonist in the second half, expressing no love at all towards Paul that I saw. Im surprised this didnt come up in the video. Maybe thats just me as I dont see at all what the appeal of Zendaya is.
I don't know anything from the books, but just from watching the movies, my total guess is that they are setting up Chani to be the Jon Snow to Paul's "Mad Queen" Daenerys. Chani is going to kill Paul in the 3rd movie.
@@googleislame *Possible Mild Spoilers* Ill try to be vague (not least because it been a while since I read the books) but thats very much NOT the way the books go. Chani and Paul have 2 children who are VERY important to the on going story. From what I remember, in the books shes a loving & loyal (but not soft/weak) wife. Also, these films are broadly awesome but (as is almost always the case) the books are so much better. You HAVE to read them to understand the incredible depth that caused this story to be labeled as '"unadaptable to film".
Chani was massively improved and had actual purpose in the plot. This is far from an example of feminism going too far. Made Paul's final decision have far more emotional resonance.
As an adaptation it was really bad. There is not much worldbuilding. Political scheming, as well as main players like Guild Navigators, CHOOM are left out almost entirely. Not even Leto I was mentioned (just once, but he was a big role in Paul's decision making) . Some unimportant minor parts like Chani being Stilgar's niece and the climatologist's daughter is left out. Alia was supposed to kill Baron, it is important in the future. As a movie, a 5 hour movie, there is too few things going on. First part barely stands on its own due to nonexistence of payoff. Inefficient storytelling. Chalamet and Zendaya has little to no chemistry.
Almost too loud. Super immersive. It's very easy to get lost in the moment and suspend disbelief. You're not in a theater watching a bunch of actors. You're in the desert with the Fremen.
i got (not my preferred seats i like the ones they mix the theater audio from) seats in the front of the second bank of seats where theres a railing and stairs lead up to the section. i had my foot on the railing and when the worms were approaching the vibration from the sound made it feel like the earth was trembling. i watched part one the night before and moments like that without a subwoofer the tv would occasionally make that “wub wub” sound that they tend to make when the speakers are incapable of producing that frequency. its very cinema oriented
It's not in the realm of lord of the rings. 7 out of 10. Great visuals, most actors managed to embody the characters from the book. The scene on ghedi prime was spectacular, but far too short and missing much of the necessary context. The scene with the emperor was far to short. The princess is also way underutilized, she's very important for future stories. The decision to rush through much of the meat of the book to get to the final battle kills the relationship of paul and chani. It's years not months. They have zero chemistry and shes such a see you next Tuesday I can't see anyone tolerating her in that world. They totally ruined the character of chani from just about every angle. She is the literal mirror version of her book personality and it doesn't work. The loss of paul and chanis first child sets the stage for pauls downfall, and is necessary. Alia is a key player in future storylines and her killing the Barron sets up children of dune. Some adaptation is needed to make a book work on film, but they made a lot of very poor decisions with the story and characters. This could have easily been a trilogy that would rival the original star wars and LOTR if done with more deference to the book.
Agree with every single point you made here. It's an audiovisual and cinematic masterpiece and absolute spectacle, but quite flawed in many other aspects. For one i cannot name even one single memorable acting performance, except maybe Bardem's Stilgar. And Walken's Emperor was simply pathetic and completely miscast. Reminded me of Joe Biden somehow. Old and frail. And the ending was just straight up disappointing and even weaker than the Lynch Dune one.
@@axelhopfinger533 And without the far superior soundtrack. I'm at the point that I kind of hate Hanz Zimmer. Bellowed discordant sounds is not a score.
@@s13gouf60 You know, after watching it on a really big screen with Dolby Atmos sound, i must say that the audiovisual design of these movies is quite magnificient and a proper spectacle. But Zimmer's music somehow hit different in the first one. And i still kinda prefer the Brian Eno score tbh. Also the casting in the Lynch Dune was SO much better! Especially the women. Seeing Zendaya's dour, squinting face makes my intestines crawl somehow. That woman can ruin a cinematic masterpiece with her soulless presence and flat acting alone.
> It's not in the realm of lord of the rings Because Jackson's LotR was just so dignified with anime Legolas surfing on a shield and slaying an elephant all on his own. And Gimli ranting about the nervous system. And Denethor being more over-the-top than Gollum. And needlessly drawn-out CGI-fest battle scenes. And Frodo being a complete wimp looking like he's on the verge of crying in every scene. And the Eye of Sauron becoming a goddamn searchlight.
to be fair paul being a mary sue/gary stu is literally part of the plot. like he is the result of eons of selective breeding to create a superhuman among superhumans who was supposed to be good at everything. but the series shows why that wasnt a good idea if I remember correctly
That is how I interpreted it (I have not read the books). The Bene Gesserit were the actual villains here as they were the ones who orchestrated the conflict. The emergence of Paul as the Kwisatz Haderach was the chickens coming home to roost. I kept hearing about how the theme is supposed to be about the dangers of charismatic leaders and the cult of personality. But I saw the underlying theme as the danger of trying to exert too much control over far-reaching things because Really Bad Things can happen if the control that you so carefully engineered could be lost.
For he is the Kwisatz Haderach! Also they really didn't do enough in the first film to play up the fact that Paul underwent training as a mentat and makes projections based on fourth order calculations. His training in the weirding ways along with the mind expanding powers of the Spice were supposed to create a male Bene Gessiret capable of bridging time and space with the power of prescience while the use of religious myths were seeded throughout the galaxy in order to pave the way for his inevitable rise to power.
Haven't seen it yet but hopefully they incorporated some of his misgivings about leading the future of Dune into a jihad war while feeling trapped. I'm assuming they didn't because this is all internal struggle in the book but we'll see. Most of Paul's dark traits come from worrying how he influences the future and not being too happy about it
@@AffyisAffy Paul's hesitance is in the movie. He has visions of the death and destruction caused by the jihad and because of that, he resists going to the south where he knows that the Fremen fundamentalists will elevate him to their messiah. So he refuses to go at one point even though he knows that if he stays in the north, the Harkonnen will eventually hunt him down and kill him. His visions play a pretty big part in the movie.
Thank you! I felt like the only person who was underwhelmed! Zendaya's Chani is meh, and I couldn't buy her relationship with Paul. Her perpetual twit-face ruined the character for me. That and how she was supposed to love and support Paul, but countered and complained every chance she got. Poor choice, Denis. And what a waste of Walken! I weep. For me, it was the Javier Bardem show. He was great!
The ending was rushed, IMHO. I barely realized we were taking on the Emperor AND the Harkonnen in one fell swoop. Everyone just rushed in, sandworms blazing. No suspense or build up. A mention of a storm, but why? Then it was over and it ended on Chani for some reason
Spacing guild anyone? Why were the navigators left out they want the spice more than anyone because it gives the ability to fold space! They were the ones behind the Emperor's plot to kill Leto and his family. Without them the importance of spice is completely lost, along with the whole driving force behind all the houses conspiring against Paul in the end. They completely leave out the navigator's precognitive abilities that warned them about Paul disrupting the flow of spice! How did the emperor know that house Atreides would disrupt the flow?!
to me the spice and the navigators are more than just backdrop and are the main draw. If I made this series I would just set it in Dune's universe featuring a smaller story designed to establish the parameters of this universe, which could eventually give way to the epic. To me this stuff just feels rushed, unnatural and unnecessary, just like Star Wars was in 2015, but obviously with more artistry and care involved.
@@drlca6601Yeah to some extent even the 2015 star wars looks really nice, (aside from all the jarjar abrams lens flares) but the writers really didn't do a good job, whether they were just inexperienced, bad at writing, forced to include diversity, equity, inclusion, current year politics, just didn't care about star wars, or had too much meddling from Disney trying to up their ESG scores, they just fell flat and were really cringe.
I didn't laugh during the film but I did groan several times, usually when Zendaya was yelling at everyone near her which was a significant part of the film!
The book states the Fremen were decended from Zensunni Wanderers who followed a branch of Islam with Zen influences and came to Arrakis from many worlds. You would then expect them to be a mix of different colours and phenotypes.. Only some of the Fremem would have blue eyes by DNA.
@@krackerman3628 how the hell do you understand one of the most misunderstood and forgotten aspects of dune, the fact the fremen would be a mix of phenotypes, skin tones, and ethnicities (anything from dark black/African to pale European) while somehow forgetting about the eyes of Ibad 😂
Read the books mate - if you did you'd know the spice TURNED all eyes blue regardless of the DNA eye colour... The movie fails in the regard as the book states ""the eye stared out a total blue so dark as to be almost black" @@PodreyJenkin138
@@PneumanonI can only speak for myself. In the books she’s behind Paul 100% and his biggest supporter. She understood why Paul had to officially marry Irulan but she would be his concubine. They end up having twins. With her leaving him in the movie it’s a huge change and puts DV’s Messiah’s direction in question as to how the twins will be born if they stay separated. Also she’s kind of wooden and her dissent made no sense. People like me didn’t like the changes.
@@alexmartin3143 *With her leaving him in the movie it’s a huge change and puts DV’s Messiah’s direction in question as to how the twins will be born if they stay separated.* - Enough with this nonsense. Couples fight & storm off slamming doors. That doesn't mean they never see each other again. Paul is Emperor of the universe, and the fremen are his fanatical devotees. There's no way Chani stays separated from Paul for more than a few days. She can't really leave nor hide, and Paul has literally every resource to bring her back. They will be together in the next movie. The enmity & competition between Chani & Irulan is established, so there's no problem having the hidden contraception. Paul taking Chani back after such a display adds fuel to Irulan's plot. Dune Messiah can play out as written. The bigger challenge will be how to do that story with Chani established as a skeptic and non-believer. If you are worried about future movies, THAT's what causes problems, not a lovers' spat.
@@theevermindif they'll be right back together in the next movie, then this infighting between them is nothing more than manufactured relationship drama to make Zendaya look more rebellious and empowered like a 21st century woman. It's completely out of place on Arrakis.
The biggest problem with Dune Part 2, is this new Hollywood idea to speed run through everything. The timeline of the movie is maybe 6 months tops based off Jessica's pregnancy. Meaning Paul went from outsider to becoming the messiah and defeating the Emperor in that time. How fast do sandworms travel that you can take one from almost north pole to the southern hemisphere and back in that time frame.
I thought the same thing about the Sandworm travel. You are also setting up multiple ambushes of Harkonen spice harvesters all over the planet and going back to base each time, while still having downtime to learn all the Fremen skills, and developing a full blown romance and having it fall completely apart. There's simply no way.
@@JCDenton3 In the new Avatar the Last Airbender they do the same thing. Indiana Jones movies gave a better sense of time passing when they showed an airplane travelling along a red dotted line.
Every time I see the actor's faces being shown without their stillsuits covering their mouths my brain screams at me. A breath in the open air is wasted moisture! Also crysknives can't be sheathed again until they draw blood. Why are they even holding them like that? As for your thoughts on the ending . . . oof, that's bad. In the book Paul tells the Spacing Guild to look into the future and they'll see him standing ready to give the order to pour the waters of life into a pre-Spice blow, killing the makers and destroying the source of the Spice. To set humanity upon the golden path he literally takes the Landsraad hostage and threatens to end space travel forever. There's no ambiguity in that. Its literally his way of saying, I have the Spice, deal with me on my terms or I'll end you.
I agree. I suppose that it's just a problem for sad sacks like us who've read and reread the books, had certain expectations of the director. The preservation of moisture is what has sllowed the Fremern to survive and prosper, and stillsuit discipline is all important. Having watched 2049 once, I expected the director to make "improvements," and he has. Paul kills the Baron? Oh my! Alia not only killed the Baron, but carries out the task expected of Fremen children by dispatching the enemy wounded, and this feeds into her story at a much later date. I suppose he just can't help himself, but the books remain.
No, this is not true. Paul does threaten to destroy all spice production forever (we saw this in the 1984 Dune) and the Spacing Guild freaked out. However, Paul's path set the universe on a path to mass suicide. All human life would have been eradicated everywhere in the universe within a few short decades. It was Paul's son, Leto II who embarked upon the Golden Path. He had to undo the damage his father had caused.
