Want to help support this channel? Check out my books on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Will-Jordan/e/B00BCO7SA8/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1 Subscribe on Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheCriticalDrinker Subscribe on Subscribestar: www.subscribestar.com/the-critical-drinker
My thoughts exactly. Chalamet is (unbelivably) 25 years old but can carry a look of plausibly being in his teens. The 1984 Dune suffered from putting an obviously fully grown man in the role of a boy.
@@chaos.corner Yeah, that's the one. They didn't use it properly in the movie end scene - I'm sure he gets the nickname after killing Jamis with some kind of jumping move (which was also left out, bemusingly) that the Fremen equate to that of a desert mouse; would have been fitting after they showed a couple of scenes with a mouse as well.
It was so refreshing seeing smart, good hearted characters who act rationally and use their brains in intense situations. Oscar Isaac was without a doubt my favorite part of this movie, the fact he doesn't hesitate for a second to put himself in deaths way to save workers from peril really sold him for me.
I'm not a reader but a buddy of mine has read all of the books multiple times and were watching them together so he filled me in on all the little details and things I didn't grasp first watch. I honestly went into it thinking it'd be more boring starwars and I'm more than happy to admit I'm wrong.
But if you have destroyed the thing do you still control anything? What if you have moved beyond the thing, and are only being held back by it? No I'm just making conversation, have a good evening everybody!
"Most of the characters are walking a path that's already been laid out for them" Indeed, Drinker. The nature of precognition and prophecy is one of the major themes of the books.
"it's as of everyone has a forgone conclusion". Yes. They do. The whole book questions free will pretty hard. In this world, everyone is locked into their fate. The only choice they have is to wonder and test and see if the future is created by the present, and hope it's not set in stone
A 6 or 7 hour marathon with extended versions for part 1 and 2 would be incredible. Hopefully Dennis can make a messiah film as well to wrap up the story of Paul in a trilogy.
@@Chris-ci8vs I was mostly disappointed by the lack of attention on both Piter and Thufir. Both are majorly important figures in their respective houses but they're depicted like secretaries in the film.
The movie should have been at least 5 hours. There's so much thats been left out that would make the story even greater. For example, fleshing out Dr. Yueh much more would make the betrayal more impactful. For people who havent read the books he's just some random guy. Sadly, they probably had to cut a lot of stuff, and tighten the story up due to the general peoples lack of attention span and impatience.
"Looks like the characters are walking a self prophecy..." Yes... that's exactly the point of Dune. And the purpose of the whole saga which gets resolved in the books that come after. Which I am sure you know, but if you gonna adapt the books as faithfully as you can, then you have to accept this will be thing. I cannot see this a criticism.
This exactly. Imo, the film adaptations HAVE to get to Dune Messiah at the very least. Stopping at the end of the first book sends the entirely wrong message. This is a story of how people putting their trust behind the wrong leader has immensely dire consequences - this extremely important arc isn't fully realised until the second book and it would be a shame to end it at the end of the first, which has a sort of typical 'heroes journey' climax. A trilogy, two films for Dune and one film for Dune Messiah would be my preferred way to see this series get on the big screen. There's enough of a self contained story there to have a good conclusion to the saga without feeling like you have to make a million films and film all the books.
They are, but if they were more subtle about it, then the audience could come to realize that as Paul is realizing the inescapability of the path he is on.
Agreed. That's one of the reasons I personally never found Dune particularly interesting though. The whole storyline of the main book, from the transfer of the Atreides to Arrakis untill Paul's victory over the Harkonnen on Arrakis makes for a fairly predictable and simple screenplay, by Dino de Laurentiis or the TV adaptation, or this latter one. It's almost like ticking off the checkboxes from beginning to end. The way I perceive it, all the productions live more off of the production design rather than from the story itself.
I liked Momoa's performance and flavour in his role. Both Duncan (him) and Gurney (Josh Brolin) act as alternative father figures to Paul when Duke Leto was busy running the House. Duncan is more of an easy-going cowboy, while Gurney is more intense and stoic, both of them are willing to die for Paul. I think it was well balanced and portrayed the different roles of the father figure well. It worked for me.
Agreed. Watched Dune last week and it blew my balls back into my throat. Necessary cinema. Critical Drinklings, spend your money and go see it/support it
I watched it on HBO but the scale of the movie makes me wanna go see it again in theaters. I'm sure I missed some small details as well so worth the rewatch
"Most the characters seem to be talking a path already laid out before them." This is exactly how the book was written. To me that did build tension, as I knew what will happen, but I was desperate to find out how would it come to this. I think the film is faithful to the book in that respect. It is generally faithful to the source material, which to me is enough to love it. Good review, I missed some of the things mentioned, so I got a bit more insight on the film.
Kinda what I was thinking while he was talking too. A lot of the books are about visions of the future and people trying to craft the way they want the future to take place based on those visions while taking spice.
I agree. Dune is all about the fight between predestination, either by religious beliefs or social pressures, and the will of the individuals. Everything was supposedly set from the start, and is up to Paul to decide if that should be embraced or rejected. I think that his final decision in the books was the according to his personality.
Indeed, the first part of the story was very much a Shakespearean tragedy - you know from the outset that things are going to hell, and are along for the ride to see how.
Exactly right - what was hard is the degree to which I agree that the pacing was slow - and yet I loved it for creating the sense of an almost haunted reality - and also wanting more from the film in terms of emotional connections between the characters - esp. Jessica and Leto (Paul's relationships with Gurney, Duncan and Leto were all pitch perfect - though seeing just a bit more of how the latter three were tied to one another and their troops/others in House Atreides would have been wonderful)....
Knowing the "destiny" of the characters was integral to Frank Herbert's original novels. SPOILER AHEAD! --- --- --- In the first book, "Dune", the reader already knew that Paul was going to be killed by Feyd Rautha at the end of the story...it was mentioned frequently throughout the story. But Paul Muad'dib defied his own destiny & killed Feyd instead, which served to magnify just how mighty Paul Muad'dib had (supposedly) become once he was "The Kwisatz Haderach". It suggests that 'knowing the path that lies ahead' and 'walking the path that lies ahead' are indeed two separate things. All the more tragic when, in "Dune Messiah", Paul finally realized that prophesy and pre-destiny wasn't as cut-&-dried as he thought when he did nothing to stop the terrorist's atomic bomb explosion, his subsequent blindness, and the death of Chani while giving birth to their daughter...only to discover that she gave birth to twins instead (something he did not foresee)!
I can’t believe I clicked on this video thinking: “I hope he doesn’t put any spoilers in.” I somehow forgot that I’ve read the book before, like three times.
I still avoided pretty much all the trailers and images of the film before watching despite having read the books several times. The main draw for me was to see how my visualizations of the book would be translated onto the big screen. The only thing that didn't match was how I had imagined the Fremen, I read the books around the same time that I started binge watching GoT so for some reason I had pictured the Fremen as the Free men from beyond the Wall. I guess it only makes sense that the Fremen are brown desert people but they were white when I read the book lol
The idea that everything is a foregone conclusion is actually pretty accurate to the books I think. It’s like being inside of Paul’s time prescience where he sees everything as set, and yet it’s not really as determined as it seems. He still has agency, there are unknowns, and he’s determined to prevent the jihad he continually sees with the fanatic legions tearing across the universe under the Artedes banner.
It's also just basic foreshadowing. I think it's pretty hard to come up with surprises when you have such an old franchise that has already had a movie made, and trying to stay faithful to the source.
Exactly. Jessica makes the history changing decision to take advantage of the sisterhood's myths and legends seeded all over the universe. They have been puppeteering the power allocation and struggle from behind the scenes for centuries. All their maneuvers push to gain deep seated control for the sisterhood.
I think when you read it, it rather comes across as the reverse: everyone has carefully constructed plans that backfire horribly because of small, unforeseeable acts of will. The Bene Gesserit have a plan for the human genome; the emperor has a plan for the imperium; the Duke has a plan for Dune; the Baron has a plan for the fall of Atreides; the Navigators have a plan for keeping their mercantile networks as safe as possible. Except Jessica chose to have a son instead of a daughter; the Baron's traitor takes steps to preserve the Duke's house; Paul, lacking time to grow into full control of his prescience, seizes upon the one clear path to survival and coopts the Bene Gesserit failsafe mythos, ultimately sparking interstellar war. Harkonnen falls instead of Atreides; the Emperor becomes a figurehead on his own throne; and the Navigators lose control of their primary resource. It feels scripted in the first book because Paul has to play hard into deliberately crafted prophecies using spice-granted foreknowledge, but even in the first book it's pointed out that prescience - prophesy, fate, destiny - is a trap and that walking the certain, foreseeable path is a road to stagnation and disaster
@@crazysilly2914 those are the breathing pieces on the stillsuits. The suits recycle the body's moisture. That includes the moisture lost through breathing, thus the nosepieces.
$220 million and climbing, as well as the best opening for a Villeneuve outing. I’m glad people are going to the theater for this one, because it deserves it more than almost anything else put out this year.
The movie needed the dinner scene from the book. It breaks down the value of water and the potential for a Harkonnen attack and how Atriedes should handle it. And I would say where they stopped was the best place to stop. It's a character moment for Paul that pushes him in a direction he was almost unwilling to take. Everything from that point is more world building, just from the Fremen side, before culminating in the final conflict.
That, and the 'confrontation' between Thufir and Jessica. They could've cut down most, if not all, of those scenes of Paul daydreaming about Zendaya. oops, I mean Chani.
I’m hoping they later release an extended cut that includes those scenes. Apparently they also shot gurney playing the Baliset and Denis stated in an interview that it was painful having to cut that scene from the movie
In today's world of bloated and overly simplified blockbusters, DUNE is a remedy. I just couldn't believe how overly fucking amazing this movie is. My only grief was that it ended, i could have watched it for a few more hours. Also i really hope there will be a longer version coming out at some point, since they kinda skipped the space traveling part. The only glimpse they gave was such a genius idea that i think that was the point when the movie completely absorbed me. I watched it like 6 times since it came out and for me its the biggest thing since Fellowship of the Ring came out.
@@helvete_ingres4717 Bloat and oversimplification are not exclusive, a movie can be bloated by cramming inconsequential action, dialogue, etc while oversimplifying themes and character development at the same time. Length is no guarantee of depth when it comes to movies.
@@enzi_official The Sardaukar are one dimensional evil. They are the iron fist of the Emperor, they're a blunt object who have had all emotion and critical thought purged from their minds.
@@thathandsomedevil0828 Technically, they were a house descended from Greece, however there are something like four variants of bagpipe from Greece going back to the 15th century.
Agreed. Watched it a few days after Tenet, it was night and day for me. And Dune didn't even feel long, but it sure did give me enough time to reflect on what happened, scene after scene. Whereas Tenet was like: "Go! Go-go-go! This! And now that! This scene! This scene! That scene! We're here! Now we're here! And now this happened! GO! DON'T STAY HERE, GO! *NO TIME FOR THINKING, GO-GO-GO!!!"* Dune was thankfully a breath of fresh air after Nolan's ADHD approach. Whoever calls it slow is so empty inside they afraid to be left alone with their thoughts. 'Cause there are none.
'Everything seems pre determined, and everything seems isolated' This is exactly what it is supposed to feel like for Paul. he goes to a planet where they have no support, everything has already been planned by other people. The point of this story is that he will make friends and take control of his own destiny.
he will never be able to take control of his own destiny. that's part of paul's tragedy. he is trapped in some predetermined path and can't escape from it and in the end he... plot spoiler ... gives up and wanders into the desert.
