I went to see Dune with Sid yesterday. I’ve never read the book or seen the 1984 movie, so I was going in with a clean slate. Almost. Sid, as he does, has explained parts of the book in great depth to me. Usually in those situations I retain some of the information, but science fiction isn’t one of my natural languages, so a lot of it just goes through my head and doesn’t stick.
Luckily, he had talked about Dune quite recently, and knowing the movie was coming and that I’d likely go see it with him, more details than usual stuck with me. It was quite helpful to have some of that background information planted in my brain, and it made it easier for me to keep up with plot points that might have otherwise tripped me up. Spice, okay, yep, got it. Bene Gesserit, check. Chosen one, yep, understood. Weird gross floating guy, wait, what? Sid didn’t tell me about him!
My overall opinion of Dune is that I quite liked it. I found it to be interesting and a compelling story. Visually, it’s a stunning film. The soundtrack was deep and booming and reminiscent of Arrival, one of Denis Villeneuve’s other otherworldly films.
I appreciated the casting. The acting was phenomenal across the board and I bought in for the whole experience. The one moment that took me out of the film and reminded me that I was watching a movie was the floating Harkonnen fighters floating to the ground during the battle scene. In a movie that is so CGI heavy, that was the one instance I thought “Well, that looks fake.” It’s a petty complaint though.
I thought that Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica was brilliant. I have many questions about her character and what the ultimate end for her and Paul might be. Sid is not revealing any spoilers and it’s likely that I won’t know until I see the sequel in 2024 (just guessing). I imagine that the conversation Duke Leto and Jessica had about her protecting Paul was some heavy foreshadowing.
Other thoughts:
I hear people don’t like the character name Duncan Idaho, but I love it! It’s just fun to say.
I figured out about 45 minutes into the movie why it’s called Dune and felt sheepish that I hadn’t realized it earlier.
I appreciated that Duncan Idaho learned the Fremen ways and culture in such short time.
I liked that the Atreides group were basically all good people.
Never trust a villain. Especially a weird gross floating one.
I was surprised by the duel at the end and its outcome. I thought that Paul's visions/dreams were leading us in another direction.
The Bene Gesserit: I am fascinated by them. Are they taking new recruits?
- Karli
P.S. Interestingly, the font used for DUNE actually isn't a font, it's derived from Canadian aboriginal symbols.
- Sid
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