I agree Chato the ending was MEH. I also hated what Zendaya did to Chani. I felt NO chemistry between the two main characters. Yes, Chani is a fighter, and is Paul's love interest. But they grow together, and she protects him like no other. What I felt from Zendaya in this role was pure Feminist logic. "She's a badass character, she don't need no man..." that kind of logic. She came off like a petulant child at the end, because Paul had to marry Irulan. In the book, she understands this, and the politics involved. She doesn't feel betrayed, but that its a necessary evil to solidify the Empire. She at this point KNOWS Paul is her soulmate and she is totally loyal to him and his vision. Because they have already had a child together, which I can assume was left out for time. Understood. But making her this antagonistic character through the entire film, was a BAD idea. I also felt the movie took its time to explain the Bene Gesserit and their plan better than most movies did. Also Paul is NOT a Mary Sue. Because he makes mistakes- he makes mistakes learning their ways, doing the Voice. Yeah, he is super powered, but that is part of the plot. Also having Paul kill the Baron instead of his sister was a bad decision. I found it crazy that Alia was never born. So your are limiting the film now by saying all this happened in about 9 months not several years. Which would have made a lot more sense.
All good points, especially in Chani, but not enough people are talking about how insane the time change is. The film actually expects us to believe they pulled off numerous hit and run attacks against the Harkonnen harvesters all across the entire North Hemisphere, while Paul learned the Fremen ways in his downtime, had a "romance" develop with not-Chani, and rode a worm from practically the north pole to the south pole and back in at-most 6 months? No way.
For all those people who haven't read the books; how come that nobody who praises this movie asked why were they fighting with knives 20 000 years in the future while at the same time mastering interstellar traveling (and who and how made that travelling possible, who are the GUILD NAVIGATORS, if mentioned at all)? Why weren't there any computers in that universe, any signs of technological progress apart from dragonfly choppers? Who the hell were those guys with black spots on their chins (Mentats), why do they exist? Wtf was wrong with that doctor in part I, how did he do all that, who was he? Who are all those side characters appearing for no reason, hiding behind big industry names, where is that universe, those 60 billion people who are going to be slaughtered in some sacred war, which war? Cliffhanger after a cliffhanger, ...NOTHING, no questions, everybody gets the gist? Has anyone asked any question after watching the movie about ANYTHING apart from ''wow, what a cinematic experience with magnificent special effects, IMAX rules blah,blah,blah'', where is the story, who are all these characters, where does the story end? Dennis made a glorious, pretty-looking, soulless empty shell of a movie which left viewers who haven't read the books baffled and in limbo, or frustrated for butchering the story. Those millions of dollars that they spent for marketing (great marketing campaign), and paid reviews will mean nothing in a couple of months, because nobody will remember this (just like Avatar 2 e.g) - it is simply a case of BAD WRITING with miserable editing and masterful effects and solid cinematography, no substance, dead beat movie with media hype.
Exactly, last week a coworker asked me about Dune, all confused & I had to explain the fundamentals to him. (I hadn't yet seen the second part of this abomination). And this week, I'll have explain all the stuff Villeneuve removed.
I saw it Friday the 1st at 14:00, there were maybe 10-people in the audience. I feel that as a possible trilogy that this was a nearly perfect act-2, but like you, I have some quibbles about how the ending worked. Chani did not ride off is a huff in the book and I'll give Zendaya props for her facial expressions. I may go see it again and this was my first theater visit in many years. The only trailer worth noting was for the new Planet of the Apes film. The box office and critics have been very good to this film, on a 10-point scale, I'd give it an 8.5.
This version was good, but I prefer the 1984 Dune. I thought the limitations of the special effects did not take away from the strong story and really good acting overall. I really enjoyed the internal monologues in the original
Saw it on Saturday. Audience seemed indifferent to the movie. I could say a lot about how I feel about the movie in itself but the overall feeling was that I just don’t really care what happens to the main characters and that is a big problem. Beautiful shots and insane locations but nothing about the characters pulls at my heart. Whether it’s the cheesy dialogue or the lack of chemistry between the main actors or something else I just can’t say.
script and actors.... it's Villeneuve's achilles like most productions in any form. Sicario was great, because it had the right cast and the right words for them to speak. Everything else Villeneuve has done, has just felt mediocre, but Sicario is one for the ages.
Best to just read the book: It's a great sci-fi story which covers A LOT of different subjects and making the world-building as well as the story enjoyable. The blockbuster popcorn version is inevitably going to be action-figures on sand-dunes (loss of scale/epic dynamics) at the beach with the actors acting professionally and the whole production being optimized to bring the entertainment. They can't take the risk in the movie of having a disturbing but strangely convincing plot arc for Paul - it has to be obvious and exciting to keep the audience entertained instead of provoking and thought-provoking across a range of subjects. The book is really one of the best sci-fi novels for exploring ideas.
@@MykeLewisMusicI loved the books too, read them multiple times as well. The first movie did nothing for me either. The 2nd movie was much, much better.
I saw this last night at a 10:30 showing. The theatre was empty. I agree with your observation that the audience didn’t know what to do with itself while watching. Having said that I am a big Dune fan, have read all the books multiple times. I thought the movie was a brilliant adaptation however (incoming unpopular opinion) I still can help but feel that Lynch’s version (with the exception of the rain and the cool sound weapons) was more true to the novel.
The Sci Fi channel mini series is the most faithful to the book, and is good if you can get over the lower quality production compared to the films. Also interesting, all the episodes have a shorter collective runtime than the Denis Villenueve films and yet convey far more plot and Dune lore.
Just got done watching it today, pretty much agree with all of this. Like Paul, the worldbuilding is what drew me into the books the hardest, and probably my overall biggest criticism of Villeneuve Dune is that it streamlines the worldbuilding in order to make the themes more present and understandable. Dune 1 didn't explain things like mentats or navigators, because those things are ultimately secondary to delivering the core anti-messiah story that defines the book. I still find myself preferring Lynch Dune, because it ends up doing a lot more worldbuilding (for its runtime), but it's way more muddled in other ways. I've been on board with Villeneuve from the beginning hoping we would get the second book on screen, and currently odds look favorable for that to happen.
Dune 84 is my preference, too. Seeing it in theaters twice last week confirmed this. I couldn't get my mom to take me in 84, so I fell in love with Dune via Sting being the gateway and then the story and cast and repeat viewing in the 80s on cable. I'm judging this by the movies, not comparing the films to the books whatsoever. I appreciate the linear, one and done aspect of the Lynch film.
The first one disappointed me mainly because I had very high expectations. This one I think was excellent. Most of the changes are understandable given the limitations of book to movie adaptation. In this case I think you absolutely need to have read Dune to appreciate it and because of that I don't think general audiences will like it.
The reason I could accept Jackson's ending to LotR's over Villeneuve's ending to Dune is that there was nothing to follow LotR's, that was it, end of film, end of story. With Dune Part Two it is obvious the huge changes he made were in deference to the next movie he hopes they will greenlight for him to continue the story. Leaving out Alia is a big misstep I feel because now Paul has to do all the cleaning up by killing the Baron AND Feyd whereas in the books Paul and his sister work together to deal with Baron Harkonnen. Chani goes from protective mother in part two of the book to leading character in this film, sharing screen time equally with Paul. Also she argues against Paul in front of the other Fremen, something her character would never do in the book where she is supportive, loving and only whispers her misgivings to Jessica and Paul in the privacy of their own rooms. As for the big pay off battle at the end, yeah, we get short changed, but then Denis has never been one to do big set piece battles in any of his movies. Instead he likes to give art house visuals, sweeping vista's and long shots of people admiring the scenery. In some movies that works, but when you're adapting such a big and dense book as Dune you don't have the time for that, there is so much detail to get in. My own POV, Denis focuses on the wrong things in this movie.
You articulated my thoughts exactly. I really think now that Villeneuve doesnt quite understand Dune and why the series are among the best sci-fi novels of all time. As much he blabbered about how he grew up reading Dune, he doesnt get deep into anything it seems. He luxuriates in the prose and its style perhaps. P.S. Recently he said that "dialogues are for tv shows and theatre". That explains a lot.
You mentioned a few big differences between the film and the book, but not any reasons why the changes were poor choices. I, for one, was very relieved to not see Alia being a proper part of things yet.
@@goldengriffon I guess its down to your own perspective. You didn't like Alia, fine, but she is a big part of the story and kills the Baron at the end. I suppose for me its the fact that so many studios in Hollywood pay millions for the rights to an IP then go about changing that IP to fit what they think it should be. Villeneuve chose to take out parts of the book's story and change it up to make it his movie. If I didn't already know the story then it would be a great movie and I wouldn't have issues with it, but I DO know the story from the book, I have read it many times. For good or bad if your adapting a book you should try to keep as close to it as you can, otherwise what's the point?
I liked the first movie but I felt that it was just a lot of “slices” of the book without being properly translated into the medium of a movie. I felt the same way about the Atlas Shrugged movies that came out a few years ago. It’s difficult to translate a book, especially one with deep underlying social and philosophical commentary, into a filmed performance.
I liked Dune 1 but I didn't like Dune 2. Dune 1 wasn't perfect, it should have been 30 minutes longer, some elements were changed not for the best. A good movie nonetheless. But Dune 2 is a poor adaptation. DV took a fantastic story and gave us a Hollywood - approved sketch. Too much was changed for the worse.
You know if you read the books the number one thing you remember is "The spice must flow"... totally missing from this movie and with it goes the not very subtle pointer to the audience that Spice is allegorical to oil in our 21st century world.
My only few complaints are, is i felt like Christopher Walken is too old for the part of the emperor and another actor who is just a little younger would of been better for the part, maybe Kyle McLachlan as the Emperor. Chani casting was wrong Zadayna isn't a good actress and she is not pretty. Maybe Jenna Ortega as Chani would of been better casting. But overall this movie is what we have been needing from Hollywood for awhile now. I would argue that Paul isn't a marysue he is like the Paul in the original film who had intense training and you have to remember he is the prophecy being fulfilled
I'm not sure how I feel about the non-corporeal manifestation of Paul's sister Alia's intellect portrayed in Dune 2. Having not read the books, my only knowledge was from the endless viewings of David Lynch's version. At least he acknowledged her growth at a highly accelerated rate. I wish Denis, did something similar because I liked David's version of both Paul and Alia working as a team.
I got the extremely deep group psychology that I did not get in the Dune 1984. I actually want to read the book, now! I am fascinated by the interweaving of propaganda!
I’m reading the book right now and it’s pretty good! A little slow sometimes, but I’m finding it very entertaining! I highly recommend it, especially the audiobook! Tho, the original novel does have a lot of useful footnotes to help the reader understand the world building, so, choose wisely 😊
I'm just going to say that based on the films, the universe is overrated. I know, I know. Dune fanboys about to mob me, but believe me I'm just as surprised as you are. I love legacy scifi, and love a lot of the things Dune has influenced like 40K and Star Wars, but Dune just doesn't strike a chord for me. Never has.@@michaelmaultsby895
I have to laugh at those saying that the books are "a hard read" or "slow". I read them in the high school. Then reread them more than 3 times. And talking about some of the other books not being good, not true. The God Emperor of Dune is excellent, the others are also very good.
Excellent points, cannot argue. I did miss the background information about the Butlerian Jihad and the reliance on specialized mentats, navigators, and such, but that might just be me. He manages to tell a good story regardless, but it sort of comes off as "Dune Lite"
The lingering shots in the first movies cried as desperate attention seeking: "look at this landscape, have you ever seen such a thing? Amazing isn't it? And the ship.. it's great, right?.." The music was atrocious with that screaming bint. The Harkonen's palace simple and drab like a monk's which is the opposite of his character: a glutton. for power for food, for sex and every other pleasure. The first part was boring as infuriating at the same time and it appears the second one is as piss poor as the first.
I'm planning to see it alone, I couldn't drag the wife to see it without Jason Mamoa being in it, that's a potential loss of audience right there. Your calling out LOTR was spot on, the battle of Hobbiton was a coming of age event for Pippin and Merry and should have been included.