@@TheGoodLuc the only moment when Paul could avoid jihad was in water cave with fremens, he see the path clearly, the "only thing" he should do was killing few people: Stilgar, his pregnant mother Jessica and himself. But when he think about that... the moment past and oportunity was lost...
@@BlueHooloovoo Well, part 2 won't really get to the end of the story, just the end of the first book. I would like to see a portrayal of the galactic jihad the Fremen go on.
A) the movie didn't explicitly advertise it was a Part 1 B) normies don't read Dunc C) there is no theatrical finale, transition, or set up and the movie abruptly ends Most people didn't go in expecting a part 2. Combine that with the awkward ending it's not that surprising people want to be spoonfed. I hope that clears up any confusion, please understand.
Agreed. I think my problem with it was just the disappointment that it ended. It makes sense that it is simply the mid point of a longer movie with a second half, I just wanted it right away!
I expected it to be mediocre at best, and could not believe how incredible it is when I saw it in theaters. It felt like a shot for shot (almost) adaptation from the book
I'm disappointed I didn't make it to the movies to see it. Guess I was just conditioned by the Delta lockdown, and didn't get myself out of it quick enough. I hope they re-screen it at the cinema, just before the next one.
yeah.. I think Mary Jane is the weak link in the cast, being surrounded by heavy hitter veteran actors and have to "convey" her act without words is definitely hard job to do, so I wouldn't blame her for it.
@@skinnie2838 bruh youre kidding right ? The 84 Dune was a mess. Trying to cram a shit ton of books in a 2 hour movie is not a good idea. It was honestly really shitty.
The thing is, Dune is a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the book, the first chapter tells you how the movie will go. It tells you about the fate of the Atreides as well as of Paul's outlook. I've not seen the movie yet but in the book, I definitely enjoyed the much slower first half a lot more than the more dynamic second.
Yea my hope is that they don't turn the second part into a giant CG spectacle where the focus is the action ala marvel movies,but I think Villanuev won't let that happen
Yeah when I thought about what I wanted from Villeneuve's Dune, the very first priority was nailing the feeling of terrible purpose, prophecy and the coming jihad. Of a story that tells you what will happen and yet you are transfixed and immersed the whole way through. The book did that unlike any other book I have ever read and I feel like the movie succeeded at that dramatically well for a first half. The only question is how well-understood is it by those who have not read the book before?
@Zealadinn Yeah I don't remember Chani having that much backstory... I'm fine with her playing a key role in the story moving forward though. But my memory of the books after 2 is quite hazy. If we care about women power (cough cough desert power), the second movie should be Jessica and ALIA's story dammit. Alia is amazing. If anything, the second movie should be like two sixths' Paul's story, one sixth Jessica, Alia and then Chani with and the remaining slice divided among Stilgar, Duncan and Kynes. I always loved the planetary ecology angle.
Enjoyed the review. But one of the reasons I enjoyed the unconventional ending was it was such a contrast from the last 20 years of cookie cutter action movies where every MCU movie needed to end with a battle scene that had to have more and more explosions and over the top action
Any random MCU movie (no matter how garbage it is) is done with +- the same budget but will always get more than any masterpiece of sci-fi. People is retarded enough to believe a 3 hour movie is slow and worse than a 1h 20m random shit with explosions and no real story being told. I still can't believe Venom: Let there be Carnage (which, as far as I see it, was pretty bad) got more in the box office than Dune.
I remember the first wonder woman movie, it started with beautiful landscapes and devolved to the last fight being just a brown background for 20 minutes, same with Black panther, the last scene looked like a PS3 rendered background
I think the ending here is perfect. It’s Paul embracing his role as Duke, the path that was chosen for him by his father. I mean, the book ends with a duel, so even that’s kind of foreshadowed here.
One of Frank Herbert’s big flaws (I loved the first two Dune books for what they were) is the vacuum. He “white walled” which means you’re reading dialogue and internal monologue with no idea where you are or what the world and scene is supposed to look like. So the director does a great job at bringing these otherwise under-described scenes to the big screen.
I read the books, they are extremely wooden, and he couldn't build a large world without treating it like every planet is a small town. This little town does technology, this little town does cloning. In reality planets would be vastly diverse and there would be technology and cloning on thousands of planets, but that was too much for Herbert to handle. (Insert "but the BOOK says" defense from most fanboys.) I also read most of his son's books, or rather, the books written by another guy with the son as co-author simply to have the Herbert name. As someone pointed out, most of the time they feel more like an outline of a story than an actual fleshed-out story. But I did enjoy the question he introduced, whether it was right to make up atrocities or any other means necessary to make the free world keep up the fight against the Machines until they were finally destroyed and no longer a threat. Those who live long after in a sprawling human empire would certainly think so.
Dune is a dense book with lots of internal monologue so adapting Dune will always be hard. I'm glad to hear it's getting good reviews. I always maintained a single movie isn't going to work for Dune so I think the split works well.
Yeah, I can totally see how fleshing out some of the world building would have made the entire universe come more to life, but given how DV makes movies we probably would be dealing with 3 movies instead of 2 (how did the studio not already think of this?)
@@yes_head I wish they spent more time on building up the characters and their relationships, this way the betrayal and death of the father don't have as much gravity. It should have been three movies at the minimum but they had to make sure the first one will be a success.
I would have liked it if it was narrated by Princess Irulan, instead of Chani and the only inner monologue we got would be from Paul Atreides. I think they are going to make Chani more important then she really was. We'll probably never know that Paul never marries Chani, marrying the emperor's daughter instead but we'll see. I think there were a lot of really unnecessary changes.
I'm still afraid though it will all end at pt.2 - Dune has the most "cinematic action" from all the books. Messiah and Children would possibly fit in though they may have problems breaking even at the box office. God Emperor would definitely better fit a TV show format though.
Slower pace made me fall asleep lmao. You remember when Paul talked to the gardener man? Yeah the bright lights kept making me squint which in turn made me sleepy, which in turn made me fall asleep.
I hate slow born movies and too many dialogs, but holly shit this movie changed my mind. When it ended I couldn't believe that I've watched a 2hr movie, somehow it felt like a 75min movie. We need a part 2 asap.
@@nikolairose2739 I liked that. It was an actual part where he engages with the people and offers a different interpretation of people looking at the trees as they do in the book. Instead of Dr Yueh and Jessica statically and hyper rationally talking instead an Arakeen native is saying to Paul 'no - I want the trees here, because one day I want my world to be Green.'
Honestly, we could've had less Chani visions and incl. crucial scenes: 1. Yeuh's betrayal felt like it came out of nowhere tbh, they should've shown the Harkonnen meeting discussing the betrayal and Yeuh's conversation with Jessica about his wife. 2. The dinner party where you see more of the politicking before the Harkonnen attack 3. Not as important but damn, they downplayed Raban by only showing him execute 2 Atreides soldiers. Thought we would witness more cruelty from the most feared Harkonnen warrior.
I think they could have changed things for the better by adding two minutes, showing them arriving at Sietch Tabr and instead of Chani saying 'this is just the beginning' her smiling at Paul and saying 'I was wrong about you, welcome home.' And that right there would be a self-contained story.
Awesome summary/review! However… A) Timothy being too young and feminine? Absolutely not! He‘s spot on with the slender, rather small, 15-year old boy from the books. B) Everyone seems to walk a path already laid out for them? Yeah, no sh*t! It‘s a story about prophecies being helped coming to fruition by a sect of master manipulators thinking in centuries, if not millennia.
You talk like a fanboy instead of understanding movie review. "But the book says that its prophecy, so there!" Using an in-world explanation as defense is typical of spergs. Critical Drinkers criticism of watching a story with the path already laid out doesn't fall just because "it's in the BOOK!" I don't agree with the Drinker's criticism, I think the movie was entertaining anyway, but you writing "however" and "no sh*t" was absolutely ridiculous.
@Grasslander perhaps but I think a big point is that all the characters know that its coming. Its a prophecy and comes to fruition and all the characters know it will, but despite that they fight as hard as they can. This is almost foreshadowed extremely early on in the movie with "defiance in the eyes, like his fathers". The bene gesserit know that Leto knows, but also knows theres nothing he can do to stop it. Yet he'll fight it nonetheless
For a film that introduces us to a "new" world, with a lot of intricate details, it actually helps that it follows a slower pace, letting the viewer enjoy each beautiful scene and also let the mind process what's on the screen without rushing. It allows for the tension and build up to be more organic, rather than spurred on by spazzy editing adapted for people with short attention spans (which is most people these days). I found it almost soothing to let the movie slowly unfold its intriguing story and present us with stunning visuals and wonderful soundtrack along the way.
@@waggyn Really? I've never read the books, but considering that they're considered sci-fi classics, would you recommend them? It's not easy to make proper book-to-movie adaptations in general, but it would be interesting to know if reading the books would allow the viewer of the film to gain a better understanding or appreciation of what's on the screen.
yeah its nice that they introduce is slow in this universe. I would love to see this more than 2 films. but well made and true to the story. skip the cgi :D
It does help, but everyone has different tastes. Lingering 20-30 second shots on landscapes help people really soak in the environment and absorb the previous scene, but some people only need like 10 seconds. Doesn't seem like a big difference, but repeat it over and over again and there's 20 minutes of dead air. It's hard to call. It's sort of like when some folks take sitcoms and removes the laugh track, and there's just awkward down time ever few lines, but you realize it's there because (in theory) the audience is laughing and soaking in the humor or situation. If it was just go-go-go, people would start missing lines and maybe even plot points.
honestly i thought it didn't go slow enough. There was so much worldbuilding to cover the first film could've been six hours long and i wouldn't have minded
@@theeffete3396 can you imagine if Denis tried to portray his pedophilia- seeing hollywoods reaction would have been epic. He could have cast Kevin Spacey as the Baron!
Typical 2021 Hollywood. "Hey, we need to portray this character as a depraved, very smart and cunning villain. What do we do?" "Well, we might simply adapt the dialogues and the scenes of the book, which do an excellent job of showing..." "Fuck that. Have him dress in black and stare around with an evil expression and bathe in mud." "Brilliant." "Also, he should float around and say My Dune in an ominous tone for no reason." "Genius." "But that doesn't make any..." "You're fired." "And Latreena will take your job."
'In a market dominated by brain dead action franchises...' Truer words have never been spoken! 🙏 That said, the movie was really, really good! Do we want part 2, Hell Yeah! 🤞🤞
@El Bearsidente I disagree. The miniseries was longer, with more content ... but the dialogue has been more adapted, and many things have been lost and the acting is laughably bad at times. The Gom Jabbar scene is ridiculous for instance.
I disagree partially, a movie doesn't fail just because it's a bad adaptation. One of the best examples would be Lord of the rings. They are fantastic films, but they aren't exactly perfect adaptations.
Me and my wife went to watch it not really having too much hope for a high budget film, but decided to give it a try. We were enthralled the entire time. When it ended, it felt like time had passed so quickly. We could’ve watched it for double the time and we wouldn’t have felt as though it was even a 2 hour film. The sweeping shots of the landscapes and the beautiful scenery were like something out of fellowship of the ring. After it was over, all I wanted to do was watch the second one right away
I usually despise book adaptations, but when I read Dune a few years ago, this movie was what played in my head, down to the way the characters and technology look. People complain about the minor pacing changes and missing elements, but what's preserved is the VIBE and core themes of the story. This is the first piece of Dune media that doesn't feel like a high school Shakespeare play, with the ridiculous hightened speech and art-deco everything.
