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A blockbuster mixed with art house. A review from a fan. (spoilers)
posted by OddRobSTAFFMOD on October 26, 2021 at 1:38 AM
So the time has come. I have been waiting for this film since it started production back in 2019. I have read the first 4 books and watched the original film and actually really liked the SciFi channels mini series, Children of Dune. So I would consider my self a passive fan. Not crazy hardcore. Where to even begin? When I first heard that Denis Villeneuve was going to be directing this master piece I was extremely excited. Im a fan of the director and his ability to visually tell a story. But I knew it was going to be tough. Dune has so much lore and back story that it would be extremely difficult to explain it to a virgin audience with even 4 hours. Never mind 2.5 hours. In that way Im glad they split the first book into two parts. But I think they did a great job at communicating the key elements to the audience.
The visualize in this are just amazing. Everything looks so epic and has some real depth to it. Denis does this by the aide of having something in the shot that we understand the size of, weather its a vehicle or a person or a building. That really helps the audience understand the scale of what they are watching. It just makes you feel like you are being transported into another world. The art department should get an Oscar for this. The interior of their homes. The ships. The cites. Everything feels like a breathing world. Again, helping with the immersion. Along with that comes the costumes. Crazy costume design. You can tell the difference between all the different factions by just their costumes.
The score seems to either be a hit or a miss with people. I heard that Hans Zimmer wanted to go with sounds that seemed other worldly. And boy did that come thru. I personally would have liked less of the industrial sound and more of the chanty stuff. But I mean its Zimmer. You cant really go bad with the man scoring your film. The overall sound design was great. Really helped with the immersion. The Sandworms sounded just terrifying as they would start charging towards the unlucky.
The casting was fantastic. This is a top tier cast. Timothée Chalamet had to carry the entire film. Which he does in such a fantastic way. The rest of the supporting cast played their parts. Even if many of them didnt get much screen time. But this is Pauls story so it would make sense that not everyone would get equal time. Zendaya fans will be disappointed. Shes basically just a dream girl..literally. Stellan Skarsgard was disgusting as the Baron. They did a fantastic job showing the difference between the two houses. Looking forward to seeing more of him and his love for the young boys in Part 2. Now the only issue I had was the casting of Dr. Liet Kynes. In the book he is a white man. In this hes a black she. Played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster. Honestly, it didnt really bother me when seeing her on screen. I think she did a fantastic job. But the purist in me still hates the fact that the writers felt like they needed to do a race/gender swap. Dune is filled with strong women. There was zero need for it. But it had zero impact on the film as well. The only real way it effects the story is the way Paul and Chani bond over the fact that both their fathers were just killed.
The editing/pacing was just amazing as well. 2.5 hours flew by. Ive heard that some people found the first half a bit hard to follow and that it seems to drag. But I mean there is just so much information to unload on the viewers that they basically had to lay down the ground work. Even as is, I feel like the entire film is just laying down the ground work for the things that will come in Part 2. Speaking of Part 2. Denis has said, and I quote 'I laid the base of the world, its done...now I can just have fun with cinema.' So it seems that people will be getting a lot more action in Part 2. And trust me, things get crazy. But will we see a Part 2? So far, officially it hasnt been green lit yet. Unofficially, I just dont see how they wont. It did cost $165 million to make, not to mention the x1.5 marketing budget. So far its brought in $223 million worldwide. But it has yet to open in China and other markets. So we cant be sure about its success or failure as of right now. But WB/HBO Max seems like they are ready to roll the dice and start pre production on Part 2 and also a series, Bene Gesserit Sisterhood.
So whats my take away from Dune Part 1. This is as close as we are going to get to Frank Herberts vision. This is it. And its glorious. This is a slow burner with some action sprinkled in. Not for everyone Im sure. But a solid 8.5/10 for me. More time on the lore and accurate casting would have elevated the film for me. But I understand why they made the decisions they made.
SPOILERS:
I wish they laid more ground work. The Bene Gesserit order and its breeding program. I think the general audience wont understand how important Paul really is. They also could have explained Pauls visions better. My wife didnt get that he can see multiple futures. They also didnt explain the Kwisatz Haderach. Something that is very important to the whole story of Dune. Or how the Bene Gesserit planted the Missionaria Protectiva on Arrakis to help any Sister that ended up there. Hence why Paul and Jessica are treated so strange by some of the locals. Some already see Paul as the messiah that will lead them to freedom. Others dont believe in the prophecy.