I would recommend Imax. It's super loud, maybe even "too loud" but it will take you there. You're not in a theater watching a movie. You're on the back of a sandworm with Paul learning how to steer the thing. It was the single most immersive movie world I've been to since the original Avatar movie. And don't load up on drinks. It's a long movie and there's not a good place to hit the bathroom. I went when I thought there would be a lull and I could hear stuff blowing up from the bathroom.
RotK is already 3 hours 20 mins in the theatrical cut, so you're going to have to edit *with extreme prejuduce* in order to fit the Scouring of the Shire in and allow it to still have impact.
I was annoyed at the people next to me who were taking their grand old time to get up and stop blocking the aisle, once the credits went up. Yes, I did need to go to the bathroom, but my main reason to get out is a HATED that emotionally dead ending. Paul became totally unlikeable and uninspiring. The knife fight was beyond boring and silly. The final worm battle seemed rushed, hard-to-see and anti-climatic, but (most of all) I'd HAD ENOUGH of Chani's petulant mis-charcterization. I'd already seen bits of (wrong) reviews saying confidently that this was "not woke". 😂 Chani in this film is the epitome of "woke*. An overbearing, obnoxious "strong" female who disrespects nearly everyone and then "storms off on a worm" in the final scene, as if we spent 5 hours over 3 years waiting to see the progression of her character. STUPID. The more I think of the feeling I had at the end of this film, the more unlikely I think I'd return to see it in IMAX again just for the 'fantastic visuals'. Such a STUPID ending.
@@damonappel Zendaya's Chani absolutely took this film down a notch for me. I could accept the massive cuts from the book, but Zendaya's performance coupled with Chani's awful rewrite made me literally roll my eyes multiple times until my optic nerves were getting sore in the back of my head.
@@damonappel You are spot on. In one scene Chani defends Paul by telling the other Fremen to NOT mock him. Then five minutes later in the movie, she is with other Fremen mocking Paul. Chani ruined the movie every step of the way. Three hours I will not get back.
I was most annoyed at the missing Mentats, who were the 3rd of the three great guilds (Bene Gesserit, Spacer, Mentats). They were equally important as the houses of the Landstat and the emperor. They weren't portrayed well at all in Dino's Dune, and pretty much ignored in this one. Introducing them better and showing Thufir Hawat training Paul would have also made him a little less of a Marty Sue, and explain how he was such a tactical genius. Maybe they should have made book 1 three movies, instead of two?
Three movies would have been great, but remember the studio wasn't committed to any more than a single movie until after the first came out. It was a huge gamble to make the first film as a 'part 1'.
I saw Dune 1 and 2. I felt that it didn't have dramatic touch as David Lynch version but cast didn't have that Shakespeare training as Sir. Patrick Stewart. But it was a great movie.
I am in the same boat as you are. They changed too many key factors that made the book great. They won so easy because Paul united all the southern tribes and brought them north. I will have to look for a hot dog vendor next time I watch the movie. Thanks for the honest review, not too many people are saying it is an OK movie.
You mentioned how the audience seems meh at the end. This was a long movie, at the end in my showing the audience was racing for the restroom. I really agree about the crowd sequence, it was the only place that looked out of place to me. Thanks Chato.
@@PodreyJenkin138 It's been decades since I read the book, but I recall finding her to be an annoying deus ex machina / mary sue / monkey wrench. And the 80's movie portrayal was psychotic. Perhaps I just didn't "get" her purpose, and perhaps she makes more sense taken in the context of the whole series? Not too interested in finding out, as the end of the first novel felt so rushed and bizarre it turned me off of the series despite the majority of the book being extremely well done and intriguing.
82M us / 180m worldwide opening is pretty respectable on a 180m budget and it gets 2 more weekends until actual competition in the US so hopefully good word of mouth keep sit moving forward
I have not watched either one, being a die-hard Lyncher. Kyle Maclachlan will always be Paul to me. However, since I love the books, too (though only Herbert's), I am pleased to hear that, if they must be adapted again, they are at least competent films. I'm going to watch Spice Diver's edit again, however, and save the money.
Anyone thats read the books - for good reason - seems to not like the movie, although we really want to, but for some reason, you just can’t bring yourself to say it’s any good. It’s an easy way to play: tell me you haven’t red the books without reading the books - if you like part 2! Overall i wanted to like it soo much, but I just couldn’t. I even with all the way out craziness of the 1988 (?) lynch movie, it’s still probably better than part 2. - feel so dirty typing that but,.. it’s kinda true :P
I've found this to be the case as well. I love the books, and felt very conflicted in during the movie and left feeling uneasy by the end. Visually a spectacle, but so hollow compared to what we know of this story. I despise what they did with Chani in particular. My friends who never read the book either love it or are confused by what is happening because the film explains so little
In some ways I felt like Paul is portrayed like the typical heroes journey rather than the actual messiah in Dune II. They beat the drum so hard that the messiah was a propaganda tool of the Bene Gesserit that I think he never came across as the ACTUAL messiah. Add to that the big change with Chani's reaction to him claiming the princess and empire and it changes the intent quite hard in that aspect. Also due to the absence of the Spacing Guild, I think if you hadn't read the book you might be wondering why spice was really that important. I felt like a valuable commodity rather than something that could paralyse a galactic empire. But all was forgiven when I think about how bloody amazing it was when Paul rides the sand worm. Sound design is god tier.
Chani's refusal to become Concubine and wife in all but name, was Present Day. It abandoned the World Building of a different time and place. One wonders what will happen in Dune 3 (Dune Messiah) without a supportive Chani. In todays climate, stories are not woke... until they are. I have noticed in TV Series that they have got wise to tuning out in episode 2. They now wait for the last couple of episodes of a series for when suddenly the men in charge become weak/incompetent and superseded by the girl boss. We are permanently and due to no fault of our own, always waiting for the other feminist, woke shoe, to drop.
My thoughts exactly! That and how the Harkonnens were suddenly so much less strategic and genius in the second movie. Other than that, I had no complaints. Stunning movie
So no negative response to DV introducing generation conflict to the Fremen? The sudden distinction of Northern progressives and Southern conservatives absolutely not trying to point a massive finger towards not-so-ancient history of the USA? No sadness for obliterating one of the most badass characters of the book, Chani?
That would be a mistake. This is well done, and on a wokeness scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst) is only about a 3. This should be rewarded with a view.
@@LordFalconsword I'd argue it's more of a 5 on the wokeness scale, given how much they tweaked the plot and characters so Villenueve could expand his female roles in directions that didn't exist in the book. Part of me also suspects this was to help generate more buzz for the Bene Gesserit tv series.
I mostly loved the movie, but the girl boss Chani scenes were SOOOOOO ANNOYING. (Spoilers) She basically doesn’t believe Paul is the chosen one, but then when he fulfills all the prophesies and steps into his role, Chani doesn’t believe in him anymore. Wait… Fucking what?! None of this was in the book. Apparently we can’t just have a woman that believes in her man. Just some more BS drama and feminism girl boss nonsense for the sake of ‘character complexity’. And, of course SHE gets the final scene. So TIRED of this shit. Still worth a watch tho, imo, but I won’t be seeing it again, or purchasing it in any capacity.
They also inserted that completely made-up plot point about her tears being what are necessary to revive Paul, all because they wanted Zendaya to matter more to the story.
My biggest complaint was Villeneuve turned Paul into a wondering, fradulent, tent preacher. And your point about fight between Paul and Feyd is right on. Also would have loved to have the scene where Jessica drinks the water of life and communes with the dying reverend mother. It is a scene that has stuck with me since I first read the book back in the 70s.
I thought that it was important to show that Paul could take on the role of a religious leader - not just military. This was lacking from the original 1984 film. It is not enough for some Fremen think he is the Mahdi, he has to actively pursue that destiny.
I felt it was obvious in the film both that Paul was considering using the voice but knew that honor demanded a fair fight, and that Jessica and the dying reverend mother would be having communion, and was very glad we didn't get those explicitly shown. It wouldn't feel right in a film; it'd feel rather cheesy and the message was presented clearly enough.
@@markbertenshaw3977It was not lacking from the 1984 film. Lynch's Dune illustrated Paul's spiritual power much more perceptibly, especially during taking the water of life. You also had several scenes of Paul speaking to the masses of Fremen in Lynch's movie, compared to the one scene in Part Two where he demonstrates he's able to read the random Fremen's mind. Lynch's Paul actually had awesome scenes of Paul inspiring the Fremen: "We shall kill until no Harkonnen breathes Arrakeen air." --Show me anything as cool as that in Villeneuve's depiction. I'll wait. (And yes, yes: Oooh, Paul actually says "Long live the fighters" IN FREMEN in this one. --That technicality was really important. 😅 ...I also 'love' that he shouts this to a massive group of Fremen just loitering in the desert daylight... seemingly well within sight of the Emperor's and Harkonnen's sensors and fleet.)
Best review of Dune 2 so far. The only thing I would disagree with is....I don't think Paul is a straight Mary Sue since he's been trained by his Bene Gesserit mother and the top Atreides fighters and absorbed his father's political instincts (despite the fact he couldn't see the emperor's plans from a mile away in Dune 1) his whole life...all with the ability to see glimpses of the future.
Dune is an amazing movie to look at and I'm sure a good movie to someone who has never read the book. To me, as someone who has read and loves the book, I'm confused at why so many plot elements were changed as most of them wouldn't seem to have anything to do with time constraints.
Yeah, and they better keep the spoilers romance between her and ghola Duncan Idaho. Perhaps the time jump will be longer than the canonical 12 years in the book. Oh and they better keep the Irulan giving Chani the contraceptives and Paul allowing it since his visions tell him that she'll die after giving birth so he in fact prolongs his life.
They'll have to have the character rapidly mature physically as part of being abomination. ATJ is too old to play Alia, especially if the next movie is 6 yr away. Bad choice in my opinion.
Christopher Walken was such a bad choice for the Emperor. I was waiting for him to go on a tirade about two mice falling into a bowl of cream. And, he looked like he was about to fall asleep…
My only complaint with dune pt 2 and one is the absolute lack of violence.i think it really hurt the drama of the peice as it was like a kids show.even when the baron dies not a single drop of blood drops out of his mouth or anything.very disappointing.
I would argue Paul really isn't a Marty Stu for a few reasons. First, we get a real sense of Paul's imminent danger in several scenes. We're believably shown he is in real trouble many times, and there is palatable suspense and tension. He takes damage. He doesn't effortlessly breeze through difficult situations. Second, he has legitimate reasons as the story progresses for being as good as he is. He's been trained in the Bene Gesserit ways since the beginning. He has imbibed the water of life which gives further abilities. Fair criticism that the movie doesn't do a whole ton to explain exactly what these abilities are, but we have two very strong reasons as to why Paul is special, given what both he and Jessica can do. Lastly, Paul actually has to make compromises. He doesn't get perfect solutions to create a perfect world, he has to simply do what he believes is the least of multiple evils. Depending on your definition of what constitutes what a Mary Sue or Marty Stu actually is, others may see it differently. I would define these badly written characters as a hyper idealized character with no explanation as to why they are the way they are, but others are free to disagree since I find it to be a fairly nebulous term.
Paul may come across to some as a Marty Stu... but he's absolutely not one. Despite being effectively "superhuman," he's bested and shown up and ultimately outright fails as a leader and as the messiah of the Fremen in the books. Life beats him down. Hard. The nuance is lost in the movies.
Yeah but we got endless Chani Zendaya scenes she might as well have been the lead for F's sake. The Bene Gesserit Lea Seydoux character seducing Fade yes please sign me up for that all day long!!!!!! I agree with you would much rather have had the guild navigator scenes instead of Chani and Paul staring at each other.
@@michaelnash2138 exactly that was the real problem with the 1st film way too much Chani sun gazing scenes. I hoped that in part 2 the film would steer away from that crap but nope they doubled down she has a MINOR role not a lead bugs the S out of me. The spacing guild would have been much more interesting and she just pouts and runs away Paul didn't tell her he was going to marry Irulean to consolidate power not to love or sleep with. The visuals in both films are stunning but I think Denis short changes Frank's great dialog in both films.
