Topic: Dune ( 2021 Film)

[Garrus]

Really enjoyed this. Haven't read the source material but the film isn't unfriendly for those with no knowledge of it.

[Snail]

Finally saw it just then, absolutely boss and I want to go back and watch it again immediately.

(Some good looking men in it as well, not that I’d noticed.)

[mallin9]

Personally I knew nothing about the books and had no desire or need to seek any explanations after I saw the film

The fact there wasn't any obvious exposition and you weren't spoonfed anything really added to the immersion for me. I just want to see part 2.

I hear your thopter call sign loud and clear. Well said.

It’s been even better on repeat viewings. It’s a world where everything on screen is intentional in the exact opposite way Han Solo’s dice were intentional, where everything has layers if you want to think about how events over thirty thousand-ish years have developed, OR with one pass/on first viewing you the viewer understand the core human emotions in the story.

I disagree with the complaints about sound mixing in this film and I am usually the first to be can we not turn this down, but I’m a zealot about dune and not capable of being rational on this topic. Sounded great!   Official soundtrack has some bangers but ?not the bagpipes?

I think part two has the potential to be Ark of the Covenant Nazi face cream levels of facemeltingly good

[Zlen]

You’ll find bagpipes on the ‘Dune Sketchbook’ album by Zimmer. It’s actually better than the final soundtrack.

[mallin9]

You’ll find bagpipes on the ‘Dune Sketchbook’ album by Zimmer. It’s actually better than the final soundtrack.

Ah excellent thanks

[So… Howard Philips]

You’ll find bagpipes on the ‘Dune Sketchbook’ album by Zimmer. It’s actually better than the final soundtrack.

Saw it yesterday at the Everyman. Excellent sci-fi film and the bagpipes made it somehow more realistic.

[Zlen]

There were lot of small details that actually built upon stuff hinted in the books. Atreides having this strange mix of gaelic/greek heritage influences, shown with bagpipes, but also the greek motif bas-relief gravestones, or spartan-like battle grouping of Atreides soldiers in the scene at the stairs of Arakeen palace. In general it was good for it to be a blend of old historical references, since the cultural influences were mixed over millenia and now appear in weird new hybrid combinations. Hope this is also done for Fremen in Part 2, when their culture is depicted up close and personal.

[So… Howard Philips]

There were lot of small details that actually built upon stuff hinted in the books. Atreides having this strange mix of gaelic/greek heritage influences, shown with bagpipes, but also the greek motif bas-relief gravestones, or spartan-like battle grouping of Atreides soldiers in the scene at the stairs of Arakeen palace. In general it was good for it to be a blend of old historical references, since the cultural influences were mixed over millenia and now appear in weird new hybrid combinations. Hope this is also done for Fremen in Part 2, when their culture is depicted up close and personal.

Menelaus and Agamemnon were of the original House Atreides. A particularly murderous bunch as when Atreus discovered that his brother Thyestes had been tupping Mrs Atreus he killed Thyestes's sons and fed them to him at a feast.

[Zlen]

That's the kind of lore Herbert's untalented son should have been writing.

[Snail]

The soundtrack is something special.

[Crimson]

Really nicely paced film. Hopefully the other parts live up to the billing.

[mallin9]

The way Bene Gesserit are introduced here, overall vibe and the voice……I’m excited for a Bene Gesserit tv show

[meady1981]

Went with my wife (who had no real idea what the film was about but wanted to see it) and when the end credits rolled she turned to me and said 'what the fuck, thats a terrible ending'. I managed to keep quiet for a good half an hour before letting her know there's a part 2.

Also when she was in the loo after she heard one of two older ladies say to her mate, 'I don't really like films without much plot. Or sci-fi'.

[Drinks Sangria]

Went with my wife (who had no real idea what the film was about but wanted to see it) and when the end credits rolled she turned to me and said 'what the fuck, thats a terrible ending'. I managed to keep quiet for a good half an hour before letting her know there's a part 2.

Also when she was in the loo after she heard one of two older ladies say to her mate, 'I don't really like films without much plot. Or sci-fi'.

I loved it, but my partner had a similarly underwhelmed reaction and didn't enjoy it. She's hit and miss with sci-fi and fantasy in general though.

I had no prior knowledge of Dune, not having read the books or seen the original adaptation; I went primarily because I rate Villeneuve as a filmmaker and enjoy his flicks. Brilliant world building and I thought it did a really good job at presenting a large amount of lore whilst still making it understandable, easy to follow and keeping the different factions completely distinct from one another.

Question for those more immersed in the Dune lore: Is Batista (Dave Bautista)'s character shouty and aggressive as pictured, or is Batista doing one of the two acting tricks he's capable of? I enjoyed him in Guardians, just interested to know if this was well cast or not. Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin and Timothee Chalamet all delivered good performances I thought. Skarsgaard a compelling villain too.