Um..... no. It really doesn't capture the vibe of the books. Chalamet has not recreated Paul. He just hasn't. The Baron's character isn't a stoic expressionless turd. The Fremen didn't have an American accent AND they themselves despise Arrakis as its their prison planet. They aren't fighting for their homeland. They're fighting for vengeance. And Leto doesn't 'slowly realise' that he's set up to fail. He walks into Arrakis knowing full well why he's sent there, but never expected Yueh to do what he did.
I found the first 40 minutes brilliant. It was all downhill from there sadly. The Drinker voiced my criticisms almost perfectly, especially the part where it all just feels like a forgone conclusion, especially when every fucking character seem to mutter some enigmatic crap when they meet Paul. It really robs the movie of tension.
@@Rapunzel879 "every fucking character seem to mutter some enigmatic crap when they meet Paul." To be fair that happened in the book too, although it was mostly internal dialogue.
I agree here too. I thought it was perfectly timed. You have end of his life as Paul Atreides and the beginning of his life as one of the fremen as Paul Muad'Dib. As the Harkonnen think Paul and his mother are dead so when they hear about a Maud'Dib leading the fremen they have no idea its an Atreides. Minor spoiler bit for the next film :)
Id agree the endpoint is exactly where it needs and should be in the story, it is the perfect break point, but I did feel it was a bit flat like they didnt know quite how to make that work in the film that well, I suppose not having a part 2 green lit at the time didnt help, but Id expected it to be more like Paul to be given his Fremen names and some arrival and acceptance into the sietch, and then its sequence of of all this cool stuff thats revealed, like the sand rider and the water pools and Fremen life that makes you go wow dont stop now I want this to continue and know more about it and instead its just like oh weve finished here have we, people literally sat in our screening at the end and Im not sure they realised it had finished. So yep I think that could have been done better
0:48 "Liet-Kynes was a tall, thin man with long, sandy hair, a sparse but mussed mustache and beard and under heavy brows, eyes that were fathomless blue-within-blue." - spot on.
I finally saw Part 1 yesterday. I about screamed when I saw that nonsense with Kynes. And they ruined the character's conclusion as well, which was one of my favorite parts of the book!
I’ll be honest I thought Timothee was just gonna be this generations Orlando Bloom, and I was pleasantly surprised how well he played Paul. Best performance goes to Oscar Isaac by a mile but Mr Chamolet did just fine.
Timothee has already proved his talents time and again in indie films, this is a super weird comment. The range he's displayed at this age alone - he's played a lonely bisexual 80s teen in a complicated relationship with an older man in CMBYN, erratic and emotional drug addict in Beautiful Boy, heartbroken layabout drowning his sorrows in Little Women, conflicted ex soldier turned pacifist forced to return to war as an untested leader in The King - these are not 'heart-throb hottie phoning it in' type roles. Timothee Chalamet gives compelling, convincing and emotionally wrenching performances in everything I've seen him in, even if the film itself wasn't that great.
No kidding. I'd forgotten what it's like to see a movie that left you feeling shaken. I think the last time I felt like I have with Dune was the first time I watched Jurassic Park as a kid, or maybe Fellowship of the Ring.
Once every 10 years, hollywood acutally manages to make a good movie (for me atleast, the last I really enjoyed was Mad Max: Fury Road). I hope this will have a directors cut, couse I need me some additonal Thufir, Piter, Dr Yueh scenes!
I read the first book a few years ago and loved it. After finishing it I immediately went to the bookstore to buy the next couple, where I learned from the cashier that they were going to make a movie. I was simultaneously excited and wary, because it seemed to me that Dune wasn’t going to be very adaptation friendly. The part that worried me most was how introspective Paul is in the book. A lot of the story is communicated from his inner self rather than verbally delivered. I was very happily surprised when I saw it.
And then you read the next few books and were like "WTF is this shit? What happened to the awesome story I was enjoying so much?" The first book is excellent though. The rest just get progressively wierder. I won't say bad, I barely remember them. But they really aren't much like the first book.
Having read the book multiple times, I can tell you that there is no other possibile end point for Dune part I. You either stop where Villeneuve stopped or finish the whole book in a single movie.
No, perfect ending would be with the sayyadina ritual. 15-20 min longer movie. End with crazy visions of the Jihad, visions of the past from Jessicas and Alias perspective as they are effected by the water of life. A great chance to end with a great mind fuck that hasn´t been seen since 2001. The ending we got literally ran out into the sand.
lol no and Ive read the books like 80 times, they would have been better served stopping at Idaho's last scene or at the first confrontation as they escaped with the sand worm. They left so much out that was important or better and had scenes that did nothing to convey any story or narrative
@@avenderiel Nope. Part 1 ended exactly where it needed to. It makes sense on a narrative level. Paul escaping the attack with his mother and fulfilling his late father's goal of forming an alliance with the Fremen, so it goes back to what his dad said at the beginning "Desert Power". Leave it there so audiences can look forward and be hopeful for Paul to become the "hero" or "savior" in Part 2. And then Part 2 can start with the Water of Life, the disturbing visions and all the weird shit, it will completely change what the audience thought was going to happen. It'll be a good shock for them
Paul Atreides was 15 years old at the start of the novel, so casting someone who could pass for a teenager was great choice. Nothing against the performances of either Kyle MacLachlan or Alec Newman, but both men looked like they were much older than the character they were supposed to portray. Timothee Chalamet was probably one of the best casting choices that could be made. He looks the right age both in his face and his slight build, but he has enough gravitas to feel like a kid who's been trained since birth to eventually rule a planet.
I wonder what they will do for the 3rd movie (Messiah) though ? Not sure that he'll be able to age enough ? (Virtual) makeup ? But will he be able to pull it off as an actor ?
@@ronron86 Agreed, liked him better in 'The King' but I wanted more emotion in this. I didnt feel his pain from the gom jabbar or his trauma from his first kill
I actually really liked where Dune ended. The whole thing felt like a fever dream and the fact it just kinda stops puts it in a place where you definitely want more and are excited to get it. I think that's a smart thing to do when you need to foment enthusiasm for a second part that hasn't been greenlit. I wouldn't mind seeing another video where you do more spoiler content and more comparisons to the book.
Where they were taking their time on a lot of things I think I should have showed more up into the attack and during the attack they should have spent longer showing fights and whatnot it should have ended it right there that I think would have been a good cliffhanger I do agree that where it ended was kind of a little weird but like the Drinker says it's still one of the best movies you got in a few years
It's a tough call, if you're going to split the novel, this is one of the few places where you can, only problem is that the reason it's a good place to split the story isn't apparent until you get closer to the end.
I of course agree that it was an appropriate place to do the split but I think it is a little dangerous to leave people so thirsty for more for so long. Part 2 is expected around 2023 (and we can certainly expect a delay or two), I'm not sure I have much faith in general audiences to care for that long.
I thought the ending point makes total sense really. In the book this is the half-way point, and after they undergo that ceremony where Paul gains his foresight and Lady Jessica and her unborn daughter undergo that change, there is a time skip forward. Unless I'm remembering that wrong.
Hot damn, if they made this good ”prologue” and manage to nail the part 2, we might have truly a meaningful duet of movies. Dune just might have a worthy movie adaptation here!
The book has an iconic "dinner party scene" where the Atreides invite the movers and shakers of Arrakis to their palace to get a sense of where everyone stands. It also gives you a glimpse into how the common people of Arrakis live. I've heard they've cut this from the movie, which blows my mind, as I always saw it as a key portion of the book.
@@voidsff wobble your head, what on earth in that scene runs against 'social justice warrior politics'? It's about the dire imbalance between the rich and the poor, and the Atreides deftly family navigating the powers that be in their new homeworld, if anything it's exactly the sort of scene that would appease a social justice narrative
"It doesn't really help that the story's delivered as if everything that happens in it's a foregone conclusion..." Dude, This is DUNE: Everything that happens in it IS a foregone conclusion. I don't want to insult your intelligence by asking if you've ever heard of at least one of the interations before, because for you to not have done, would be simply astounding. If you're not keen on the pacing, that's cool, everyone has their preference, but again: This is DUNE. It is NOT a fast-paced story. It's a story about prophecy, inevitability, obligations etc, concepts which simply aren't 'fast-paced'. I haven't seen it yet, but I loved the novel, previous movie and TV mini-series, so I'm looking forward to to seeing this interpretation and seeing how they do with the source-material. Thankyou for giving me reassurance that they haven't completely shit the bed with it.
Probably 90% of the people who saw this movie have no idea it's based on a pop up book. You dunnies™ got to cut the normies some slack. Who tf would know about any of that stuff? Waay to minouche details there brobro
Will yeah DUNE is more about characters reacting to things and their thoughts about more than the events itself even the genuine shock moments impact came upon the charters way more than the reader it is about interpolation and the effects this events from the precitcative of the charters it is not suppose to be climates or have any element of mystery for the side of surprising the reader like the example I immediately think about is doctor yuui betrayal the book say in the fucking second chapter about the betrayal and the whole plot to overthrow Leto the first and about the emperor involvement and then it acknowledges that every charter know about the plot than you as reader are actually anticipating the reaction and the thoughts that the character will show after the betrayal it this what is DUNE really charters interacting with the world around them and their thoughts their are not really big conflict or mystery or relationship to solve it just about philosophising about things and situations
One of the themes in Dune (the books anyway) is inescapable destiny. Having the fall of a house telegraphed and the players resigned to their fate is part of that. While I agree it does mute any attempt to build tension but it sets (or should set) the stage for much greater tension when Paul and other characters defy their fate.
Yep, the knowing creates a growing sense of dread as the trap tightens. That's largely missing from the movie. In the book they know exactly what is coming to include the sardakur wearing fake uniforms. Little sense of that desperation or how the Duke was already starting to abandon his virtues to win
What I loved from the original book - and which I sorely missed in this movie so much I've been pissing and moaning about it for over a month now - is the storyline of Yueh. We knew from the start he was the traitor. We knew the inescapable destinies of everyone already. It makes the characters tragic, and Yueh being called "Traitor" by a Sardaukar soldier was gutting in the book. I wished Villeneuve had given that a bit of time. The book is full of destinies, big and small, like that.
I agree with your criticism of the lack of an insight into "daily life" within the universe - it does add a certain emptiness to the film. However, I also think it could be interpreted as a stylistic choice - it gives the narrative a sense of aloofness, and mirrors how the conflict of medieval nobility was often for reasons which were superfluous to the common man. So happy the film ended up being this good!
While the books don't portray any daily life, I think it would have helped the film to add some. The palace seems empty, the worlds seem empty, the cities seem empty. They could easily add more vehicles moving around the cities or servants in the palace just to show that there's life in this world besides the main characters. At times it feels like the main characters are the only people who inhabit this universe.
The book was also sparse on it's description of the common man. It's mentioned in the first part of the book that there are farmlands outside the Atreides castle on Caladan, and a few mentions of the commoners of Arrakis, but it doesn't go into much detail about them, and it's mostly with how a few of them interact with the main cast (Shadout Mapes with Jessica and the waterseller with the Duke).
exactly-- remember that feeling when you're reading Dune for the first time and you realize that the books only noticing the characters the nobility notice-- and ignoring everyone else? That 'the people' isn't part of their world?