My thoughts were visually flawless, great performances but a complete lack of catharsis in both films, leaving me feeling somewhat unfulfilled. Mentats, Guild navigators and the Weirding way-killing words etc also were very missing.
Leaving out Alia is a bit disappointing but I had a hard time understanding how her character could have been effectively explained so I can sort of understand.
Regardless of the books, I have to say I was somewhat estranged by casting decisions, the craft of making those 2 films were high as expected, creating the world was successful, however connecting with some characters was a bit off for me, it allowed other aspects of the 2 films to shine however at a higher cost than I would’ve liked
I agree with you that there is a certain idiocy in modern audiences. There was a woman in our theater who you could tell had no idea what was going on and laughed at anything resembling feminism because she didn't understand that a modern movie could be filled with nuance and not modern day "feminism"
I don't see how you can call this film nuanced with Zendaya mocking religious prophesies and screaming "this is how they enslave us!" every ten minutes.
Saw it. Appreciated it. I thought the 2nd seemed more rushed than the 1st. Good movie. Not in my top 10 all time, but definitely worth the watch in a theater.
You nailed it.... They cut so much that it was off-putting, but logical considering the slash and burn job they did to the book. A lot of people are calling it a "masterpiece" and in terms of filmmaking they'd probably be right. In terms of storytelling and straying from the source material then I'd have to say it's mediocre at best. The actors did bring their A-Game to the set!
Thanks for bringing up the changes in the Lord of the Rings. I had, indeed, forgotten the pre-mature death of Saruman in the movie. I agree that it was a tragic lost to leave0out the re-taking of the Shire from Sharky is a more fitting ending, showing that the hobbits (the everyman stand-ins for us peons), when aroused and competently led are a fierce and dangerous group... a fitting message for the elites today. I, too, think leaving out Alia and not letting her kill the Baron (steal in from her the line, "Hello Grandfather") was completely unnecessary and wrong. A murderous, highly articulate 3-year old would have added a powerful statement regarding the unleashing of the powers of the Spice that the Dune saga presents as a cautionary tale. It also would have better set up Dune 3 which has to feature Alia the Mad-Priestess vs Paul the Blinid Prophet. Even worse, the portrayal of Chani as utterly alienated from Paul and the leaving out of Pauls powerful speech that Irulan will never be in his bed and that the centuries will know only Chani as Paul's wife is tragic. How will they have Chani birthing the Children of Dune that have to be featured in the next film which, I have heard, will cover Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. I hope earnestly that they don't havde Irulan birthing them.
"A murderous, highly articulate 3-year old" The Baron being killed by Alia is weird and creepy and memorable. But a super-warrior killing a morbidly obese fat man who's fallen and can't get up was anti-climactic.
I can't believe it but this made me yearn for lynchs DUNE , this was visually impressive but butchered the story for a non existent cliffhanger , found it cold.
How would that have improved the story or the character arcs? I personally think it would've made things worse. I was glad not to see more of her than we did.
Yes, but so what? That doesn't address my point: How would they book's way have improved the story or the character arcs? Just because it was in the book doesn't automatically make it a meaningful plot point.@@Pyrate_Of_Las_Vegas
@@goldengriffon it being in the book is automatically a reason to keep in in the movie. Star Wars would have been "better" if Anakin never betrayed Mace Windu. But that's not the actual story. Same with Alia.
I strongly disagree. Making a film that's just a copy of the book would be pointless, if not offensive. The film is its own separate story and theme, purely by definition of it being a different medium. And a story stands or falls on its own merits; what one particular storyteller happened to settle on in the moment they printed or filmed it doesn't automatically make it better or superior or preferred. It only would be worth keeping if the story's reason, moral, purpose, theme, etc. made the best sense. To believe otherwise is, I think, essentially religious idolatry. Rather ironic, considering Dune's themes.@@derek96720
Beyond the Sands: Dune Part Two's Epic Spectacle and Themes of Individual Freedom and Human Dignity Dune Part Two, like its predecessor, is gorgeously filmed and prodigiously imagined. The film's real center of gravity is its spectacle, the craft with which Villeneuve and his crew depict Herbert's stupendously complex worlds. It's impressive filmmaking. An epic and spectacular sci-fi allegory with mass appeal. Yet, amidst its grandeur, Dune Part Two subtly weaves in themes that resonate with timeless values. The concept of Individual Freedom is subtly explored through the characters' quests for autonomy amidst political intrigue and familial obligations. Limited Government and the Rule of Law are depicted through the struggle for control over resources and the consequences of unchecked power. Moreover, the film touches upon the idea of Peace through Strength, as factions vie for dominance in a volatile universe. Fiscal Responsibility is hinted at through the economic motivations driving key players, while Free Markets manifest in the interstellar trade networks shaping the galaxy. However, what truly elevates Dune Part Two is its treatment of Human Dignity. Amidst the vast expanse of space and political machinations, the film never loses sight of the inherent worth of its characters, each struggling to define their place in a universe fraught with peril. In summary, Dune Part Two transcends mere entertainment to deliver a thought-provoking narrative that resonates with themes of Individual Freedom, Limited Government, the Rule of Law, Peace through Strength, Fiscal Responsibility, Free Markets, and above all, Human Dignity. It's a cinematic masterpiece that speaks to the complexities of the human condition while captivating audiences with its visual splendor.
I think the thing you talk about at the beginning: It was not really suspenseful - or how to say it. I mean, the end was kind of clear from the beginning, especially for us "older" people. When Terminator 2 came out, nobody knew how it would end, and the special fx were so much on another level for the time that everyone was speechless. Different level. But - the optics of Dune were awesome.
Nobody has mentioned the way that the worms are done in this version. I love the way that the top of the worm is just above the surface, rather than the entire worm, so you get the appearance of the riders seeming to float above the sand. I also loved the worm-bus with Lady Jessica in her special tent.
There's worms?
Well, it looks cool...but how exactly did they get her tent on top of the worm, in the first place?🤔
Villeneuve Dune succeeded in making the task of Paul setting-up the worm ride scarily realistic.
Lynch Dune took the extra (VERY important) step of showing how the worm-rider facilitated others getting onto the thing.
Also, the speed of the worms. Other versions have them moving as slow a a person can run. These worms are hauling, with all the wind & dust that entails.
I still say the Sci Fi Channel's treatment of Dune is the golden standard. Yes, it was like a stage play on film, and yes, I did not like William Hurt's hamming up his scenes like Shatner on steroids, but I still appreciated the work's treatment of the Baron like a Shakespearean villain.
It was the most complete adaptation thus far, but it's hard to get past some facets. After the '84 Dune movie, the costuming in the SciFi series looks a joke. William Hurt often sounds like an old monotone stoner hippy who's bored rather than a powerful space Duke with a lot on his mind. I still enjoyed it, despite it's issues.
Agreed, the Sci Fi channel version was closest to the source as we've got.
Plus Alia was super hot in the SciFi version.
@@protorhinocerator142 And it has a scene where Chani displays her wonderful mammaries.
Totally agree. The Baron was terribly underutilized. No where near enough dialogue was given to develop this highly intelligent and insidious character. Sci-Fi channel got him right.
I missed Alia {born}, Thufir Hawat, the Spacing Guild was absent, the son of Chaney and Paul who dies was a better reason to drink the water of life than just an attack.
Now, the cinemicrography, the costumes, the sets, the special effects, the acting, totally worth the price of admission.
I found Paul’s reluctant to go south the worst part of the plot. Chaney rejecting Paul’s messiah persona was a close second.
Paul’s real struggle, the same for his sister Alia and then his son’s Leto was the knowledge of the future, the present and the past. In the movie Paul has visions but he never has the struggle, the fear, the need to know. I think this would have been a much better path, the golden path 😊
Honestly, if I hadn’t read the books I would have thought Paul took the Princess hand just so he had a good excuse to dump Chani. I'd 100% dump a girl if she was constantly scowling and publicly embarrassing me as Chani did to Paul.
This is going to make the future interactions pretty unbelievable to the audience because Chani is basically the crazy ex now that Paul wishes he could block.
Yeah the princess was a hell of a lot hotter lets be honest here. Even in the 1984 film That princess was cute as well but Sean Young was a babe not Zendaya not even close. Chani pouting at the end stupid when all he had to do was saying he was marrying Irulean for the title and Chani as his lover that's it stupid woman. Far to much of the film about Chani's character instead of more important events.
@@bartsullivan4866 I think the changes were okay for this movie but my big problem is now a huge part of the future story makes no sense now and will need to be altered. They have really written themselves into a hole here unless Paul and Chani just magically make up and are madly loyal to each other again at the start of the next movie.
Not to much but the child Leto 1 scene totally skipped and Paul's sister not killing the Baron goofs things up for later on as well.
@@bartsullivan4866true true u know what’s up 🤝
Their whole relationship was awful, she was constantly antagonizing and fighting with him just to blurt out the subtle theme of the book blatantly to the audience over and over - and remember, unlike the book they have only been "in love" for about a month or two. Would you want to devote your life to some girl you just started dating who routinely puts you down, storms off in rage constantly, tells you she loves you only if you never change in any way, slapped you after you nearly died, was forced to cry for you at metaphorical gunpoint when you were dying, and leaves you at the end because she's too dumb to realize a political marriage when it exists in her own culture as well as yours so you can rule the universe together and give the Fremen the independence she stated she wanted and help you keep your word about helping them?
Yeah, I'd 100% go for Irulan if I was him and not look back, plus I find her intelligence and grace incredibly attractive, both of which are severely lacking in Chani.
I've seen two great movies in the past 3 months. Dune II and Godzilla minus One - both seen in the Cinema after a long hiatus from going to the Cinema. If I have a couple criticisms, the rushed, nigh Formula One speed ending of the movie. And, wait for it, Zendaya. Never seen her in anything else(that isn't Dune related) but man, what a plank of wood.
3:51
I know EXACTLY what you mean. They should have let Florence be FLORENCE. A DARING Ensemble would have contrasted the princess's privlidges with the obligation of the other women around her.
And......We would have gotten to see Florence with a wonderful tan.
We are living in the age of the obnoxious and unlikeable boss babe, which I assume represents all the female executives involved in the film industry these days and who want to see themselves represented.
Zendaya was pretty horrible as Mary Jane Watson in the latest Spiderman movies. Come to think of It, the casting in those movies was terrible overall...
@@luiznogueira1579 I'm happy I missed that dumpster fire. Believe it or not I haven't seen most of the super hero movies of the past 10 years or so. I got lost and lacked the energy to catchup and figure out what was going on in each franchise.
@@muhdiversity7409 Yeah, I've pretty much given up watching the superhero cr*p. Fed up with the whole thing. I think they should given It a rest, too, quit making sh stuff for a few years at least.
The biggest thing for me was visualization of the era. Dune takes place in the year 10,191 AG (After Guild). Comparing Villeneuve's to Lynch's Dune, you have to ask, which one is more evocative of an era 20,000 years in the future? _Hint: It's not Villeneuve's._
(I still hope that one day David Lynch will decide to OWN his Dune and will release a 5-hour Director's Cut.)
The Alan Smithee TV cut isn't far off 5 hours!
10191 AG (After Guild) cca 13000+10191 AD.
It's not 8100 years, it's 23200 years.
Lynch's not going to do that. I've seen an Interview where he regrets ever having made the Dune movie, says It was the single worst experience in his carreer. Don't hold your breath.
@@matebalazs1575 You're quite right. Thanks!
@@luiznogueira1579 I've read the same interview. But I'm not holding my breath. I'm dreaming.
I saw "Dune 2" in Bremen, Germany, in the original English version - I agree with Paul's assessment. I liked the film, it could have been better if the Saudukar und Harkonnen would have been more capable as they were in Dune 1. Overall, it is a very good, albeit not great, film. I think the Critical Drinker said "It did not suck, which already makes it stand out by 2020s standard" ... will, said!
I generally really enjoyed it. The sound, visuals and flow of the film were beautiful.