[Zlen]

Question for those more immersed in the Dune lore: Is Batista (Dave Bautista)'s character shouty and aggressive as pictured, or is Batista doing one of the two acting tricks he's capable of? I enjoyed him in Guardians, just interested to know if this was well cast or not. Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin and Timothee Chalamet all delivered good performances I thought. Skarsgaard a compelling villain too.

Rabban is described by his uncle the baron as 'tank brain', all muscle and aggression. He is furhter reduced to a charicature in the movie. In the book he does attempt to 'be clever for his uncle' and gain his respect by attempting to be subtle, but in the end baron sees him as little more than a vehicle for delivering punishment on Arrakis and is planning on replacing him with other nephew - Feyd Rautha. Rabban is however very much short tempered, aggressive and a full on sadist. He enjoys delivering pain. Where they misrepresented him is in how he behaves in front of his uncle. He is (rightly) scared of the baron and saves his tantrums for those he can intimidate and control.

[Drinks Sangria]

Rabban is described by his uncle the baron as 'tank brain', all muscle and aggression. He is furhter reduced to a charicature in the movie. In the book he does attempt to 'be clever for his uncle' and gain his respect by attempting to be subtle, but in the end baron sees him as little more than a vehicle for delivering punishment on Arrakis and is planning on replacing him with other nephew - Feyd Rautha. Rabban is however very much short tempered, aggressive and a full on sadist. He enjoys delivering pain. Where they misrepresented him is in how he behaves in front of his uncle. He is (rightly) scared of the baron and saves his tantrums for those he can intimidate and control.

Thanks for this, so not too far off by the sounds of it, but maybe should have limited the explosions of aggression and outbursts to scenes separate from his uncle (which to be honest I think he only had one and it was dialogue-free). He was just one of the few characters I'm not sure fully gelled with what I anticipated, but he wasn't immersion-killing or anything.

I'm sure people have something to say about Timothee Chalamet's casting but he's a fine actor and I liked him in this.

[Zlen]

Only complaint in regards to Chalamet as Paul - is that physically he doesn't fit the description of Paul completely. Paul was described as bit short for his age, wiry but muscular - which makes perfect sense as he was training his whole life and Atreides line is known to grow up late. Chalamet is lean and skinny, so not exactly the book template. But this is irrelevant really as his face fits Paul really well and he delivered a fine performance that outlines nicely Paul's nobility, heritage, inner turmoils and dying embers of childhood. Rest of the story in Part 2 will demand much, much more from Chalamet,. In that part of the story his character transitions from boy-wonder into a leader of men and a very lonesome character indeed. Someone that carries a lot of weight completely alone - unable to confide in anyone because his experience is completely unique in human history. This is what Muad'Dib is. Not the torchbearer Bene Geserit were plotting to create, not the Fremen messiah - but a trailblazer of a completely unique kind that is permanently tortured by his strangeness. Se it remains to be seen how well Chalamet does with what will need a much more nuanced and subtle performance.

[Drinks Sangria]

Only complaint in regards to Chalamet as Paul - is that physically he doesn't fit the description of Paul completely. Paul was described as bit short for his age, wiry but muscular - which makes perfect sense as he was training his whole life and Atreides line is known to grow up late. Chalamet is lean and skinny, so not exactly the book template. But this is irrelevant really as his face fits Paul really well and he delivered a fine performance that outlines nicely Paul's nobility, heritage, inner turmoils and dying embers of childhood. Rest of the story in Part 2 will demand much, much more from Chalamet,. In that part of the story his character transitions from boy-wonder into a leader of men and a very lonesome character indeed. Someone that carries a lot of weight completely alone - unable to confide in anyone because his experience is completely unique in human history. This is what Muad'Dib is. Not the torchbearer Bene Geserit were plotting to create, not the Fremen messiah - but a trailblazer of a completely unique kind that is permanently tortured by his strangeness. Se it remains to be seen how well Chalamet does with what will need a much more nuanced and subtle performance.

Cheers for the cracking insight Zlen, I think the books are going to be holiday reading for me in the coming months. I find Chalamet a good enough actor to see past those physical limitations as you say - they may be asking him to pack on muscle for the sequel (if it's not already been filmed) - I've always found him to bring the necessary gravity with him to a role. I thought he was great in The King on Netflix for example, another film that an actor with his boyish frame might've have seemed lost in were he not such a good actor.