When I first saw Dune in 1984, I was 27 and a huge lifelong science fiction fan. And while I had read Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury and Tolkien my entire life I had not checked out Frank Herberts or Dune. Frankly I was intensely disappointed, finding it confusing. But the special effects intrigued me. The hype surrounding the movie though inspired me to read the book. It was GREAT! Which of course compelled me to rewatch Dune armed with the knowledge of WTF is going on. And this time it blew me away. In particular, the atmosphere of the movie was captivating. I just finished Dune 2021 and can't believe how effectively it has held the original atmosphere! This is a worthy making of the story and I'm eager for Dune 2.
I read the books as a kid in the 70s and thought the first movie was an abomination. The miniseries was good though and so is this movie, though nothing can ever match a child's imagination.
Watched it last night in Imax. The first time I bothered going to the cinema since the first Rey Skywalker movie - and SO worth it. I loved it but I'm a long-time fan. I was, however, with someone who had never heard of it, and she loved it too. It's pretty rare that that happens with a film with such a legacy. The sound design was exceptional and every shot, grade and effect were so beautiful. Solid performances and good casting. I kind of miss Lynch's Harkonnen a little - but that's like complaining that one of the bubbles in my beer drifted at an odd angle. Do yourself a favour - watch it in Imax before it's off. For 2-and-a-bit hours I forgot about global health problems, social justice warriors and climate change. I was there. Exceptional work by everyone involved. Everyone. And a healthy salute to you Mr Drinker.
The movie was overall amazing I have to say. As good as the new Dune was I still have a very warm place in my heart for the old one. I'll say this though, I like the old soundtrack a lot better than the new one. I found some of the main soundtrack they use for the new Dune to be very annoying rather then epic & cool like the old Dune soundtrack.
@@TraditionalArtist1 I mean I have some criticism about the film myself but overall I say was really good. The movie supposed to be slow-paced, but I would say my main criticism is they could explore the Dune Universe a little better, like the cities and the people and who the sardaukars and Harkonnens were. They put too much air time on his Visions which I don't mind but that was kind of annoying.
@@Reactionary_Harkonnen I'm assuming you're referring to the 1984 movie? I just went back and gave it a listen - it's been a while. Thanks. No doubt that was really beautiful. It would be nice to have something similar in the next part, as I'm hoping we'll spend some time getting to know the planet through Paul's eyes. I've always loved the desert landscape. I think the Dune universe (I know the movies and games, not the series) have had some pretty incredibly soundtracks. I still often listen to the Emperor: Battle for Dune soundtrack and wish I still had working disks and an optical drive so I can play the game again. I kind of really hope we get a really good Dune RTS again after this. They were some of my favourite games ever!
""Every character is already walking a path that has been laid out for them" Yeah drinker, you know that's how it is in the book, so it's not really a valid criticism. It wouldn't have been the same story otherwise. And the character of Paul is 15 at the time of these events, so I think the choice of actor is solid. He played his part very well. It is a bit unfortunate that the movie ended when it did. It kind of felt like it was just ramping up. Is it just me, or are the good big-budget movies in Hollywood almost exclusively made through Legendary Studios?
you say that because you are talking from hindsight, for someone who hasn't read the book it takes away a lot from the anticipation and it ruins the tension, it's ok to introduce these ideas of destiny and all that but you need to understand that this is a film adaptation of a book released over half a century ago so many people watching this will not have read it before plus. And most importantly you need to make the movie interesting because the ideas it tries to use will have no value if the movie has no magnitude.
@@arturogenso2224 Yes, a movie adaptation cannot faithfully represent everything in the book. This is true. But some things are part of the core narrative. Paul's dreams and the words of the Bene Gesserit mother are integral parts of the story. You assume that giving the impression that they are all on a set path blunts the viewer's anticipation. I think it does not - especially since not everything Paul dreams of comes true. And even if it did, maybe a film adaptation of Dune just wouldn't work. Make something else then. But don't make a different movie and call it Dune. So, in this aspect, I think Villeneuve got Dune right.
“In a market fill by brain dead action franchises and endless bland, predictable comic book films” Damn, as harsh as that was I don’t think anyone really could’ve said it better
@@thekiller7994 The spambots are getting worse everyday I swear. Almost every video I click on from any channel has at least a hundred spam replies in the comments. I keep reporting them when I see them but nothing seems to happen ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Grew up on the books and even had the games. The visuals and absolute grandiosity of the images were so good. The noships and emissary transports was incredible. Absolutely loved the way the tech feels old and worn and massive.
The ending completes the first arc of Paul's journey, from a protected kid with weird dreams, to a potential messiah with the burden of avenging his family, becoming a surrogate leader to a mysterious people, and knowledge that his dreams can foreshadow the real possible future. He needed to revolve his dreams from the beginning, to get to the new future at the end, and that is what he did.
He's been a potential messiah since very early on. I never got the feeling he was avenging his family but moreso trying to embrace his destiny and become someone greater. And again, we don't see anything of him being a surrogate leader, just a promise for the next film. So a lot of these things don't make for a satisfying ending considering they're only set-ups and turning points. Not actual pay-offs.
I agree. There is some growth over those two hours. He passes from a "boy" to a "man" - by killing the first person and by daring to oppose his mother. And he embraces his potential, moving from a young scion of a destroyed house (who would run across the space and try conventional means of reclaiming his legacy, like petitioning Landsraad) to a potential messiah-figure, operating on a more guerilla + mystical terms; still however overcoming his concerns from early movie and embracing Leto's heritage (i.e. trying to win Fremens' support). Sure, it is by far not a satisfying ending, but I think it was the best moment to stop the narrative, without advancing it too far and leaving insufficient material for the second part (assuming they want to conclude it at the same place the original book did).
The only minor problem I had with dune was the 12 age rating. There’s a quote at the beginning of the movie about how “these people are brutal”, I love the world building and everything, and I’m not asking for excessive gore, but dune was bold and grand, and I feel like having a higher age rating would have immersed me more into it, as sometimes I was kind of thrown off by the lack of any blood in some more adult moments of the movie. Other than that I enjoyed it a lot and can’t wait for a sequel
I actually like the lack of brutality, I want more intelligent movies who are for everybody. I want more Lord of the Rings or Jurassic Park or Iron Giant.
Lol - I think the Sardaukar battle prep soon is more than gory enough. They did them up as these casually brutal Nordic Beserker Samurai - which is awesome.
I wish it had been another hour. They glossed over some stuff I wish had been explored a bit deeper. There was just a basic mention of the Spacing Guild and space travel. It really needed to be talked about more to show just how important spice is to humanity.
I kinda wanna be a few years into the future where I try to make time for the unavoidable 5+ hour behemoth that will be both parts back to back. I kinda want them to then make a cut that skips the credits and just makes it one big movie. Damn, I hope they adapt later books, because shit gets weird and I wanna see a fully realized God Emperor human-worm hybrid.
I sat on the edge of my seat both times I watched it in the cinema and was acually tearing up at times not because it was sad but because I was overjoyed to see a fairly faithful rendition of one of my favorite books. I even enjoyed the last version, but this one was by far the best.
@@PibrochPonder Have you seen the majority of films released in, say, the last five years? There are hundreds, so you're talking about a relative handful. For every movie with obvious PC casting or story elements, there are dozens that are just movies without any ideological significance.
Best epic scale movie from Hollywood in a looooong time. I was totally immersed for two and a half hours. Already watched twice and going to watch more. Can't wait for second part.
Enjoying the book, I felt the movie was missing two main scenes: The Dinner Scene and the Harkonnen Council Scene. The former explains a lot of the politics of Arrakis, the value of water, the dynamics between the different groups (smugglers, fremen, townspeople, noble houses, the CHOAM company, etc), and serves as a good window into the politics that lead up to the fall of Atreides, and the plans Leto had. The second scene (which I think actually happens earlier in the novel) has the Harkonnens and their mentat meeting to discuss the plan to overthrow Atredies and does a good job of explaining how the Emperor is involved, what everyone's roles in the conspiracy are, the roles of mentats, etc. I also feel it is missing development for Gurney Halleck and Thufir Hawat, who (at least in the first book) are probably slightly more important characters than Duncan Idaho and should be given similar amounts of screen time. I personally felt the movie could have gone and hour longer and was too fast paced. I think a pacing like in the LOTR movies would have been better to fully portray the intricacies of the plot without cutting as much. But that's just my personal opinion, and that sort of movie wouldn't sell well. Overall, I enjoyed it visually, sound wise, etc, and think it did a good job making it into an action movie. Just missed the character development and political/philosophical depth brought by the book.
I felt the same, I thought it was surprisingly fast paced (too fast) and now wish there were 3 film installments so that we could get the dinner scene and a few other important moments/ character development/conflicts from the book in there. Overall I loved the movie and hope the directors cut will restore some of that material. The main thing I love about the books is the philosophical/psychological aspects (rooted in Carl Jung's dream theories) so I miss the exploration of inner dialogs and interpersonal communication that arises from the power of the Bene Gesserit ways.
I think that some of the political/philosophical aspects are there. Denis did a great a job at adapting some key points from the book that the general audience will get. I'm already pretty surprised and happy to know that non-book readers were able to point out the the intricacies surrounding Paul's bloodline, the possible implications of his abilities, the bene gesserit...But yes, would've preferred more stuff to be included and a longer run time.
Part of me wishes this was a miniseries to fully explore some of these concepts, but man the impact of it as a movie is amazing, especially in IMAX. You can't do that with a miniseries.
This was a good review. I can't say how accurate it was to the book, however, I thought world building with Arrakis and House Atreides being the focus of the first movie was the right movie. I also thought the action scenes were unique and loved how they were portrayed in this film.
It makes a large number of changes from the book. I thought it was all right but not as good as the 80s film, and nowhere near as good as the mini-series.
I don’t think it could have gotten any more accurate to the book without suffering. In fact, ome thing that struck me while watching it was just how close it was sticking to the source material. As far as I could tell all of the changes were essentially cosmetic. The shortening of events here, the exclusion of some dialogue there and some rearranging of some tiny parts of the story so that the string of events are understandable to an ignorant audience. All in all the did a very good job of translating the soul and intention of the book onto an entirely different form of storytelling that has different strengths and limitations. Superb actually, especially when you consider the industry standard of book adaptations is to the effect of Netflix’s ‘the Witcher’.
@@etiennedevignolles7538 the only thing I’d change is Kynes’ death. I don’t think it would have been all that much of a stretch to explain how spice is actually created through some form of flashback to a younger Kynes as she dies in the Desert.
The movie is amazing aesthetically. My main criticism is that it's a movie and not a 10 part series. It would give so much more breathing room for the events to play out in a more natural and understandable way, and it would especially do justice for the sheer amount of characterization that had to be left out. I think it would abate Drinker's criticism of how everyone's path seems to be laid out already
In this era, it definitely does seem "Netflix series" worthy (or better than that, actually). However, and maybe I'm talking out my ass, but I'm pretty sure you can get a bigger budget for a movie or two than for a series, and while Dune might be about the story, it's just hard to imagine it being loved without the visuals.
@@BWMagus yhh ur right tbh. When I finished the film I could tell that there was so much left out cos it just couldn't be fit into the film. Problem is ur trading off some vital components. Go with the film and a lot of things will need to be taken out and u gotta tell the story in a timely yet effective manner. With a show u got lots of time to address the story but a show could never have the budget of dune and I honestly don't think it could work with such a smaller budget. Even then for a show the budget would be massive which in turn could end up meaning the show is gonna be shorter length anyway to make up for it
@@TY-km8hj I think with Dune, its a case of they have to make a movie that follows the plot of the book accurately and enjoyably. They cant just put the book into a movie
I'm ok with the young looking lead- dude was 15 at the start of the book and 17 by its end. I'd always admired the 80s movie for managing to convey the first book in 1 movie, and portray the often grotesque deaths that awaited many characters.