I wasnt a fan of how Chani was much more of an angry petulant jerk in this adaptation. She was practically an antagonist in the second half, expressing no love at all towards Paul that I saw. Im surprised this didnt come up in the video. Maybe thats just me as I dont see at all what the appeal of Zendaya is.
Oh and no guild navigators?!? AT ALL?? WTF
I don't know anything from the books, but just from watching the movies, my total guess is that they are setting up Chani to be the Jon Snow to Paul's "Mad Queen" Daenerys. Chani is going to kill Paul in the 3rd movie.
@@googleislame *Possible Mild Spoilers* Ill try to be vague (not least because it been a while since I read the books) but thats very much NOT the way the books go. Chani and Paul have 2 children who are VERY important to the on going story. From what I remember, in the books shes a loving & loyal (but not soft/weak) wife.
Also, these films are broadly awesome but (as is almost always the case) the books are so much better. You HAVE to read them to understand the incredible depth that caused this story to be labeled as '"unadaptable to film".
Chani was massively improved and had actual purpose in the plot. This is far from an example of feminism going too far. Made Paul's final decision have far more emotional resonance.
@@jaycollins2036 Who are you replying too? I never said anything about "feminism going too far"??
This guy seems good at reviews... He knows what he's... Dune.
*leaves quietly*
Ouch. But thanks.
😂😂😂😂 ohhh, I needed that laugh today, thanks!
It Harkonnens back to a time when people knew what they were doing.
The Spicy humor must flooooow...😉
Trying to Sandworm your way into the comments? 😊
As an adaptation it was really bad. There is not much worldbuilding. Political scheming, as well as main players like Guild Navigators, CHOOM are left out almost entirely. Not even Leto I was mentioned (just once, but he was a big role in Paul's decision making) . Some unimportant minor parts like Chani being Stilgar's niece and the climatologist's daughter is left out. Alia was supposed to kill Baron, it is important in the future.
As a movie, a 5 hour movie, there is too few things going on. First part barely stands on its own due to nonexistence of payoff. Inefficient storytelling.
Chalamet and Zendaya has little to no chemistry.
I saw it in IMAX. The audio was top notch, I could feel my insides moving in some scenes.
felt the worm on my ass ngl. loved the experience though
Almost too loud. Super immersive. It's very easy to get lost in the moment and suspend disbelief.
You're not in a theater watching a bunch of actors. You're in the desert with the Fremen.
i got (not my preferred seats i like the ones they mix the theater audio from) seats in the front of the second bank of seats where theres a railing and stairs lead up to the section. i had my foot on the railing and when the worms were approaching the vibration from the sound made it feel like the earth was trembling. i watched part one the night before and moments like that without a subwoofer the tv would occasionally make that “wub wub” sound that they tend to make when the speakers are incapable of producing that frequency. its very cinema oriented
Saw it on the worlds largest cinema screen, an IMAX too. The sound sometimes was rattling my chair, very immersive.
It's not in the realm of lord of the rings. 7 out of 10. Great visuals, most actors managed to embody the characters from the book. The scene on ghedi prime was spectacular, but far too short and missing much of the necessary context. The scene with the emperor was far to short. The princess is also way underutilized, she's very important for future stories. The decision to rush through much of the meat of the book to get to the final battle kills the relationship of paul and chani. It's years not months. They have zero chemistry and shes such a see you next Tuesday I can't see anyone tolerating her in that world. They totally ruined the character of chani from just about every angle. She is the literal mirror version of her book personality and it doesn't work. The loss of paul and chanis first child sets the stage for pauls downfall, and is necessary. Alia is a key player in future storylines and her killing the Barron sets up children of dune. Some adaptation is needed to make a book work on film, but they made a lot of very poor decisions with the story and characters. This could have easily been a trilogy that would rival the original star wars and LOTR if done with more deference to the book.
Agree with every single point you made here.
It's an audiovisual and cinematic masterpiece and absolute spectacle, but quite flawed in many other aspects. For one i cannot name even one single memorable acting performance, except maybe Bardem's Stilgar.
And Walken's Emperor was simply pathetic and completely miscast. Reminded me of Joe Biden somehow. Old and frail.
And the ending was just straight up disappointing and even weaker than the Lynch Dune one.
@@axelhopfinger533 And without the far superior soundtrack. I'm at the point that I kind of hate Hanz Zimmer. Bellowed discordant sounds is not a score.
@@s13gouf60 You know, after watching it on a really big screen with Dolby Atmos sound, i must say that the audiovisual design of these movies is quite magnificient and a proper spectacle.
But Zimmer's music somehow hit different in the first one. And i still kinda prefer the Brian Eno score tbh. Also the casting in the Lynch Dune was SO much better! Especially the women. Seeing Zendaya's dour, squinting face makes my intestines crawl somehow. That woman can ruin a cinematic masterpiece with her soulless presence and flat acting alone.
> It's not in the realm of lord of the rings
Because Jackson's LotR was just so dignified with anime Legolas surfing on a shield and slaying an elephant all on his own. And Gimli ranting about the nervous system. And Denethor being more over-the-top than Gollum. And needlessly drawn-out CGI-fest battle scenes. And Frodo being a complete wimp looking like he's on the verge of crying in every scene. And the Eye of Sauron becoming a goddamn searchlight.
@@ThePreciseClimber Because people's minds are destroyed by nostalgia. Denis respected Dune much more than Jackson did with LotR
to be fair paul being a mary sue/gary stu is literally part of the plot. like he is the result of eons of selective breeding to create a superhuman among superhumans who was supposed to be good at everything. but the series shows why that wasnt a good idea if I remember correctly
That is how I interpreted it (I have not read the books). The Bene Gesserit were the actual villains here as they were the ones who orchestrated the conflict. The emergence of Paul as the Kwisatz Haderach was the chickens coming home to roost. I kept hearing about how the theme is supposed to be about the dangers of charismatic leaders and the cult of personality. But I saw the underlying theme as the danger of trying to exert too much control over far-reaching things because Really Bad Things can happen if the control that you so carefully engineered could be lost.
For he is the Kwisatz Haderach! Also they really didn't do enough in the first film to play up the fact that Paul underwent training as a mentat and makes projections based on fourth order calculations. His training in the weirding ways along with the mind expanding powers of the Spice were supposed to create a male Bene Gessiret capable of bridging time and space with the power of prescience while the use of religious myths were seeded throughout the galaxy in order to pave the way for his inevitable rise to power.
Exactly, with tragic consequences for the rest of the universe.
Haven't seen it yet but hopefully they incorporated some of his misgivings about leading the future of Dune into a jihad war while feeling trapped. I'm assuming they didn't because this is all internal struggle in the book but we'll see. Most of Paul's dark traits come from worrying how he influences the future and not being too happy about it
@@AffyisAffy Paul's hesitance is in the movie. He has visions of the death and destruction caused by the jihad and because of that, he resists going to the south where he knows that the Fremen fundamentalists will elevate him to their messiah. So he refuses to go at one point even though he knows that if he stays in the north, the Harkonnen will eventually hunt him down and kill him. His visions play a pretty big part in the movie.
Thank you! I felt like the only person who was underwhelmed! Zendaya's Chani is meh, and I couldn't buy her relationship with Paul. Her perpetual twit-face ruined the character for me. That and how she was supposed to love and support Paul, but countered and complained every chance she got. Poor choice, Denis. And what a waste of Walken! I weep. For me, it was the Javier Bardem show. He was great!
Totally agree. Zendaya's Chani made my eyes roll so often and so hard that I became mildly concerned my optic nerves would get strained lol.
The ending was rushed, IMHO.
I barely realized we were taking on the Emperor AND the Harkonnen in one fell swoop.
Everyone just rushed in, sandworms blazing. No suspense or build up. A mention of a storm, but why?
Then it was over and it ended on Chani for some reason
Yeah, it was way too quick for me.
Thanks!
Thank you so much.
Spacing guild anyone? Why were the navigators left out they want the spice more than anyone because it gives the ability to fold space! They were the ones behind the Emperor's plot to kill Leto and his family. Without them the importance of spice is completely lost, along with the whole driving force behind all the houses conspiring against Paul in the end. They completely leave out the navigator's precognitive abilities that warned them about Paul disrupting the flow of spice! How did the emperor know that house Atreides would disrupt the flow?!
to me the spice and the navigators are more than just backdrop and are the main draw. If I made this series I would just set it in Dune's universe featuring a smaller story designed to establish the parameters of this universe, which could eventually give way to the epic. To me this stuff just feels rushed, unnatural and unnecessary, just like Star Wars was in 2015, but obviously with more artistry and care involved.
@@drlca6601Yeah to some extent even the 2015 star wars looks really nice, (aside from all the jarjar abrams lens flares) but the writers really didn't do a good job, whether they were just inexperienced, bad at writing, forced to include diversity, equity, inclusion, current year politics, just didn't care about star wars, or had too much meddling from Disney trying to up their ESG scores, they just fell flat and were really cringe.
I didn't laugh during the film but I did groan several times, usually when Zendaya was yelling at everyone near her which was a significant part of the film!
Personally I was distracted how none of the Freman seem to have blue eyes
That would be racist
The book states the Fremen were decended from Zensunni Wanderers who followed a branch of Islam with Zen influences and came to Arrakis from many worlds. You would then expect them to be a mix of different colours and phenotypes.. Only some of the Fremem would have blue eyes by DNA.
@@krackerman3628 how the hell do you understand one of the most misunderstood and forgotten aspects of dune, the fact the fremen would be a mix of phenotypes, skin tones, and ethnicities (anything from dark black/African to pale European) while somehow forgetting about the eyes of Ibad 😂
Easy - read the books. Try it sometime. @@PodreyJenkin138
Read the books mate - if you did you'd know the spice TURNED all eyes blue regardless of the DNA eye colour... The movie fails in the regard as the book states ""the eye stared out a total blue so dark as to be almost black" @@PodreyJenkin138
First time I recall that an audience got a worse review than the movie. Oh wait, Disney does that all the time.
Zendaya had a constant "someone pooped in my cereal" expression the entire movie.
Her scene at the end was a bad decision.
Why?
@@PneumanonI can only speak for myself. In the books she’s behind Paul 100% and his biggest supporter. She understood why Paul had to officially marry Irulan but she would be his concubine. They end up having twins. With her leaving him in the movie it’s a huge change and puts DV’s Messiah’s direction in question as to how the twins will be born if they stay separated. Also she’s kind of wooden and her dissent made no sense. People like me didn’t like the changes.
@@alexmartin3143 *With her leaving him in the movie it’s a huge change and puts DV’s Messiah’s direction in question as to how the twins will be born if they stay separated.*
- Enough with this nonsense. Couples fight & storm off slamming doors. That doesn't mean they never see each other again. Paul is Emperor of the universe, and the fremen are his fanatical devotees. There's no way Chani stays separated from Paul for more than a few days. She can't really leave nor hide, and Paul has literally every resource to bring her back.
They will be together in the next movie. The enmity & competition between Chani & Irulan is established, so there's no problem having the hidden contraception. Paul taking Chani back after such a display adds fuel to Irulan's plot. Dune Messiah can play out as written.
The bigger challenge will be how to do that story with Chani established as a skeptic and non-believer. If you are worried about future movies, THAT's what causes problems, not a lovers' spat.
@@alexmartin3143Like the other poster said- Paul already knows Chani will come around, and says so in the film.
@@theevermindif they'll be right back together in the next movie, then this infighting between them is nothing more than manufactured relationship drama to make Zendaya look more rebellious and empowered like a 21st century woman. It's completely out of place on Arrakis.
The biggest problem with Dune Part 2, is this new Hollywood idea to speed run through everything. The timeline of the movie is maybe 6 months tops based off Jessica's pregnancy. Meaning Paul went from outsider to becoming the messiah and defeating the Emperor in that time. How fast do sandworms travel that you can take one from almost north pole to the southern hemisphere and back in that time frame.
I thought the same thing about the Sandworm travel. You are also setting up multiple ambushes of Harkonen spice harvesters all over the planet and going back to base each time, while still having downtime to learn all the Fremen skills, and developing a full blown romance and having it fall completely apart. There's simply no way.