[Zlen]

'King' is a very good example, corresponding to 'Dune' in many ways as it's partially a coming of age story. He did pull it off well and being obviously physically unsuited for a broadsword wielding knight - only made it better for me. He took on the role that was expected of him and carried the burden with dignity and courage. He'll need to undergo a serious transformation for Part 2 of Dune, but I'm confident he can pull it off. Not only does his behaviour and ways of thinking change dramatically, but his life in the desert transforms him from a 'water-fat' offworlder to a proper, hardened Fremen. If there is one thing where the movie slacked off a bit, it's conveying just how desperate water situation is on Arrakis. Living in the deep desert requires a ruthless mindset and rock-hard determination. Or else you're dead in no time. Everything is hard, even without being on the run and hunted by an army. We did get a peek of that Paul in the Part 1, in one of his visions he is looking down from a craft on to rampaging jihad army on Caladan. Paul already has blue eyes and appears stoic, distant and quite different from the boy in movie 1.

[mallin9]

Rabban is described by his uncle the baron as 'tank brain', all muscle and aggression. He is furhter reduced to a charicature in the movie. In the book he does attempt to 'be clever for his uncle' and gain his respect by attempting to be subtle, but in the end baron sees him as little more than a vehicle for delivering punishment on Arrakis and is planning on replacing him with other nephew - Feyd Rautha. Rabban is however very much short tempered, aggressive and a full on sadist. He enjoys delivering pain. Where they misrepresented him is in how he behaves in front of his uncle. He is (rightly) scared of the baron and saves his tantrums for those he can intimidate and control.

the decision to zoom in on the ?whips? on his waist before showing his face tells the viewer what we need to know about the beast rabban.

fuck the beast rabban!

[Slippers]

We saw this on Monday night,I honestly wasn't looking forward to sitting in the cinema for two and a half hours but the time flew.

Part two can't come soon enough.

[Snail]

Only complaint in regards to Chalamet as Paul - is that physically he doesn't fit the description of Paul completely. Paul was described as bit short for his age, wiry but muscular - which makes perfect sense as he was training his whole life and Atreides line is known to grow up late. Chalamet is lean and skinny, so not exactly the book template. But this is irrelevant really as his face fits Paul really well and he delivered a fine performance that outlines nicely Paul's nobility, heritage, inner turmoils and dying embers of childhood. Rest of the story in Part 2 will demand much, much more from Chalamet,. In that part of the story his character transitions from boy-wonder into a leader of men and a very lonesome character indeed. Someone that carries a lot of weight completely alone - unable to confide in anyone because his experience is completely unique in human history. This is what Muad'Dib is. Not the torchbearer Bene Geserit were plotting to create, not the Fremen messiah - but a trailblazer of a completely unique kind that is permanently tortured by his strangeness. Se it remains to be seen how well Chalamet does with what will need a much more nuanced and subtle performance.

His Instagram story the other day (yeah, I follow him ) looked like he's beefed up a bit, for his frame at least. Everything I've watched him in leads to me thinking he'll smash it, he's a fabulous actor.

[Dench57]

I think he's perfectly cast as Paul. And he's beautiful to look at.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

For anyone that hasn't read the book in decades, I'd advise it. Not sure if it's the brilliance of the film or my advancing years, but I'm finding it tremendous now.

[abs-ibs]

The only slight disappointment I felt with the new movie was that the dream sequences focussed way too much on Chani rather than Paul's future awakening and transformation. Other than that it lived up to everything I hoped it would. What a brilliant adaption.

Bravo Mr Villenueve, bravo

I hope we see the Spacing Guild more in the next movie as they are important players in the game that surrounds the Landsraad, The Emperor and the Bene Gesserit.

[Snail]

I think he's perfectly cast as Paul. And he's beautiful to look at.

He’s not the ugliest fella in the world, like.

[Buck Pete]

Well that's where international breaks are good.

Went for a meal and a couple of pints with the lad this afternoon then onto a screening of this.

Absolutely boss movie.  Not enjoyed a Sci-Fi/Fantasy as much as that for many a year.  Villeneuve is certainly a director who knows what the fuck he is doing.

No issues with sound for me.  Thought it sounded great actually to be honest. 

Really looking forward to Part 2

Spoiler

So glad the Baron survived the poisoning attempt.  A boss villain if ever I saw one.

[close]

[mattD]

As someone who has no preconceptions going into this (I haven't read the novel and neither had I seen the Lynch version), I was intrigued and looking forward to this. I love a slow burner too, so the fact I was going into a sci-fi film that wasn't going to be all crash, bang wallop like the sensory annihilation of the Marvel films was going to be a plus point. Finally, Denis Villeneuve is simply one of the best directors around at the moment (Arrival one of my favourite films of recent years).

So I'm disappointed to say I thought this was awful. Just so unbelievably tedious, with extremely dull characterisation that I just didn't care one jot for, uninspired cinematography (for a desert film, there's no sense of scope, nor space and silence like the great epics Lawrence of Arabia or Good, Bad & Ugly), ugly CGI and frequent overbearing drone music from Hans Zimmer. All bogged down in hierarchical, military dialogue which deterred me even more from the characters.