Javier Bardem as Stilgar was laughable. A cartel hitman with a dutch boy is one thing, but Stilgar sounding like a Fremen conquistador is hard to justify.
We're that movie failed tho is unless you have read the book you would not know what's going on. They leave out a lot of necessary information. I haven't read it but I did thoroughly enjoy watching the 80s movie with my mother filling in the blanks for me.
@@Perroden I havnt read the books, I have heard soem general things about the dune world. I wouldn't say that i needed any extra information, the general plot was quite clear by the end and the couple of people that went in blind also had no problems with understanding whats going on and why. One of em got sold hard on the books.
This movie was BORING. And they added woke trash into by gender/race swapping Kynes. Drinker is usually spot on with his recommendations with the exception of The Boys, The Expanse, and now Dune 2021. You can skip these they are not good.
It was a solid adaptation. The problem is that the source material is very tricky to translate to the screen. This was a decent attempt(and certainly probably the closest to capture the spirit of the book), although given the director's previous films(Arrival and Bladerunner 2049) - I was expecting a bit more from it. Still, compared to other modern films it's head and shoulders above them.
The fact that everyone's destiny seems predetermined is kind of what the whole dune saga is about. You need to get all the way to 'god emperor' though to learn this, but I think it's a good idea to already start to drop some hints in the beginning of the story.
Isn't it pretty clear by the end of Messiah ? (Rereading them, and I'm not even sure that I managed to get up to God Emperor the only previous time...)
@@BlueTemplar15 Yeah by the time Paul takes control of the fremen it's pretty clear that the ability to see the future is a curse to be unable to break your destiny. Then the books leading up to god emperor explore the idea of Fate and how different people who know what is to come but cannot alter it react in the face of fate.
@@chatteyj absolutely book 4 God Emporer of Dune is my favorite book, it really made me think. it really ties it all together as it concludes the first 3 books and sets up the next 2.
@@chatteyj After the incredible success of the first book (the first sci-fi bestseller !), the 2nd one was kind of critically panned, because they didn't like how Herbert basically took down his Hero archetype built up in the first book. Despite knowing it in advance (and having already read it before), I still stopped after the movie - 1rst book - 2nd book, all in a few days. I'll probably still try to pick up the 3rd one in the next weeks.
Epic visuals, great acting, and a mostly solid adaptation of the first part of the novel. My minor nit pick is it kinda felt like there was quite a bit left on the cutting room floor. It felt like a four hour movie that was trimmed to 2 and a half hours. I understand that you can't show a 6 hour assembly cut of the movie, but I don't think 3 hours was out of the question. I hope there will be a drectors cut.
Hell yeah! A 4 hour director's cut would be phenomenal. I wasn't bothered at all by what some considered slow or uneven pacing (2001 A Space Odyssey, anyone?), and an extended director's cut would immerse the viewer even more into the story, I think.
I read somewhere that the banquet scene from the novel was filmed and subsequently cut for time but I really feel like that would've flushed out more of the politics on arrakis. I also think there are parts with Dr kynes, Doctor yueh, and Thufir Hawat missing. Also Gurney kinda just dissapears from the movie. Also also I think there's definetly more scenes with Baron Harkkonen out there. So yeah directors cut for sure. Id buy a 4k box set
eh, i think it would expose a lot more changes then already there was from the source material. I felt like this was a remake of the '84 version and not so much an adaptation of the book. To me it lacked the underlying details that made the epic story so special. Like, why are the mentats so special? Why, in the 10,000+ year is their technology as primitive as one would not think. It felt like many of the character's scenes were extended just to give actors screen time. There were too many WTF moments for me. I also didn't think the '84 version was that great either. Like, where the hell is Fayde Rautha? The whole spitting thing is right out of Ace Ventura...
I felt the place where they chose to end it was probably the best spot. They travelled on to symbolize that the journey thus the story continues, Paul has left his old life behind (ending one chapter) and was starting a new one (moving on the the next chapter) Hell when watching that end scene I was thinking "You have to end it here you have to end it here this is the right time"...and they did.
Yup, same here. It felt like a natural moment to end the movie. Indeed, the movie does not feel like a standalone, which if a second part does not come, it will really suck, but that's the risk they had to take to do justice to the story.
Appreciate your channel and reviews CD - I will say I was confused with Zendaya in this and the overall hype, then I watched Euphoria over the last week. Personally, she’s amazing in it and makes me curious to see how she’ll play Chani. Then again, i haven’t watched a spider man since the second original.
A solid review. The 'self-fulfilling prophesy' and everyone's 'fate' is in the book, as well, so I don't think that's a valid criticism of the movie itself. And I really liked Jason Momoa in the role of Duncan Idaho. He makes the master of arms believable. The movie itself is quite faithful to the book, which is all I could ask for. The movie was epic.
"is in the book, as well, so I don't think that's a valid criticism of the movie itself" But this isn't about the book. This is about the movie. A movie is not a book. The conditions are different.
@@Grasslander It's a faithful adaptation of the book and the theme of self-fulfilling prophecies are adapted into the movie so the comparison is completely justified.
Not sure something is really that faithful to the books if it feel compelled to do gender and race swaps. I've been reading some ominous things about part 2 making Paul essentially a background character in his own film.
@@greeb666 Point taken, but the book doesn't detail character descriptions all that much, and Denis Villenueve prioritizes plot, character development, etc., over wokeness.
Yeah, I so very much do not agree with that part of Dune. It's almost a sacrilege to me because I really believe in Free Will, Tabula Rasa etc. But I am also aware that's only my belief and things could and most likely are different.
The one I am waiting is for the Foundation series. I am sure the bile and the blood will pour from the screen and I look forward soooo much for it... :D
Funny that you say _"Hollywood is still capable of making good movies if the right people are involved."_ Except, this wasn't a production of Hollywood. This was a production of several _foreign_ film professionals, who only contracted through Warner Bros. These foreign film professionals unlike Hollywood, focus on making good movies not woke bullshit. I did like this version alot, it was refreshing to see. A couple of things I missed though was I liked the "internal monologue" of the David Lynch version, the whisper of inner thoughts. Alot of these characters are often alone for entire scenes in the book, and alot of those moments are about their thoughts on the matters at hand, so I missed that. Kind of like the inner monologue version of Blade Runner, which was very film noir and detective story. Not every movie is thematically appropriate for inner monologue but BR and Dune are two examples that it fits and I miss that. Other than that, I loved the movie in it's totality and that's rare these days. One thing I hope they do for part two, just so there is a connection to previous renditions and because he's a good actor, I'd like to see Patrick Steward cast as Emperor Shadam the IVth. He'd be able to play another role in the Dune series, as well as "play a bad guy", which Stewart says he's always wanted to do.
The fact that you think foreign companies dont make "woke" movies ( basically anything you dont agree with ) shows just how little you know about foreign media leave that bubble of yours buddy
i really agree with your comment on the inner monologue, it gave a deeper sense to things and Paul's process of growth and transformation. This whole Dune lacks the spiritual side of the story i was used to see in David Lynch's version and really doesn't give me any emotional reason to be attached to any of the characters. Nowadays i wish Jodorovsky had his opportunity to do his versione before his project was practically stolen and given to David Lynch.
I have read the books a couple of times and absolutely loved them. I give this adaptation a 6 out of 10. Do I want to to watch it a second time? Certainly not. It is boring : there is no depth, no tension, no fear, no sweat. The plot is really poorly build from the start. You don’t feel the pressure on house Atreides. Where is the Emperor ? And Baron Harkonnen … is that all we get ? Should have been more organic. Great scenery and pompous “mystical”music are not enough to make great movies. The actors are ok, it’s not their fault.
I'm a huge fan of Frank Herbert and Dune. It's important to remember that this is a Sci-Fi Drama not action like most Sci-Fi movies. That being said, I haven't actually watched this movie and am going off of the book only for my two scents. I think the lack of information for house Atriedies is purposefully blank because it allows the reader (or viewer in this case) to develop their own idea of a "good guy" all you really need to know is, they are incredibly rich, they live in a beautiful underdeveloped world and they control a significant portion of the interplanetary trade and spice. How they do this is hinted to be virtuous however details are left short because it really doesn't matter at the end of the story anyway. Because this is a drama, there are really only 2 big battles and a few duels, most of the story is based around the complex politics of the various houses that rule the galaxy. If you come in with the expectation of a star wars or a guardians of the galaxy, you may be disappointed.
I'll keep it short. Visually it's stunning. Ticks all the boxes. But there is a something missing that's hard to pinpoint(same goes for Blade runner 2049). Yet again we got idiotic portrayal of Harkonnes. Some weird pale human species. Baron was fat but not that fat. Secondly some poor casting choices: Chani, Duncan Idaho, Liet Kynes and few other... Except low budget and some weird design choices, both tv series is better than both Dune movies. Baron from Tv Series is closest to book description.
I didn’t come expecting Star Wars I came expecting an interesting story & this movie did not deliver. If the politics are so complex & fascinating why don’t they talk more about it instead of gazing off into the horizon & have visions in slow motion? Where’s the beef?
@@nebulous6660 i felt like most of the “staring” and “visions” came after plot moments as a way to allow things to breathe a bit. In my eyes, it gave each moment more gravitas, instead of just wisking you away to the next scene. I liked it but 100% it’s not for everyone.
@@ChipsChallenge95 good for you, and I'm sure you've seen plenty of scrawny pale twig-lile kids at 15 that have yet to hut puberty right? Him being a pampered royal, even with his defence classes, doesn't seem too out of the ordinary.
Children of Dune is also a fascinating story. I hope we get that to follow. The Sci Fi production with James McAvoy was the first time I saw him in anything. It was good. And I've read all the books. I'm glad this is sticking with the story.
I have just finished watching part one. This movie is unworthy of being mentioned in the same breath as LOTR. Perhaps the books are incredible, but the movie was subpar. It was a poorly made adaptation that did not make it accessible to people who haven't read the book. I understand the story, and I understand the objectives and idea being pushed. While the world may feel real, it's real in the way that a visit to the DMV is
My biggest nitpick is that they never used the word "Jihad" to describe the holy war in Paul's vision XD But yeah, loved this movie, and I'm salivating for a directors cut / part 2 to come out
For obvious reasons. The Fremen Jihad was a parallel to Islamic Extremism, but no one in the entertainment industry is touching that with a ten-foot pole.
Dune seems to be one of those rare contemporary movies that most people seem to agree on being good. Making such movies is becoming a hallmark of Villeneuve - his audience and critic scores on RT pretty much are all in the same ballpark for all his movies. Have you seen Sicario, Drinker? Worth a watch. Prisoners, too.
Actually this movie seems kinda divisive. Lots of very positive reviews but also a lot of people that really didn't enjoy the movie. Almost nothing inbetween.
Went to see Dune this afternoon. I really really liked it! And I especially liked how the actors were actually allowed to act, with a decent script, and with obvious knowledge of their full characters from the book/s! Villeneuve put his best director face forward, and I don't know how you could do it better. Super impressed, and it was super-enjoyable.
With a decent script? The entire thing couldn't have been more than 5 pages long. None of the characters other than Paul have a single bit of development....