@@JCDenton3 In the new Avatar the Last Airbender they do the same thing. Indiana Jones movies gave a better sense of time passing when they showed an airplane travelling along a red dotted line.
Every time I see the actor's faces being shown without their stillsuits covering their mouths my brain screams at me. A breath in the open air is wasted moisture! Also crysknives can't be sheathed again until they draw blood. Why are they even holding them like that?
As for your thoughts on the ending . . . oof, that's bad. In the book Paul tells the Spacing Guild to look into the future and they'll see him standing ready to give the order to pour the waters of life into a pre-Spice blow, killing the makers and destroying the source of the Spice. To set humanity upon the golden path he literally takes the Landsraad hostage and threatens to end space travel forever. There's no ambiguity in that. Its literally his way of saying, I have the Spice, deal with me on my terms or I'll end you.
None of those details aid the spirit or thesis of the story.
Totally.
I agree. I suppose that it's just a problem for sad sacks like us who've read and reread the books, had certain expectations of the director.
The preservation of moisture is what has sllowed the Fremern to survive and prosper, and stillsuit discipline is all important.
Having watched 2049 once, I expected the director to make "improvements," and he has.
Paul kills the Baron? Oh my!
Alia not only killed the Baron, but carries out the task expected of Fremen children by dispatching the enemy wounded, and this feeds into her story at a much later date.
I suppose he just can't help himself, but the books remain.
Damn, that’s hardcore! Thanks for your comment, I haven’t finished the books yet and I love getting more info from the original source material!
No, this is not true. Paul does threaten to destroy all spice production forever (we saw this in the 1984 Dune) and the Spacing Guild freaked out.
However, Paul's path set the universe on a path to mass suicide. All human life would have been eradicated everywhere in the universe within a few short decades.
It was Paul's son, Leto II who embarked upon the Golden Path. He had to undo the damage his father had caused.
I agree Chato the ending was MEH. I also hated what Zendaya did to Chani. I felt NO chemistry between the two main characters. Yes, Chani is a fighter, and is Paul's love interest. But they grow together, and she protects him like no other. What I felt from Zendaya in this role was pure Feminist logic. "She's a badass character, she don't need no man..." that kind of logic. She came off like a petulant child at the end, because Paul had to marry Irulan. In the book, she understands this, and the politics involved. She doesn't feel betrayed, but that its a necessary evil to solidify the Empire. She at this point KNOWS Paul is her soulmate and she is totally loyal to him and his vision. Because they have already had a child together, which I can assume was left out for time. Understood. But making her this antagonistic character through the entire film, was a BAD idea.
I also felt the movie took its time to explain the Bene Gesserit and their plan better than most movies did. Also Paul is NOT a Mary Sue. Because he makes mistakes- he makes mistakes learning their ways, doing the Voice. Yeah, he is super powered, but that is part of the plot. Also having Paul kill the Baron instead of his sister was a bad decision. I found it crazy that Alia was never born. So your are limiting the film now by saying all this happened in about 9 months not several years. Which would have made a lot more sense.
All good points, especially in Chani, but not enough people are talking about how insane the time change is. The film actually expects us to believe they pulled off numerous hit and run attacks against the Harkonnen harvesters all across the entire North Hemisphere, while Paul learned the Fremen ways in his downtime, had a "romance" develop with not-Chani, and rode a worm from practically the north pole to the south pole and back in at-most 6 months? No way.
That thumbnail has the most terrifying looking sandworm that I've ever seen.
That must be what a great grandfather sand worm looks like
For all those people who haven't read the books; how come that nobody who praises this movie asked why were they fighting with knives 20 000 years in the future while at the same time mastering interstellar traveling (and who and how made that travelling possible, who are the GUILD NAVIGATORS, if mentioned at all)? Why weren't there any computers in that universe, any signs of technological progress apart from dragonfly choppers? Who the hell were those guys with black spots on their chins (Mentats), why do they exist? Wtf was wrong with that doctor in part I, how did he do all that, who was he? Who are all those side characters appearing for no reason, hiding behind big industry names, where is that universe, those 60 billion people who are going to be slaughtered in some sacred war, which war? Cliffhanger after a cliffhanger, ...NOTHING, no questions, everybody gets the gist? Has anyone asked any question after watching the movie about ANYTHING apart from ''wow, what a cinematic experience with magnificent special effects, IMAX rules blah,blah,blah'', where is the story, who are all these characters, where does the story end? Dennis made a glorious, pretty-looking, soulless empty shell of a movie which left viewers who haven't read the books baffled and in limbo, or frustrated for butchering the story. Those millions of dollars that they spent for marketing (great marketing campaign), and paid reviews will mean nothing in a couple of months, because nobody will remember this (just like Avatar 2 e.g) - it is simply a case of BAD WRITING with miserable editing and masterful effects and solid cinematography, no substance, dead beat movie with media hype.
Exactly, last week a coworker asked me about Dune, all confused & I had to explain the fundamentals to him. (I hadn't yet seen the second part of this abomination). And this week, I'll have explain all the stuff Villeneuve removed.
I saw it Friday the 1st at 14:00, there were maybe 10-people in the audience. I feel that as a possible trilogy that this was a nearly perfect act-2, but like you, I have some quibbles about how the ending worked. Chani did not ride off is a huff in the book and I'll give Zendaya props for her facial expressions. I may go see it again and this was my first theater visit in many years. The only trailer worth noting was for the new Planet of the Apes film. The box office and critics have been very good to this film, on a 10-point scale, I'd give it an 8.5.
This version was good, but I prefer the 1984 Dune. I thought the limitations of the special effects did not take away from the strong story and really good acting overall. I really enjoyed the internal monologues in the original
Saw it on Saturday. Audience seemed indifferent to the movie. I could say a lot about how I feel about the movie in itself but the overall feeling was that I just don’t really care what happens to the main characters and that is a big problem. Beautiful shots and insane locations but nothing about the characters pulls at my heart. Whether it’s the cheesy dialogue or the lack of chemistry between the main actors or something else I just can’t say.
script and actors.... it's Villeneuve's achilles like most productions in any form. Sicario was great, because it had the right cast and the right words for them to speak. Everything else Villeneuve has done, has just felt mediocre, but Sicario is one for the ages.
@@drlca6601 100% agree. I will never forget the chills I got watching Sicario the first time.
Best to just read the book: It's a great sci-fi story which covers A LOT of different subjects and making the world-building as well as the story enjoyable. The blockbuster popcorn version is inevitably going to be action-figures on sand-dunes (loss of scale/epic dynamics) at the beach with the actors acting professionally and the whole production being optimized to bring the entertainment.
They can't take the risk in the movie of having a disturbing but strangely convincing plot arc for Paul - it has to be obvious and exciting to keep the audience entertained instead of provoking and thought-provoking across a range of subjects.
The book is really one of the best sci-fi novels for exploring ideas.
I've read the novel about 40 times, and the films don't do anything for me. I am only watching your review because I love your channel.😊
I thought I was the only one. Loved the books, read them multiple times, just did not like the first movie.
@@MykeLewisMusicI loved the books too, read them multiple times as well. The first movie did nothing for me either. The 2nd movie was much, much better.
I saw this last night at a 10:30 showing. The theatre was empty. I agree with your observation that the audience didn’t know what to do with itself while watching. Having said that I am a big Dune fan, have read all the books multiple times. I thought the movie was a brilliant adaptation however (incoming unpopular opinion) I still can help but feel that Lynch’s version (with the exception of the rain and the cool sound weapons) was more true to the novel.
The Sci Fi channel mini series is the most faithful to the book, and is good if you can get over the lower quality production compared to the films. Also interesting, all the episodes have a shorter collective runtime than the Denis Villenueve films and yet convey far more plot and Dune lore.
Christopher walken looked like The Emperpr from the elder scrolls Oblivion! now I can't unsee it! . Thanks Chato!
Just got done watching it today, pretty much agree with all of this. Like Paul, the worldbuilding is what drew me into the books the hardest, and probably my overall biggest criticism of Villeneuve Dune is that it streamlines the worldbuilding in order to make the themes more present and understandable. Dune 1 didn't explain things like mentats or navigators, because those things are ultimately secondary to delivering the core anti-messiah story that defines the book. I still find myself preferring Lynch Dune, because it ends up doing a lot more worldbuilding (for its runtime), but it's way more muddled in other ways. I've been on board with Villeneuve from the beginning hoping we would get the second book on screen, and currently odds look favorable for that to happen.
Dune 84 is my preference, too. Seeing it in theaters twice last week confirmed this. I couldn't get my mom to take me in 84, so I fell in love with Dune via Sting being the gateway and then the story and cast and repeat viewing in the 80s on cable.
I'm judging this by the movies, not comparing the films to the books whatsoever.
I appreciate the linear, one and done aspect of the Lynch film.
The first one disappointed me mainly because I had very high expectations. This one I think was excellent. Most of the changes are understandable given the limitations of book to movie adaptation.
In this case I think you absolutely need to have read Dune to appreciate it and because of that I don't think general audiences will like it.
So far you're wrong, it seems to have wide appeal.
The reason I could accept Jackson's ending to LotR's over Villeneuve's ending to Dune is that there was nothing to follow LotR's, that was it, end of film, end of story. With Dune Part Two it is obvious the huge changes he made were in deference to the next movie he hopes they will greenlight for him to continue the story. Leaving out Alia is a big misstep I feel because now Paul has to do all the cleaning up by killing the Baron AND Feyd whereas in the books Paul and his sister work together to deal with Baron Harkonnen.
Chani goes from protective mother in part two of the book to leading character in this film, sharing screen time equally with Paul. Also she argues against Paul in front of the other Fremen, something her character would never do in the book where she is supportive, loving and only whispers her misgivings to Jessica and Paul in the privacy of their own rooms. As for the big pay off battle at the end, yeah, we get short changed, but then Denis has never been one to do big set piece battles in any of his movies. Instead he likes to give art house visuals, sweeping vista's and long shots of people admiring the scenery. In some movies that works, but when you're adapting such a big and dense book as Dune you don't have the time for that, there is so much detail to get in. My own POV, Denis focuses on the wrong things in this movie.
You articulated my thoughts exactly. I really think now that Villeneuve doesnt quite understand Dune and why the series are among the best sci-fi novels of all time. As much he blabbered about how he grew up reading Dune, he doesnt get deep into anything it seems. He luxuriates in the prose and its style perhaps.
P.S. Recently he said that "dialogues are for tv shows and theatre". That explains a lot.
You mentioned a few big differences between the film and the book, but not any reasons why the changes were poor choices. I, for one, was very relieved to not see Alia being a proper part of things yet.
The reason I accepted jackson's ending to lotr was I had to pee so bad at the end I wished the ending would come quicker lol.
@@goldengriffon I guess its down to your own perspective. You didn't like Alia, fine, but she is a big part of the story and kills the Baron at the end. I suppose for me its the fact that so many studios in Hollywood pay millions for the rights to an IP then go about changing that IP to fit what they think it should be.
Villeneuve chose to take out parts of the book's story and change it up to make it his movie. If I didn't already know the story then it would be a great movie and I wouldn't have issues with it, but I DO know the story from the book, I have read it many times. For good or bad if your adapting a book you should try to keep as close to it as you can, otherwise what's the point?
That bit at the end where a disgruntled Chani storms off was a bit of a gut punch for me.
Chani would never do this.
I liked the first movie but I felt that it was just a lot of “slices” of the book without being properly translated into the medium of a movie. I felt the same way about the Atlas Shrugged movies that came out a few years ago. It’s difficult to translate a book, especially one with deep underlying social and philosophical commentary, into a filmed performance.
I liked Dune 1 but I didn't like Dune 2. Dune 1 wasn't perfect, it should have been 30 minutes longer, some elements were changed not for the best. A good movie nonetheless. But Dune 2 is a poor adaptation. DV took a fantastic story and gave us a Hollywood - approved sketch. Too much was changed for the worse.
You know if you read the books the number one thing you remember is "The spice must flow"... totally missing from this movie and with it goes the not very subtle pointer to the audience that Spice is allegorical to oil in our 21st century world.
