Dune -- The Movie
Well, made it to the new Dune. I went with mixed feelings. Having read the books and even re-read a bit of Dune more recently, and seen the 1980s version (which, in some ways, I like given the steampunk nature of some of the technology), I wondred if the new movie would meet my expectations.
Blown away, I was.
And not just by the desert winds. Visually, the movie is beyond equal for making one understand the vastness of Arakis and the increadingly hostile nature of the environment.
Plot wise, the movie is very faithful to the book and the book’s core themes and the cast is well chosen. What I particularly liked is that the movie gave time for the characters to be introduced and developed. This was possible by the decision to split the book into two (or will that be more?) movies. Still, it has left me frustrated in that the next one won’t arrive for two years or so.
What went well?
The conceptualisation was particularly good. The way the intimate personal journeys of the main characters was contrasted with the big scenes was really well done. One got the impression that the characters operated within a much, much larger environment and this affected them in so many different ways. Hence, we got the macro/micro contrast that helped contextualise and move the story forward and made me rout for the good guy MCs.
Costumes were good too. Others have commented on the stillsuits but the other outfits also felt “right”. I think there was some “homage” to the Lynch version here, but equally, the book itself suggested the costumes.
As with any adaptation, there had to be changes from the book. None overtly damaged the storyline or the original book, though one never knows. It is inevitable in a book that is long on description, deep introspection, and interior monologue, all things that don’t translate to teh screen that well. The movie cuts back on voice over compared to the Lynch version, all to the good.
As a spectacle, this is how a science-fiction/fantasy story should be created on screen. Villeneuve has had the advantage of advances in CGI and SFF movies since the 1980s that he has used to the benefit of the movie in so many ways. Plus a really talented team who helped bring it all together.
Hence, well done to all who helped bring Frank Herbert’s masterpiece to the screen. In that regard, I did read Herbert’s own reflections on the making of the 1980s versionand how his vision had to be altered to make it into movie form. He wasn’t always pleased by what happened. I’d like to think he’d have given this new version the thumbs up. I certainly do. (And I still have a fondness for the Lynch version as a brave if flawed attempt to bring the sprawling saga to the screen.)
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Will there be an even longer director’s cut? One can only hope so. There is so much that could be done to extend the story and one wonders how much was ultimately cut from the shoot to keep the movie within a reasonable length. Roll on the longer version, I say.