Reply by northcoast
on October 26, 2021 at 4:46 AM
OddRob--
I agree with most of what you wrote. Personally my takeaway was very similar to yours-- in a previous post I said I'd give it an 8 out of 10. As far as the budget-- $165 million actually surprises me; I thought the film would've cost substantially more than that. Didn't Mad Max: Fury Road cost around $200 million? A film which I liked, but the cost of which has always befuddled me because it looks like a film that cost a lot less to make; so if $165 million is accurate for Dune, considering the richness of the movie on all levels (not just visuals, but casting, music, etc.), then I'd say Villeneuve made a fantastic film at a relatively reasonable cost. Which bodes well for the studio greenlighting a Part 2.
Reply by Kurtzmansucks
on October 26, 2021 at 9:24 AM
What I hope they do bring up with the part 2 that was surprised they did not bring up in part 1 is Paul's mentat training, if they go beyond the first book this is a big part of the story that needs to be addressed.
Reply by D-magic
on October 26, 2021 at 2:26 PM
Personally I am surprised that the budget is that high, I don't really see it in the movie. I estimate that around 60% went to the salaries, because there is nothing in that movie that justifies high budget.
I know how movies are made nowadays, I've see various productions and behind the scenes, I've seen what they can do with special effects and how they use latest technology to create some of most impressive sets. And if I analyze what we see in this film I just don't see anything that will cost that much. I would understand if they actually built sound stages like we see and they built full structures or ships. But they didn't it's all small part of the set built and everything around is CGI. The costumes probably cost more than the sets.
And don't get me wrong, I was very impressed with the visuals, they did great job. I just don't think it cost a lot. I mean, look at The Mandalorian, they use that newest huge LED screens technology and it looks amazing. And a lot of the sets in Dune are inside, while outside scenes are in the desert. So I was impressed with the visuals, but I don't see how that can be very expensive.
And unfortunately Villeneuve made huge mistake of not filming both parts in one production. Maybe there was a reason, but it's a mistake to film it separately. It will cost only more to film it.
Reply by Kurtzmansucks
on October 26, 2021 at 2:43 PM
Wasn't his choice WB would not let him do the 2 at once
Reply by bratface
on October 26, 2021 at 3:19 PM
It's official, there will be a part II BUT it will not be released until October 2023!
https://gizmodo.com/dune-part-2-is-official-will-be-here-october-2023-1847938646
Reply by bratface
on October 26, 2021 at 4:53 PM
Oddrob,
You say you liked 'Children of Dune' (2003) on the Scifi channel but did you see the first one? Dune (2000) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142032/
I really didn't like the first miniseries, cheesy comes to mind, along with hokey! COD wasn't as bad but...?
Reply by OddRob
on October 27, 2021 at 12:35 AM
I did see it. I thought it was ok. I mean I was in high school at the time so Im sure my judgement wasnt amazing. I remember that I liked COD much more. And Im very excited for the Part 2 announcement. I hope we will get a bigger budget knowing that it will be cinemas only meaning alot more money coming in.
@D-magic Im sure you are partially correct. When you have 5 A star actors in a production the price is going to go up real fast. I think they did a great job with what they had. But I would have preferred they mixed in more sound stage work along with the CG work they did. But over all I think they managed to get the full scope of things in the film. You get a sense of weight and volume, at least I did anyway.
Reply by bratface
on October 27, 2021 at 1:45 AM
I'm not happy that it will be TWO YEARS! I don't see why it has to take that long? It's the same thing that I hated about the last few Bond films, 3-4 years in between.
Reply by OddRob
on October 27, 2021 at 2:55 AM
Well on average a film takes 2-3 years to complete. Depending on the size and CG work and location and a bunch of other factors. As for Bond, Im sure we had a lot of things going on behind the scenes that we dont know about. So that would explain the large gaps between films. And honestly Im just happy we are getting a Part 2. Some good money must have been exchanged between Legendary and WB. Because the numbers that Dune is bringing in right now arent that amazing.
Reply by northcoast
on October 27, 2021 at 3:58 AM
bratface--
To echo OddRob, I likewise think a two-year wait isn't that bad, especially considering all the work that went into Part One. Personally I was thinking the release date for Part Two was going to be as late as late 2025-- so I am happy to hear the target is late 2023 (BTW, thanks for sharing the link, bratface!).
Think of it this way: we are presently in October of 2021; in a couple months we will be in 2022, and then we will be talking about how Dune: Part Two will be coming out NEXT YEAR! :)
So really, not that long of a wait.
Reply by bratface
on October 27, 2021 at 3:34 PM
You are welcome for the link. As for the wait, when you are as old as dirt like me, it is a long time.