A film utterly lacking in any humanity. Really really poor.

[WillG.LFC]

   Guess that's the beauty of opinions

[Macphisto80]

Watched this last night. Thought it was fantastic. Denis Villeneuve knows how to make a film, that's for sure. If there's one criticism I have, and it's not really a criticism at all, is that it felt like half a film. Which is exactly what it was, and the studio should be commended for that for having the balls to be brave enough to take a massive risk like that. If it were a film to be left to stand on its own as it is, it would go down as being the 'Firely' equivalent of sci-fi cinema. This is the thing I think that most people that didn't like it probably made the mistake in assuming that it would be a traditional film with at least three acts to round it off at the end. It isn't that. It literally does feel like half a film, with this first one being over two hours worth of world building. But to me it was two and a half hours well spent, as it felt like they'd be absolutely needed to set up the rest of it. In fact, I sat thinking that it wasn't long enough. I couldn't help but thinking that it would maybe be better suited to a two part series with 8 to 10 episodes each made for HBO or something, but still retaining all the production value. I'm very much looking forward to the second part now. It ended just as it was hitting its stride.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Watched this last night. Thought it was fantastic. Denis Villeneuve knows how to make a film, that's for sure. If there's one criticism I have, and it's not really a criticism at all, is that it felt like half a film. Which is exactly what it was, and the studio should be commended for that for having the balls to be brave enough to take a massive risk like that. If it were a film to be left to stand on its own as it is, it would go down as being the 'Firely' equivalent of sci-fi cinema. This is the thing I think that most people that didn't like it probably made the mistake in assuming that it would be a traditional film with at least three acts to round it off at the end. It isn't that. It literally does feel like half a film, with this first one being over two hours worth of world building. But to me it was two and a half hours well spent, as it felt like they'd be absolutely needed to set up the rest of it. In fact, I sat thinking that it wasn't long enough. I couldn't help but thinking that it would maybe be better suited to a two part series with 8 to 10 episodes each made for HBO or something, but still retaining all the production value. I'm very much looking forward to the second part now. It ended just as it was hitting its stride.

I reckon when the second part comes out, cinemas will offer the chance to watch them back-to-back.

If offered, that's exactly what I'll be doing.

[Snail]

I reckon when the second part comes out, cinemas will offer the chance to watch them back-to-back.

If offered, that's exactly what I'll be doing.

I'd love that.

Since watching it in the cinema I've "acquired" a copy of Dune and I've watched it another two times, I love it so much.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

I'd love that.

Since watching it in the cinema I've "acquired" a copy of Dune and I've watched it another two times, I love it so much.

Not sure if you're into reading, but I had the entire Dune collection (and gave up with it decades ago)

Since watching the film, I've given it another go and it's terrific. Not sure if that's being older now or the imagary from the film firing the books.

[BarryCrocker]

Loved it having not watching the original in 30+ years I went into only remember the sand worms. Sonically one of the most impressive movies I've ever seen. Added bonus of Rebecca Ferguson it made for me.

[RedSince86]

I'm about 8 hours in on the audiobook (tried twice before years ago to listen to it and gave up after 3-4 hours), amazing how they kept the film true to the book, only some slight differences and get learn the backstories of Jessica and few other characters, it's 21 hours long and almost up to the ending of the film.

[mallin9]

It gets even better on repeat viewings. Thank you Denis V

[Macphisto80]

I reckon when the second part comes out, cinemas will offer the chance to watch them back-to-back.

If offered, that's exactly what I'll be doing.

Yeah, was thinking this watching it too. Hopefully it happens, because it deserves a re-release and watched in full as intended. I just hope he shot scenes to be included in the second part so we get part two as quickly as possible.

I watched this on a 22" screen, and whilst not doing it justice, it still held up as very watchable even for a first viewing, which is always a very good sign for any film.

[Snail]

Not sure if you're into reading, but I had the entire Dune collection (and gave up with it decades ago)

Since watching the film, I've given it another go and it's terrific. Not sure if that's being older now or the imagary from the film firing the books.

Santa's getting me this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Dune-Trilogy-Children-GOLLANCZ/dp/1473224462/ref=asc_df_1473224462/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310775890077&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15652538266437403634&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046556&hvtargid=pla-495594895427&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

[voodoo ray]

a very stylish and enjoyable film completely ruined by having fucking bagpipes in it.

bagpipes. I mean for fuck's sake.

[BarryCrocker]

a very stylish and enjoyable film completely ruined by having fucking bagpipes in it.

bagpipes. I mean for fuck's sake.

Uilleann pipes would have been far more appropriate. Less cheesy.