Great review. Your criticism of the lack of description of regular life on Caladan, Arrakis or Geidi Prime is interesting, because that is EXACTLY the way the Dune books are written. You are repeatedly told about how the events affect average people, but nearly zero description about how those people live. Caladan, of course, is the worst, because you assume that there must be cities there, but there is no discussion of that whatsoever. The only departure from this is the Fremen, whose lifestyle is described in detail. I guess my point is that it's hard to call this a failure of the movie, when the movie aspires to be exceedingly faithful to the source material, and this aspect is a key feature of that source material.
Dune was one of the most beautiful and immersive cinematic experiences I’ve ever had. Although I felt like there could’ve been some added scenes that would’ve enriched the story further, it’s honestly a mastercraft of cinema. I am ecstatic for Part 2.
I completely agree. It really needed another 10 minutes or so establishing the Harkonnens better to really make the threat they pose sink in. You appreciate the situation more when you see just how corrupt but ingenious the Baron and his house are. Even just taking a moment to show Gurney's back story on Giedi Prime or showing Yueh's hatred of the baron early on would flesh them out
100%. i watched it with some people who dont know the books so they were obviously confused with a lot of the story but they still enjoyed it for the spectacle and the storytelling.
I feel the same way: it’s beautiful, epic, but also strangely empty, both on the visual details and emotionally. But I will be pissed if we don’t get a second chapter. I’m still pissed because we won’t get Alita 2.
iirc, according to lore Caladan is mostly ocean with small, rocky land masses. The population is relatively small, and primarily engages in fishing and water-based industries, one of which is some sort of pearl or gem that is highly sought after and very rare. So there really isn't much to see.
Nor has F.H explored any of it in his first book, all of it was a setup to make the reader (and in this case the viewer) know the difference between the normal or lavish life and Arrakis's unforgiving dune scapes. Plus the Fremen are more interesting, they drink their pee!
@@ThePreciseClimber That's because it probably is. Considering how many factors are involved in making Earth what it is and how rare those same factors are outside of the Solar System, We should consider ourselves immensely lucky.
@@wesleyhill7517 We don't know for sure. Though if Earth is in any way average among other planets with life, they will be diverse too. Whereas in fiction, they're jut forced to do simplifications.
@@BlueTemplar15 Most known star systems have an average of two exoplanets (of those that have any at all). Ours has eight, each with a near-circular orbit. There is a theory that the gravity of each planet helps regulate the orbits of it's neighbors. In Earth's case, this limits extreme temperatures compared to an elliptical orbit with a higher eccentricity. That's just one of many of Earth's nuances. Sorry for rambling.
I saw this at an IMAX theater and became so immersed within the film that I didn't notice that two and a half hours had gone by. The sound and music work in this demands an IMAX viewing. And, obviously, it was visually stunning, too. I had minor nitpicks but nothing that throws off my enjoyment of the film.
The story was confusing (but I think they intend to make a trilogy so that should work). I also loved the idea of the settings. I also love the most of the characters
"Most the characters seem to be talking a path already laid out before them." Probably not deliberate, but very relevant observation when it comes to one of the central themes of "Dune".
The "plans within plans within plans" of the Dune universe are hard hard to convey in one movie, but it captures the futility and desperation the Atreides feel at walking into a situation they know is a trap but not knowing how to avoid it. The same with Paul being forced into a destiny that he doesn't want but not knowing what actions will make it more or less likely. I think the Dune books do political intrigue better than ASOIAF could ever dream.
@@jamietodd2560 The political intrigue in Dune is forced and it's why I don't like the book. Spice is power, yet somehow, House Atreides was a "threat" even though House Harkonnen owned Arrakis first. Shouldn't Harkonnen be the most powerful House? The Emperor disrupted the flow of spice TWICE (once when he ousted Harkonnen, again when Harkonnen destroyed Atreides) and the Navigator's Guild just shrugged and said "oh well". It's silly and inconsistent.
@@redvenge709 The guild was in on it as well. Everyone was concerned about the Atriedes being able to contest Corrino due to their popularity. Also, the Harkonnens were getting their asses kicked by the Fremen and covering up their losses to the general Landsraad. Wealth doesn’t automatically translate to military capabilities either, generally the guild refuses to transport large forces which is part of why the attack that came was such a suprise, it normally wouldn’t have occurred at any price, only the guild collusion made it possible.
@@davidgill3356 It still doesn't make any sense. If House Harkonnen squandered resources and inefficiently exported spice (and wasn't a ruse as suggested in the book) then why give it back? The Guild interrupted spice flow TWICE to give Arrakis back to incompetent morons. The Guild are bankers and financiers. They KNOW what House Harkonnen's spice production was. Why would they go along with this stupidity?
@@redvenge709 He was afraid of their charismatic and social influence, I think, more than their economic and military one (although their military is small but effective, as I recall) But the Baron was just as likely to challenge the Emperor, if not more so.
This was absolutely unadulterated spectacle. I mean that as a compliment. It’s a stunningly gorgeous slow-burner that captured the essentials of the narrative without getting bogged down in minutiae. I’m going to go see it again.
You must be crazy. This movie was BORING. And they added woke trash into by gender/race swapping Kynes. Drinker is usually spot on with his recommendations with the exception of The Boys, The Expanse, and now Dune 2021. You can skip these they are not good.
@@skinnie2838 Hold up, you dont like the Expanse? I think you just have some different tastes, which is ok. Dune wasnt perfect, but nothing ever is. Kynes is one of my more favorite sub characters in the book and I was concerned when I heard who would be playing that character. But I dont see how that characters race or sex matter in the way that the narrative of the film was constructed, which is very different from the book.
And despite it's length, there's not one boring minute in it. There's always either something significant happening or something for the eyes to feast upon, which serves the world building and immersion. In fact, it often feels like the movie could have been even longer and more detailed to really establish the setting and all its significant constituent parts.
We need a slow movie. I just saw "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" get dissed for length. I got the feeling that the critics think a movie is something to be gotten through with as terse a telling of the story as possible. "Okay, I've seen it and know I now what it was about." Read the Cliff's Notes.
It all depends on the story you want to tell and the depth you want to tell it with. Dune is quite a saga, so it's impossible to cram it all into a few 90-minute movies. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is an example of a lengthy story that's being told in a comprehensive way. Yes, it's long, but every time I watch it, and I've watched it multiple times, I've never had the idea that there was much they could have cut out to make the movie shorter. It all fits and feels "natural", by lack of a better description. But with other, shorter stories there's always the risk of drawing out proceedings just for the sake of drawing them out.
@@tjroelsma Dune can be filmed in its entirety in less four hours--David Lynch did it, whether you like the results or not. The Good The Bad And The Ugly was long for reasons having nothing to do with the movie's very straightforward storyline.
Want to help support this channel?
Check out my books on Amazon: www.amazon.com/Will-Jordan/e/B00BCO7SA8/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
Subscribe on Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheCriticalDrinker
Subscribe on Subscribestar: www.subscribestar.com/the-critical-drinker
ua-cam.com/video/qobqGuLarNE/v-deo.html..
I read the books years ago ... zero interest in watching this movie though
@@MK-UltraBreakdown you may need to reread dune again then lol the movie is a real solid watch
Major plot Hole. Why did the Harkinans burn down their OWN sacred Palm Trees?!
Will I have a question would you ever let you'r Ryan Drake series be turned into movies or a TV show .
“TImonthee Chalmet is a bit young”, the character is 15 (and described as small for his age) in the books, so I think he was perfect.
Not to mention being called borderline scrawny being compared to Feyd before the final fight in the books.
I agree. He did an amazing job and looked the part. Small, but well trained to hold his own until he learns the witching ways
Yep. Muad'Dib - Little mouse.
My thoughts exactly. Chalamet is (unbelivably) 25 years old but can carry a look of plausibly being in his teens.
The 1984 Dune suffered from putting an obviously fully grown man in the role of a boy.
@@chaos.corner Yeah, that's the one. They didn't use it properly in the movie end scene - I'm sure he gets the nickname after killing Jamis with some kind of jumping move (which was also left out, bemusingly) that the Fremen equate to that of a desert mouse; would have been fitting after they showed a couple of scenes with a mouse as well.
It was so refreshing seeing smart, good hearted characters who act rationally and use their brains in intense situations. Oscar Isaac was without a doubt my favorite part of this movie, the fact he doesn't hesitate for a second to put himself in deaths way to save workers from peril really sold him for me.
Try reading the books: written so long before the woketards wrecked Hollywood
Definitely worth checking the books, so much context is missing in the movie!
And you don't have to wait years to find out how it all ends :P But then again, that would spoil the movie. It's a dilemma for sure.
I'm not a reader but a buddy of mine has read all of the books multiple times and were watching them together so he filled me in on all the little details and things I didn't grasp first watch. I honestly went into it thinking it'd be more boring starwars and I'm more than happy to admit I'm wrong.
And we he bite that poison tooth fucking epic
"He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." -Paul Atreides
I guess the Drinker is in perfect control of his liver?
But if you have destroyed the thing do you still control anything? What if you have moved beyond the thing, and are only being held back by it? No I'm just making conversation, have a good evening everybody!
One could say fate of his liver is in his hands
*the drinkers liver has it's own superpower of near invulnerability to exposure and drenching of recreational ethanol*
@@bazilisek502 it's fate mate
@@scottmantooth8785
And that's why The Drinker drinks - he can't destroy it, so he can't control it.
"Most of the characters are walking a path that's already been laid out for them"
Indeed, Drinker. The nature of precognition and prophecy is one of the major themes of the books.
Yeah, that really is the point. Drinker was probably too busy playing sports and nailing hot chicks to read this book.
Is this the point of the book too¿
"it's as of everyone has a forgone conclusion". Yes. They do. The whole book questions free will pretty hard. In this world, everyone is locked into their fate. The only choice they have is to wonder and test and see if the future is created by the present, and hope it's not set in stone
Laid out by Marty and Daniel...but not yet, not yet.
Despite it being so long, I'd still go for a Lord of the Rings style Extended edition
A 6 or 7 hour marathon with extended versions for part 1 and 2 would be incredible. Hopefully Dennis can make a messiah film as well to wrap up the story of Paul in a trilogy.
Same, I would want it to fix the central problem of it which was fuck all Harkonen and Piter de Vries development.
@@Chris-ci8vs I was mostly disappointed by the lack of attention on both Piter and Thufir. Both are majorly important figures in their respective houses but they're depicted like secretaries in the film.
to me the movie was way too short lol, didn't feel long to me at all.
The movie should have been at least 5 hours. There's so much thats been left out that would make the story even greater. For example, fleshing out Dr. Yueh much more would make the betrayal more impactful. For people who havent read the books he's just some random guy. Sadly, they probably had to cut a lot of stuff, and tighten the story up due to the general peoples lack of attention span and impatience.
"Looks like the characters are walking a self prophecy..."
Yes... that's exactly the point of Dune. And the purpose of the whole saga which gets resolved in the books that come after. Which I am sure you know, but if you gonna adapt the books as faithfully as you can, then you have to accept this will be thing. I cannot see this a criticism.
100% this
the director understands both movie and books
non readers and readers
its genius
This exactly. Imo, the film adaptations HAVE to get to Dune Messiah at the very least. Stopping at the end of the first book sends the entirely wrong message. This is a story of how people putting their trust behind the wrong leader has immensely dire consequences - this extremely important arc isn't fully realised until the second book and it would be a shame to end it at the end of the first, which has a sort of typical 'heroes journey' climax. A trilogy, two films for Dune and one film for Dune Messiah would be my preferred way to see this series get on the big screen. There's enough of a self contained story there to have a good conclusion to the saga without feeling like you have to make a million films and film all the books.