My only few complaints are, is i felt like Christopher Walken is too old for the part of the emperor and another actor who is just a little younger would of been better for the part, maybe Kyle McLachlan as the Emperor. Chani casting was wrong Zadayna isn't a good actress and she is not pretty. Maybe Jenna Ortega as Chani would of been better casting. But overall this movie is what we have been needing from Hollywood for awhile now. I would argue that Paul isn't a marysue he is like the Paul in the original film who had intense training and you have to remember he is the prophecy being fulfilled
I'm not sure how I feel about the non-corporeal manifestation of Paul's sister Alia's intellect portrayed in Dune 2. Having not read the books, my only knowledge was from the endless viewings of David Lynch's version. At least he acknowledged her growth at a highly accelerated rate. I wish Denis, did something similar because I liked David's version of both Paul and Alia working as a team.
I got the extremely deep group psychology that I did not get in the Dune 1984. I actually want to read the book, now! I am fascinated by the interweaving of propaganda!
I’m reading the book right now and it’s pretty good! A little slow sometimes, but I’m finding it very entertaining! I highly recommend it, especially the audiobook! Tho, the original novel does have a lot of useful footnotes to help the reader understand the world building, so, choose wisely 😊
The book is a hard read, but worth it. FH's sentence structure is like pulling teeth for me.
I think I made it to the 5th book.
@@protorhinocerator142, I will probably only read the first book. I have heard that the other books are not as good.
I'm just going to say that based on the films, the universe is overrated. I know, I know. Dune fanboys about to mob me, but believe me I'm just as surprised as you are. I love legacy scifi, and love a lot of the things Dune has influenced like 40K and Star Wars, but Dune just doesn't strike a chord for me. Never has.@@michaelmaultsby895
I have to laugh at those saying that the books are "a hard read" or "slow". I read them in the high school. Then reread them more than 3 times. And talking about some of the other books not being good, not true. The God Emperor of Dune is excellent, the others are also very good.
Excellent points, cannot argue. I did miss the background information about the Butlerian Jihad and the reliance on specialized mentats, navigators, and such, but that might just be me. He manages to tell a good story regardless, but it sort of comes off as "Dune Lite"
I liked Part 1. I liked Part 1 of Part 2. I hate some Fremen, the Chani thing and ending. Lynch's Dune 1984 is therefore a better movie.
The lingering shots in the first movies cried as desperate attention seeking: "look at this landscape, have you ever seen such a thing? Amazing isn't it? And the ship.. it's great, right?.." The music was atrocious with that screaming bint. The Harkonen's palace simple and drab like a monk's which is the opposite of his character: a glutton. for power for food, for sex and every other pleasure.
The first part was boring as infuriating at the same time and it appears the second one is as piss poor as the first.
I'm planning to see it alone, I couldn't drag the wife to see it without Jason Mamoa being in it, that's a potential loss of audience right there.
Your calling out LOTR was spot on, the battle of Hobbiton was a coming of age event for Pippin and Merry and should have been included.
I would recommend Imax. It's super loud, maybe even "too loud" but it will take you there. You're not in a theater watching a movie. You're on the back of a sandworm with Paul learning how to steer the thing. It was the single most immersive movie world I've been to since the original Avatar movie.
And don't load up on drinks. It's a long movie and there's not a good place to hit the bathroom. I went when I thought there would be a lull and I could hear stuff blowing up from the bathroom.
Even with Momoa, it would still stay Dune.. bad remake. granted, much more worth than the first.
RotK is already 3 hours 20 mins in the theatrical cut, so you're going to have to edit *with extreme prejuduce* in order to fit the Scouring of the Shire in and allow it to still have impact.
For your wife, at least Duncan is an important character in the rest of the books.
"The Spice must flow." Who knows? The Chato knows!
In 2024 the Ice Spice must flow!
He also knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.
The movie missed the ENTIRE point of the book, just so they could set up Zendaya for a bigger role. Thumbs down.
Yeah I’ll be skipping the girl-power spin-off
I was so unsatisfied at the end of that movie.
I was annoyed at the people next to me who were taking their grand old time to get up and stop blocking the aisle, once the credits went up. Yes, I did need to go to the bathroom, but my main reason to get out is a HATED that emotionally dead ending. Paul became totally unlikeable and uninspiring. The knife fight was beyond boring and silly. The final worm battle seemed rushed, hard-to-see and anti-climatic, but (most of all) I'd HAD ENOUGH of Chani's petulant mis-charcterization. I'd already seen bits of (wrong) reviews saying confidently that this was "not woke". 😂 Chani in this film is the epitome of "woke*. An overbearing, obnoxious "strong" female who disrespects nearly everyone and then "storms off on a worm" in the final scene, as if we spent 5 hours over 3 years waiting to see the progression of her character. STUPID. The more I think of the feeling I had at the end of this film, the more unlikely I think I'd return to see it in IMAX again just for the 'fantastic visuals'.
Such a STUPID ending.
@@damonappel Zendaya's Chani absolutely took this film down a notch for me. I could accept the massive cuts from the book, but Zendaya's performance coupled with Chani's awful rewrite made me literally roll my eyes multiple times until my optic nerves were getting sore in the back of my head.
@@damonappel You are spot on. In one scene Chani defends Paul by telling the other Fremen to NOT mock him. Then five minutes later in the movie, she is with other Fremen mocking Paul. Chani ruined the movie every step of the way. Three hours I will not get back.
I was most annoyed at the missing Mentats, who were the 3rd of the three great guilds (Bene Gesserit, Spacer, Mentats). They were equally important as the houses of the Landstat and the emperor. They weren't portrayed well at all in Dino's Dune, and pretty much ignored in this one. Introducing them better and showing Thufir Hawat training Paul would have also made him a little less of a Marty Sue, and explain how he was such a tactical genius.
Maybe they should have made book 1 three movies, instead of two?
Three movies would have been great, but remember the studio wasn't committed to any more than a single movie until after the first came out. It was a huge gamble to make the first film as a 'part 1'.
I felt it very juvenile and chemistry between Chani and Paul was bad.
This version did not feel so epic.
I saw Dune 1 and 2. I felt that it didn't have dramatic touch as David Lynch version but cast didn't have that Shakespeare training as Sir. Patrick Stewart. But it was a great movie.
Why was Christopher Walken there? It is obvious: 'if you walk without rhythm, you won' t attract the worm'
Good catch!
I am in the same boat as you are. They changed too many key factors that made the book great. They won so easy because Paul united all the southern tribes and brought them north. I will have to look for a hot dog vendor next time I watch the movie. Thanks for the honest review, not too many people are saying it is an OK movie.
Well said!
Paul was not good at everything by accident. He was trained for years by his mother, Gurney, Duncan, his father...
chani left paul at the end, that's just such a slap in the face of all dune fans.
You mentioned how the audience seems meh at the end. This was a long movie, at the end in my showing the audience was racing for the restroom. I really agree about the crowd sequence, it was the only place that looked out of place to me. Thanks Chato.
Brian Eno's "Prophecy" theme was sorely missed when Paul takes the "Water of Life." 😢💦🐁💧🗡
They left out Alia? I was looking forward to seeing Baby Spice.
Chani, Irulan and Alia, the spice girls
Oh, she's in the film. Thankfully not as much as I was afraid she'd be. I think her presence was well done.
@@goldengriffonwhat do you have against Alia?
@@goldengriffon I went to see Alia. Huge disappointment. Three hours I will not get back.
@@PodreyJenkin138 It's been decades since I read the book, but I recall finding her to be an annoying deus ex machina / mary sue / monkey wrench. And the 80's movie portrayal was psychotic. Perhaps I just didn't "get" her purpose, and perhaps she makes more sense taken in the context of the whole series? Not too interested in finding out, as the end of the first novel felt so rushed and bizarre it turned me off of the series despite the majority of the book being extremely well done and intriguing.
82M us / 180m worldwide opening is pretty respectable on a 180m budget and it gets 2 more weekends until actual competition in the US so hopefully good word of mouth keep sit moving forward
I have not watched either one, being a die-hard Lyncher. Kyle Maclachlan will always be Paul to me. However, since I love the books, too (though only Herbert's), I am pleased to hear that, if they must be adapted again, they are at least competent films. I'm going to watch Spice Diver's edit again, however, and save the money.
Excellent choice.
Anyone thats read the books - for good reason - seems to not like the movie, although we really want to, but for some reason, you just can’t bring yourself to say it’s any good.
It’s an easy way to play: tell me you haven’t red the books without reading the books - if you like part 2!
Overall i wanted to like it soo much, but I just couldn’t.
I even with all the way out craziness of the 1988 (?) lynch movie, it’s still probably better than part 2. - feel so dirty typing that but,.. it’s kinda true :P
I've found this to be the case as well. I love the books, and felt very conflicted in during the movie and left feeling uneasy by the end. Visually a spectacle, but so hollow compared to what we know of this story. I despise what they did with Chani in particular. My friends who never read the book either love it or are confused by what is happening because the film explains so little
In some ways I felt like Paul is portrayed like the typical heroes journey rather than the actual messiah in Dune II. They beat the drum so hard that the messiah was a propaganda tool of the Bene Gesserit that I think he never came across as the ACTUAL messiah. Add to that the big change with Chani's reaction to him claiming the princess and empire and it changes the intent quite hard in that aspect. Also due to the absence of the Spacing Guild, I think if you hadn't read the book you might be wondering why spice was really that important. I felt like a valuable commodity rather than something that could paralyse a galactic empire. But all was forgiven when I think about how bloody amazing it was when Paul rides the sand worm. Sound design is god tier.
omg FINALLY a review by someone who READ THE BOOK.
Chani's refusal to become Concubine and wife in all but name, was Present Day. It abandoned the World Building of a different time and place. One wonders what will happen in Dune 3 (Dune Messiah) without a supportive Chani. In todays climate, stories are not woke... until they are. I have noticed in TV Series that they have got wise to tuning out in episode 2. They now wait for the last couple of episodes of a series for when suddenly the men in charge become weak/incompetent and superseded by the girl boss. We are permanently and due to no fault of our own, always waiting for the other feminist, woke shoe, to drop.
Turning chani into a “strong independent woman, who don’t need no man” was a turn off but after that I loved it.
My thoughts exactly! That and how the Harkonnens were suddenly so much less strategic and genius in the second movie. Other than that, I had no complaints. Stunning movie
So no negative response to DV introducing generation conflict to the Fremen? The sudden distinction of Northern progressives and Southern conservatives absolutely not trying to point a massive finger towards not-so-ancient history of the USA? No sadness for obliterating one of the most badass characters of the book, Chani?
I read the books and saw the 80’s movie. I’m good.
That would be a mistake. This is well done, and on a wokeness scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst) is only about a 3. This should be rewarded with a view.
@@LordFalconsword I'd argue it's more of a 5 on the wokeness scale, given how much they tweaked the plot and characters so Villenueve could expand his female roles in directions that didn't exist in the book. Part of me also suspects this was to help generate more buzz for the Bene Gesserit tv series.
See the tv series, its much better.
Agree with your comments about the Scouring of the Shire in LOTR.
I mostly loved the movie, but the girl boss Chani scenes were SOOOOOO ANNOYING.
(Spoilers) She basically doesn’t believe Paul is the chosen one, but then when he fulfills all the prophesies and steps into his role, Chani doesn’t believe in him anymore. Wait… Fucking what?! None of this was in the book. Apparently we can’t just have a woman that believes in her man. Just some more BS drama and feminism girl boss nonsense for the sake of ‘character complexity’. And, of course SHE gets the final scene. So TIRED of this shit.
Still worth a watch tho, imo, but I won’t be seeing it again, or purchasing it in any capacity.
They also inserted that completely made-up plot point about her tears being what are necessary to revive Paul, all because they wanted Zendaya to matter more to the story.
I watched a lot of Dune reviews the last few days and I always wait for yours. May the spice be with you Chato !!!