They are, but if they were more subtle about it, then the audience could come to realize that as Paul is realizing the inescapability of the path he is on.
Agreed. That's one of the reasons I personally never found Dune particularly interesting though. The whole storyline of the main book, from the transfer of the Atreides to Arrakis untill Paul's victory over the Harkonnen on Arrakis makes for a fairly predictable and simple screenplay, by Dino de Laurentiis or the TV adaptation, or this latter one. It's almost like ticking off the checkboxes from beginning to end. The way I perceive it, all the productions live more off of the production design rather than from the story itself.
“He who controls the Toilet Duck controls the Drinker”
It'll give you Spice Eyes, that's for sure..
He who controls bottle of whisky controls alcoholism!
He who controls Tatiana controls the drinker!
🤣🤣🤣
@@KJ-of6lf Tatiana must flow
I liked Momoa's performance and flavour in his role. Both Duncan (him) and Gurney (Josh Brolin) act as alternative father figures to Paul when Duke Leto was busy running the House. Duncan is more of an easy-going cowboy, while Gurney is more intense and stoic, both of them are willing to die for Paul. I think it was well balanced and portrayed the different roles of the father figure well. It worked for me.
thufir is another father figure although we don't see much interaction with him and Paul in the movie
it was a complete opposite in the book
@@dubya85More like beloved uncle.
If they do all six books, then Momoa’s set for life!
Agreed.
Watched Dune last week and it blew my balls back into my throat. Necessary cinema. Critical Drinklings, spend your money and go see it/support it
indeed ,it has been years since i was not disappointed by the quality/price combo in a cinema , but i liked it , was entertained the whole way
It is indeed, quite good.
Although when it was over I did feel like the rug had been pulled out and I wanted more.
I had no idea it had been released?!
I watched it on HBO but the scale of the movie makes me wanna go see it again in theaters. I'm sure I missed some small details as well so worth the rewatch
Super boring wanted to walk out
"Most the characters seem to be talking a path already laid out before them." This is exactly how the book was written. To me that did build tension, as I knew what will happen, but I was desperate to find out how would it come to this. I think the film is faithful to the book in that respect. It is generally faithful to the source material, which to me is enough to love it. Good review, I missed some of the things mentioned, so I got a bit more insight on the film.
Kinda what I was thinking while he was talking too. A lot of the books are about visions of the future and people trying to craft the way they want the future to take place based on those visions while taking spice.
I agree. Dune is all about the fight between predestination, either by religious beliefs or social pressures, and the will of the individuals. Everything was supposedly set from the start, and is up to Paul to decide if that should be embraced or rejected. I think that his final decision in the books was the according to his personality.
Indeed, the first part of the story was very much a Shakespearean tragedy - you know from the outset that things are going to hell, and are along for the ride to see how.
Exactly right - what was hard is the degree to which I agree that the pacing was slow - and yet I loved it for creating the sense of an almost haunted reality - and also wanting more from the film in terms of emotional connections between the characters - esp. Jessica and Leto (Paul's relationships with Gurney, Duncan and Leto were all pitch perfect - though seeing just a bit more of how the latter three were tied to one another and their troops/others in House Atreides would have been wonderful)....
Knowing the "destiny" of the characters was integral to Frank Herbert's original novels.
SPOILER AHEAD!
---
---
---
In the first book, "Dune", the reader already knew that Paul was going to be killed by Feyd Rautha at the end of the story...it was mentioned frequently throughout the story.
But Paul Muad'dib defied his own destiny & killed Feyd instead, which served to magnify just how mighty Paul Muad'dib had (supposedly) become once he was "The Kwisatz Haderach".
It suggests that 'knowing the path that lies ahead' and 'walking the path that lies ahead' are indeed two separate things.
All the more tragic when, in "Dune Messiah", Paul finally realized that prophesy and pre-destiny wasn't as cut-&-dried as he thought when he did nothing to stop the terrorist's atomic bomb explosion, his subsequent blindness, and the death of Chani while giving birth to their daughter...only to discover that she gave birth to twins instead (something he did not foresee)!
I can’t believe I clicked on this video thinking: “I hope he doesn’t put any spoilers in.” I somehow forgot that I’ve read the book before, like three times.
same lol
There is 15 Dune books...
@@DaneofHalves
Yet none of them are relevant to what we’re talking about, which is Dune, and there is only one book called Dune…
Turns out that the movie won't have a lot to do with the book anyway.
I still avoided pretty much all the trailers and images of the film before watching despite having read the books several times. The main draw for me was to see how my visualizations of the book would be translated onto the big screen.
The only thing that didn't match was how I had imagined the Fremen, I read the books around the same time that I started binge watching GoT so for some reason I had pictured the Fremen as the Free men from beyond the Wall. I guess it only makes sense that the Fremen are brown desert people but they were white when I read the book lol
The idea that everything is a foregone conclusion is actually pretty accurate to the books I think. It’s like being inside of Paul’s time prescience where he sees everything as set, and yet it’s not really as determined as it seems. He still has agency, there are unknowns, and he’s determined to prevent the jihad he continually sees with the fanatic legions tearing across the universe under the Artedes banner.
It's also just basic foreshadowing. I think it's pretty hard to come up with surprises when you have such an old franchise that has already had a movie made, and trying to stay faithful to the source.
"A self fulfilling prophecy inevitably coming to pass...." Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't that kind of the point of the Dune novels?
Exactly. Jessica makes the history changing decision to take advantage of the sisterhood's myths and legends seeded all over the universe. They have been puppeteering the power allocation and struggle from behind the scenes for centuries. All their maneuvers push to gain deep seated control for the sisterhood.
I think when you read it, it rather comes across as the reverse: everyone has carefully constructed plans that backfire horribly because of small, unforeseeable acts of will.
The Bene Gesserit have a plan for the human genome; the emperor has a plan for the imperium; the Duke has a plan for Dune; the Baron has a plan for the fall of Atreides; the Navigators have a plan for keeping their mercantile networks as safe as possible.
Except Jessica chose to have a son instead of a daughter; the Baron's traitor takes steps to preserve the Duke's house; Paul, lacking time to grow into full control of his prescience, seizes upon the one clear path to survival and coopts the Bene Gesserit failsafe mythos, ultimately sparking interstellar war. Harkonnen falls instead of Atreides; the Emperor becomes a figurehead on his own throne; and the Navigators lose control of their primary resource.
It feels scripted in the first book because Paul has to play hard into deliberately crafted prophecies using spice-granted foreknowledge, but even in the first book it's pointed out that prescience - prophesy, fate, destiny - is a trap and that walking the certain, foreseeable path is a road to stagnation and disaster
@@Daolnwood why do they wear those weird nose-rings..?
@@crazysilly2914 those are the breathing pieces on the stillsuits. The suits recycle the body's moisture. That includes the moisture lost through breathing, thus the nosepieces.
To humanity, "the golden path" is the same as common sense.
$220 million and climbing, as well as the best opening for a Villeneuve outing. I’m glad people are going to the theater for this one, because it deserves it more than almost anything else put out this year.
Going again on Saturday.
I watched it on HBO Max and immediately bought an IMAX ticket to support it. This one needs to succeed so we ensure part 2 is made.
this movie was fking terrible, idk what movie you morons watched
For sure go to the theatre for this one!
@@Holypikemanz Very profound and insightful criticism.
The movie needed the dinner scene from the book. It breaks down the value of water and the potential for a Harkonnen attack and how Atriedes should handle it. And I would say where they stopped was the best place to stop. It's a character moment for Paul that pushes him in a direction he was almost unwilling to take. Everything from that point is more world building, just from the Fremen side, before culminating in the final conflict.
Yes, the trees are a wonderful touch.
That, and the 'confrontation' between Thufir and Jessica. They could've cut down most, if not all, of those scenes of Paul daydreaming about Zendaya. oops, I mean Chani.
Apparently it was shot, and is likely to appear in a director's cut that would apparently reach a 4 hour runtime (!)
I’m hoping they later release an extended cut that includes those scenes. Apparently they also shot gurney playing the Baliset and Denis stated in an interview that it was painful having to cut that scene from the movie
Hopefully it's in a director's cut
In today's world of bloated and overly simplified blockbusters, DUNE is a remedy. I just couldn't believe how overly fucking amazing this movie is. My only grief was that it ended, i could have watched it for a few more hours. Also i really hope there will be a longer version coming out at some point, since they kinda skipped the space traveling part. The only glimpse they gave was such a genius idea that i think that was the point when the movie completely absorbed me. I watched it like 6 times since it came out and for me its the biggest thing since Fellowship of the Ring came out.
> bloated
> oversimplified
pick one. In general, things should be as simple as they can be without losing anything essential.
@@helvete_ingres4717 Bloat and oversimplification are not exclusive, a movie can be bloated by cramming inconsequential action, dialogue, etc while oversimplifying themes and character development at the same time. Length is no guarantee of depth when it comes to movies.
@@iinsomniaaaaa however i noticed that movies that last 3+ hours always are really good.
If you read the book, you'd probably be disappointed by this movie. Its just OK compared to the book. So read the book!
@@JOSEPH-vs2gc i read the book a few weeks ago, and it was amazing. Still really enjoyed the movie though
"There's long reflective scenes where characters ponder their fate and explain their outlook" -- that's Dune in a nutshell.
Right but it doesn't make a great film.
@@aaronthompson192 I thought it was a great film, of course, I like slow introspective things.
Sadly, the Harkonnen and Sardaukar fall flat here. From the movie they seem like 2 dimensional villains, not sure how the book paints them.
@@enzi_official Go back to your safe morally gay zone
@@enzi_official The Sardaukar are one dimensional evil. They are the iron fist of the Emperor, they're a blunt object who have had all emotion and critical thought purged from their minds.
As A Scotsman he should have loved the fact that Bagpipes were featured
Haha yeah, I was wondering if the Atreidis house descended from the Scots! 😁👍
@@thathandsomedevil0828 Herbert said they were descendates of Atreus and Agamemnon
@@thathandsomedevil0828 Technically, they were a house descended from Greece, however there are something like four variants of bagpipe from Greece going back to the 15th century.
bagpipes aren't exclusive to scotland
I think the Romans brought the bagpipes over to Britain they weren't invented by the Scots
I think the ending is appropiate. Paul and the House Atreides’ story fade and here comes Muad’Dib. Great movie overall.
Also the scene directly after it is feyd rautha’s arena fight, which will be a nice way to start the next movie
Did they ever mention "Muad'Dib" in the movie? If so I missed it.
@@Mr.Bobcat1776 not that I remember.
@@Mr.Bobcat1776 Muad’Dib is what Paul will come to be known as. All in good time.
@@Mr.Bobcat1776 They do not mention it but you can actually see it on screen. 😂
personally I loved the pacing. Slow burn movies rock as they give time to take everything in rather than being thrown from one scene to another.
Agreed. I loved how it showed the world's as it had much to reveal, but didn't just explain it all.
Agreed. Watched it a few days after Tenet, it was night and day for me. And Dune didn't even feel long, but it sure did give me enough time to reflect on what happened, scene after scene.
Whereas Tenet was like: "Go! Go-go-go! This! And now that! This scene! This scene! That scene! We're here! Now we're here! And now this happened! GO! DON'T STAY HERE, GO! *NO TIME FOR THINKING, GO-GO-GO!!!"*
Dune was thankfully a breath of fresh air after Nolan's ADHD approach.