My biggest complaint was Villeneuve turned Paul into a wondering, fradulent, tent preacher. And your point about fight between Paul and Feyd is right on. Also would have loved to have the scene where Jessica drinks the water of life and communes with the dying reverend mother. It is a scene that has stuck with me since I first read the book back in the 70s.
I thought that it was important to show that Paul could take on the role of a religious leader - not just military. This was lacking from the original 1984 film. It is not enough for some Fremen think he is the Mahdi, he has to actively pursue that destiny.
Yeah i was expecting this part as well but ended up disappointed with it. Why cast Taylor-Joy if you’re not gonna show little Aliya beinf creepy as F?
I felt it was obvious in the film both that Paul was considering using the voice but knew that honor demanded a fair fight, and that Jessica and the dying reverend mother would be having communion, and was very glad we didn't get those explicitly shown. It wouldn't feel right in a film; it'd feel rather cheesy and the message was presented clearly enough.
@@markbertenshaw3977It was not lacking from the 1984 film. Lynch's Dune illustrated Paul's spiritual power much more perceptibly, especially during taking the water of life. You also had several scenes of Paul speaking to the masses of Fremen in Lynch's movie, compared to the one scene in Part Two where he demonstrates he's able to read the random Fremen's mind.
Lynch's Paul actually had awesome scenes of Paul inspiring the Fremen: "We shall kill until no Harkonnen breathes Arrakeen air." --Show me anything as cool as that in Villeneuve's depiction. I'll wait.
(And yes, yes: Oooh, Paul actually says "Long live the fighters" IN FREMEN in this one. --That technicality was really important. 😅 ...I also 'love' that he shouts this to a massive group of Fremen just loitering in the desert daylight... seemingly well within sight of the Emperor's and Harkonnen's sensors and fleet.)
Best review of Dune 2 so far. The only thing I would disagree with is....I don't think Paul is a straight Mary Sue since he's been trained by his Bene Gesserit mother and the top Atreides fighters and absorbed his father's political instincts (despite the fact he couldn't see the emperor's plans from a mile away in Dune 1) his whole life...all with the ability to see glimpses of the future.
I think the Walker scenes needed more cowbell.
And maybe a "Spice, Spice Baby!" dance number
1:08 You just made me remember I was at the theater when T2 came out... it was a double feature. Damn I'm old.
Just came back from watching it and loved it! Its ART! and I will see it again before it leaves the theater
Dune is an amazing movie to look at and I'm sure a good movie to someone who has never read the book. To me, as someone who has read and loves the book, I'm confused at why so many plot elements were changed as most of them wouldn't seem to have anything to do with time constraints.
I imagine that Alia is going to be the WTF of their DUNE MESSIAH, which could work.
Yeah, and they better keep the spoilers
romance between her and ghola Duncan Idaho. Perhaps the time jump will be longer than the canonical 12 years in the book. Oh and they better keep the Irulan giving Chani the contraceptives and Paul allowing it since his visions tell him that she'll die after giving birth so he in fact prolongs his life.
Yeah, Alia is a real piece of work in the books.
I hope ATJ is up to the task.
They'll have to have the character rapidly mature physically as part of being abomination. ATJ is too old to play Alia, especially if the next movie is 6 yr away. Bad choice in my opinion.
Dune miniseries is still my favorite rendition and was done on a much smaller budget too
Christopher Walken was such a bad choice for the Emperor. I was waiting for him to go on a tirade about two mice falling into a bowl of cream. And, he looked like he was about to fall asleep…
My only complaint with dune pt 2 and one is the absolute lack of violence.i think it really hurt the drama of the peice as it was like a kids show.even when the baron dies not a single drop of blood drops out of his mouth or anything.very disappointing.
I would argue Paul really isn't a Marty Stu for a few reasons. First, we get a real sense of Paul's imminent danger in several scenes. We're believably shown he is in real trouble many times, and there is palatable suspense and tension. He takes damage. He doesn't effortlessly breeze through difficult situations. Second, he has legitimate reasons as the story progresses for being as good as he is. He's been trained in the Bene Gesserit ways since the beginning. He has imbibed the water of life which gives further abilities. Fair criticism that the movie doesn't do a whole ton to explain exactly what these abilities are, but we have two very strong reasons as to why Paul is special, given what both he and Jessica can do. Lastly, Paul actually has to make compromises. He doesn't get perfect solutions to create a perfect world, he has to simply do what he believes is the least of multiple evils.
Depending on your definition of what constitutes what a Mary Sue or Marty Stu actually is, others may see it differently. I would define these badly written characters as a hyper idealized character with no explanation as to why they are the way they are, but others are free to disagree since I find it to be a fairly nebulous term.
Paul may come across to some as a Marty Stu... but he's absolutely not one. Despite being effectively "superhuman," he's bested and shown up and ultimately outright fails as a leader and as the messiah of the Fremen in the books. Life beats him down. Hard.
The nuance is lost in the movies.
@@jimclayson I hope we eventually get to see that in future movies.
The ending ruined the whole movie for me, Paul was half dead after the feyd fight, chani abandoned Paul when he needs her.
Totally agree on the ending. Rushed and didn’t really make sense.
I really was looking forward to seeing the spacing guild navigators. They were not shown in this film. I hope we'll see them in the next instalment.
If the next one is "Dune Messiah" we'll have to. Edric the navigator is a main character.
Yeah but we got endless Chani Zendaya scenes she might as well have been the lead for F's sake. The Bene Gesserit Lea Seydoux character seducing Fade yes please sign me up for that all day long!!!!!! I agree with you would much rather have had the guild navigator scenes instead of Chani and Paul staring at each other.
@bartsullivan4866 Yes, ENDLESS shots of Zendaya looking irritated. Bring on the Spacing Guild as the true rulers of the galaxy, pre-Muad'dib.
@@michaelnash2138 exactly that was the real problem with the 1st film way too much Chani sun gazing scenes. I hoped that in part 2 the film would steer away from that crap but nope they doubled down she has a MINOR role not a lead bugs the S out of me. The spacing guild would have been much more interesting and she just pouts and runs away Paul didn't tell her he was going to marry Irulean to consolidate power not to love or sleep with. The visuals in both films are stunning but I think Denis short changes Frank's great dialog in both films.
My thoughts were visually flawless, great performances but a complete lack of catharsis in both films, leaving me feeling somewhat unfulfilled.
Mentats, Guild navigators and the Weirding way-killing words etc also were very missing.
Leaving out Alia is a bit disappointing but I had a hard time understanding how her character could have been effectively explained so I can sort of understand.
Regardless of the books, I have to say I was somewhat estranged by casting decisions, the craft of making those 2 films were high as expected, creating the world was successful, however connecting with some characters was a bit off for me, it allowed other aspects of the 2 films to shine however at a higher cost than I would’ve liked
Worm dogs. Get your worm dogs here
I agree with you that there is a certain idiocy in modern audiences. There was a woman in our theater who you could tell had no idea what was going on and laughed at anything resembling feminism because she didn't understand that a modern movie could be filled with nuance and not modern day "feminism"
I don't see how you can call this film nuanced with Zendaya mocking religious prophesies and screaming "this is how they enslave us!" every ten minutes.
As a film maker myself I’m just happy that epics are being made again.
Saw it. Appreciated it. I thought the 2nd seemed more rushed than the 1st. Good movie. Not in my top 10 all time, but definitely worth the watch in a theater.
You nailed it.... They cut so much that it was off-putting, but logical considering the slash and burn job they did to the book. A lot of people are calling it a "masterpiece" and in terms of filmmaking they'd probably be right. In terms of storytelling and straying from the source material then I'd have to say it's mediocre at best. The actors did bring their A-Game to the set!
Thanks for bringing up the changes in the Lord of the Rings. I had, indeed, forgotten the pre-mature death of Saruman in the movie. I agree that it was a tragic lost to leave0out the re-taking of the Shire from Sharky is a more fitting ending, showing that the hobbits (the everyman stand-ins for us peons), when aroused and competently led are a fierce and dangerous group... a fitting message for the elites today.
I, too, think leaving out Alia and not letting her kill the Baron (steal in from her the line, "Hello Grandfather") was completely unnecessary and wrong. A murderous, highly articulate 3-year old would have added a powerful statement regarding the unleashing of the powers of the Spice that the Dune saga presents as a cautionary tale. It also would have better set up Dune 3 which has to feature Alia the Mad-Priestess vs Paul the Blinid Prophet.
Even worse, the portrayal of Chani as utterly alienated from Paul and the leaving out of Pauls powerful speech that Irulan will never be in his bed and that the centuries will know only Chani as Paul's wife is tragic. How will they have Chani birthing the Children of Dune that have to be featured in the next film which, I have heard, will cover Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. I hope earnestly that they don't havde Irulan birthing them.
"A murderous, highly articulate 3-year old"
The Baron being killed by Alia is weird and creepy and memorable.
But a super-warrior killing a morbidly obese fat man who's fallen and can't get up was anti-climactic.
I can't believe it but this made me yearn for lynchs DUNE , this was visually impressive but butchered the story for a non existent cliffhanger , found it cold.
Dune is all simmer no steak. It looks great, but man is it just blah.
The fact that Alia was relegated to basically a talking fetus irritated the hell out of me.
She is supposed to kill the Baron not Paul.
How would that have improved the story or the character arcs? I personally think it would've made things worse. I was glad not to see more of her than we did.
@@goldengriffon It's part of the story.
Alia being born and ultimately killing the Baron is what actually happened in the book.
Yes, but so what? That doesn't address my point: How would they book's way have improved the story or the character arcs? Just because it was in the book doesn't automatically make it a meaningful plot point.@@Pyrate_Of_Las_Vegas
@@goldengriffon it being in the book is automatically a reason to keep in in the movie. Star Wars would have been "better" if Anakin never betrayed Mace Windu. But that's not the actual story. Same with Alia.
I strongly disagree. Making a film that's just a copy of the book would be pointless, if not offensive. The film is its own separate story and theme, purely by definition of it being a different medium. And a story stands or falls on its own merits; what one particular storyteller happened to settle on in the moment they printed or filmed it doesn't automatically make it better or superior or preferred. It only would be worth keeping if the story's reason, moral, purpose, theme, etc. made the best sense. To believe otherwise is, I think, essentially religious idolatry. Rather ironic, considering Dune's themes.@@derek96720
Beyond the Sands: Dune Part Two's Epic Spectacle and Themes of Individual Freedom and Human Dignity
Dune Part Two, like its predecessor, is gorgeously filmed and prodigiously imagined. The film's real center of gravity is its spectacle, the craft with which Villeneuve and his crew depict Herbert's stupendously complex worlds. It's impressive filmmaking. An epic and spectacular sci-fi allegory with mass appeal.
Yet, amidst its grandeur, Dune Part Two subtly weaves in themes that resonate with timeless values. The concept of Individual Freedom is subtly explored through the characters' quests for autonomy amidst political intrigue and familial obligations. Limited Government and the Rule of Law are depicted through the struggle for control over resources and the consequences of unchecked power.
Moreover, the film touches upon the idea of Peace through Strength, as factions vie for dominance in a volatile universe. Fiscal Responsibility is hinted at through the economic motivations driving key players, while Free Markets manifest in the interstellar trade networks shaping the galaxy.
However, what truly elevates Dune Part Two is its treatment of Human Dignity. Amidst the vast expanse of space and political machinations, the film never loses sight of the inherent worth of its characters, each struggling to define their place in a universe fraught with peril.
In summary, Dune Part Two transcends mere entertainment to deliver a thought-provoking narrative that resonates with themes of Individual Freedom, Limited Government, the Rule of Law, Peace through Strength, Fiscal Responsibility, Free Markets, and above all, Human Dignity. It's a cinematic masterpiece that speaks to the complexities of the human condition while captivating audiences with its visual splendor.
I think the thing you talk about at the beginning: It was not really suspenseful - or how to say it. I mean, the end was kind of clear from the beginning, especially for us "older" people. When Terminator 2 came out, nobody knew how it would end, and the special fx were so much on another level for the time that everyone was speechless. Different level. But - the optics of Dune were awesome.
I agree with your assessment. I felt the same way about the ending.