Whoever calls it slow is so empty inside they afraid to be left alone with their thoughts. 'Cause there are none.
'Everything seems pre determined, and everything seems isolated'
This is exactly what it is supposed to feel like for Paul.
he goes to a planet where they have no support,
everything has already been planned by other people. The point of this story is that he will make friends and take control of his own destiny.
he will never be able to take control of his own destiny. that's part of paul's tragedy. he is trapped in some predetermined path and can't escape from it and in the end he... plot spoiler ... gives up and wanders into the desert.
@@androth1502 Yeah, it’s Paul’s _son_ who ends up playing the Uno Reverse Card on the entire inhabited universe.
Well, no. As I remember, Paul could have prevented Jihad, but he wouldn't avenge his father and family. So he decided to choose that way.
I'm on book 5, I quite like Paul's sons Uno reverse style.
@@TheGoodLuc the only moment when Paul could avoid jihad was in water cave with fremens, he see the path clearly, the "only thing" he should do was killing few people: Stilgar, his pregnant mother Jessica and himself. But when he think about that... the moment past and oportunity was lost...
Legendary just announced Dune: Part Two is happening, yay!
Yes they did
Thank god, it would be a crime not to finish this story with the amount of effort that has gone into it.
The Spice Must Flow
@@BlueHooloovoo Well, part 2 won't really get to the end of the story, just the end of the first book. I would like to see a portrayal of the galactic jihad the Fremen go on.
Fuck yea america
I'm really confused by the hate the ending got. It sets up part 2 perfectly.
Agreed. One of the last lines is that Paul has been accepted by the fremen and has become one of them. Perfect way to close out the first movie.
@Justin Fanning so is your mother.
@Usetube how did you know what he was going to say to you next?
A) the movie didn't explicitly advertise it was a Part 1
B) normies don't read Dunc
C) there is no theatrical finale, transition, or set up and the movie abruptly ends
Most people didn't go in expecting a part 2. Combine that with the awkward ending it's not that surprising people want to be spoonfed.
I hope that clears up any confusion, please understand.
Agreed. I think my problem with it was just the disappointment that it ended. It makes sense that it is simply the mid point of a longer movie with a second half, I just wanted it right away!
I expected it to be mediocre at best, and could not believe how incredible it is when I saw it in theaters. It felt like a shot for shot (almost) adaptation from the book
I saw it at home. With my semi decent 7.1 surround sound it was absolutely magical
I'm disappointed I didn't make it to the movies to see it. Guess I was just conditioned by the Delta lockdown, and didn't get myself out of it quick enough. I hope they re-screen it at the cinema, just before the next one.
How good was the shot where we see the massive ship orbiting. It was like I couldn’t have made it better with my own mind.
Dune 2 coming out baby!
It is actually quite far from the book in many ways, however, it is still great
"He's a bit too young..."? He was playing a 15 year old when he was 24, I think he did very well.
yeah.. I think Mary Jane is the weak link in the cast, being surrounded by heavy hitter veteran actors and have to "convey" her act without words is definitely hard job to do, so I wouldn't blame her for it.
Exactly, he doesn't know what he is saying. He always tries to sound smart with his forced accent. LMAO
@@patrick7142 uhh, what? You know Drinker actually is Scottish, right?
Bottom line is this movie was poorly written and poorly acted. Go watch the 1984 version if you want to watch Dune
@@skinnie2838 bruh youre kidding right ? The 84 Dune was a mess. Trying to cram a shit ton of books in a 2 hour movie is not a good idea. It was honestly really shitty.
The thing is, Dune is a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the book, the first chapter tells you how the movie will go. It tells you about the fate of the Atreides as well as of Paul's outlook. I've not seen the movie yet but in the book, I definitely enjoyed the much slower first half a lot more than the more dynamic second.
Well, "slower". In the book, all the plotting and scheming reaches levels higher than, say, Game of Thrones...
Yea my hope is that they don't turn the second part into a giant CG spectacle where the focus is the action ala marvel movies,but I think Villanuev won't let that happen
@@BlueTemplar15 yes. In the book it do indeed feel like game of thrones and doesn't feel slow at all
Yeah when I thought about what I wanted from Villeneuve's Dune, the very first priority was nailing the feeling of terrible purpose, prophecy and the coming jihad. Of a story that tells you what will happen and yet you are transfixed and immersed the whole way through. The book did that unlike any other book I have ever read and I feel like the movie succeeded at that dramatically well for a first half. The only question is how well-understood is it by those who have not read the book before?
@Zealadinn Yeah I don't remember Chani having that much backstory... I'm fine with her playing a key role in the story moving forward though. But my memory of the books after 2 is quite hazy. If we care about women power (cough cough desert power), the second movie should be Jessica and ALIA's story dammit. Alia is amazing. If anything, the second movie should be like two sixths' Paul's story, one sixth Jessica, Alia and then Chani with and the remaining slice divided among Stilgar, Duncan and Kynes. I always loved the planetary ecology angle.
Enjoyed the review. But one of the reasons I enjoyed the unconventional ending was it was such a contrast from the last 20 years of cookie cutter action movies where every MCU movie needed to end with a battle scene that had to have more and more explosions and over the top action
Any random MCU movie (no matter how garbage it is) is done with +- the same budget but will always get more than any masterpiece of sci-fi.
People is retarded enough to believe a 3 hour movie is slow and worse than a 1h 20m random shit with explosions and no real story being told.
I still can't believe Venom: Let there be Carnage (which, as far as I see it, was pretty bad) got more in the box office than Dune.
I remember the first wonder woman movie, it started with beautiful landscapes and devolved to the last fight being just a brown background for 20 minutes, same with Black panther, the last scene looked like a PS3 rendered background
I think the ending here is perfect. It’s Paul embracing his role as Duke, the path that was chosen for him by his father. I mean, the book ends with a duel, so even that’s kind of foreshadowed here.
One of Frank Herbert’s big flaws (I loved the first two Dune books for what they were) is the vacuum. He “white walled” which means you’re reading dialogue and internal monologue with no idea where you are or what the world and scene is supposed to look like. So the director does a great job at bringing these otherwise under-described scenes to the big screen.
I read the books, they are extremely wooden, and he couldn't build a large world without treating it like every planet is a small town. This little town does technology, this little town does cloning. In reality planets would be vastly diverse and there would be technology and cloning on thousands of planets, but that was too much for Herbert to handle. (Insert "but the BOOK says" defense from most fanboys.) I also read most of his son's books, or rather, the books written by another guy with the son as co-author simply to have the Herbert name. As someone pointed out, most of the time they feel more like an outline of a story than an actual fleshed-out story. But I did enjoy the question he introduced, whether it was right to make up atrocities or any other means necessary to make the free world keep up the fight against the Machines until they were finally destroyed and no longer a threat. Those who live long after in a sprawling human empire would certainly think so.
I had to work to get through it. Your criticism is right on.
Dune is a dense book with lots of internal monologue so adapting Dune will always be hard.
I'm glad to hear it's getting good reviews. I always maintained a single movie isn't going to work for Dune so I think the split works well.
Yeah, I can totally see how fleshing out some of the world building would have made the entire universe come more to life, but given how DV makes movies we probably would be dealing with 3 movies instead of 2 (how did the studio not already think of this?)
@@yes_head I wish they spent more time on building up the characters and their relationships, this way the betrayal and death of the father don't have as much gravity. It should have been three movies at the minimum but they had to make sure the first one will be a success.
I would have liked it if it was narrated by Princess Irulan, instead of Chani and the only inner monologue we got would be from Paul Atreides. I think they are going to make Chani more important then she really was. We'll probably never know that Paul never marries Chani, marrying the emperor's daughter instead but we'll see. I think there were a lot of really unnecessary changes.
I'm still afraid though it will all end at pt.2 - Dune has the most "cinematic action" from all the books. Messiah and Children would possibly fit in though they may have problems breaking even at the box office. God Emperor would definitely better fit a TV show format though.
@@razorsfury6519 I had similar impression. In my case it was that way because Virginia's dialogue had so much more climate..
For me the slower pace added an "immersive" feel to it, and made the overall experience more unique
Slower pace made me fall asleep lmao. You remember when Paul talked to the gardener man? Yeah the bright lights kept making me squint which in turn made me sleepy, which in turn made me fall asleep.
I had forgotten what it was like to watch a fight scene where you could actually follow the action.
I hate slow born movies and too many dialogs, but holly shit this movie changed my mind.
When it ended I couldn't believe that I've watched a 2hr movie, somehow it felt like a 75min movie.
We need a part 2 asap.
@@nikolairose2739 I liked that. It was an actual part where he engages with the people and offers a different interpretation of people looking at the trees as they do in the book. Instead of Dr Yueh and Jessica statically and hyper rationally talking instead an Arakeen native is saying to Paul 'no - I want the trees here, because one day I want my world to be Green.'
@@nikolairose2739 hope u slept well, did u enjoy the rest of the movie when u woke up?
Honestly, we could've had less Chani visions and incl. crucial scenes:
1. Yeuh's betrayal felt like it came out of nowhere tbh, they should've shown the Harkonnen meeting discussing the betrayal and Yeuh's conversation with Jessica about his wife.
2. The dinner party where you see more of the politicking before the Harkonnen attack
3. Not as important but damn, they downplayed Raban by only showing him execute 2 Atreides soldiers. Thought we would witness more cruelty from the most feared Harkonnen warrior.
I think they could have changed things for the better by adding two minutes, showing them arriving at Sietch Tabr and instead of Chani saying 'this is just the beginning' her smiling at Paul and saying 'I was wrong about you, welcome home.' And that right there would be a self-contained story.
They also skipped on Paul using the name "Muad'Dib" at the end.
Agree. More back story on the houses and the party where they all were plotting, etc.
It just doesn’t look interesting at all
@@Mr.Bobcat1776 They haven't yet gotten to Sietch Tabr, and Paul don't choose the name until then.
Awesome summary/review!
However…
A) Timothy being too young and feminine? Absolutely not! He‘s spot on with the slender, rather small, 15-year old boy from the books.
B) Everyone seems to walk a path already laid out for them? Yeah, no sh*t! It‘s a story about prophecies being helped coming to fruition by a sect of master manipulators thinking in centuries, if not millennia.
Well... For the prophecies, I heard that its more of a self fulfilling prophecy than an actual one
There is no prophecy. It's all created to manipulate others. Paul just takes advantage and manipulates others to survive.
You talk like a fanboy instead of understanding movie review. "But the book says that its prophecy, so there!" Using an in-world explanation as defense is typical of spergs. Critical Drinkers criticism of watching a story with the path already laid out doesn't fall just because "it's in the BOOK!" I don't agree with the Drinker's criticism, I think the movie was entertaining anyway, but you writing "however" and "no sh*t" was absolutely ridiculous.
@Grasslander perhaps but I think a big point is that all the characters know that its coming. Its a prophecy and comes to fruition and all the characters know it will, but despite that they fight as hard as they can. This is almost foreshadowed extremely early on in the movie with "defiance in the eyes, like his fathers". The bene gesserit know that Leto knows, but also knows theres nothing he can do to stop it. Yet he'll fight it nonetheless
For a film that introduces us to a "new" world, with a lot of intricate details, it actually helps that it follows a slower pace, letting the viewer enjoy each beautiful scene and also let the mind process what's on the screen without rushing. It allows for the tension and build up to be more organic, rather than spurred on by spazzy editing adapted for people with short attention spans (which is most people these days). I found it almost soothing to let the movie slowly unfold its intriguing story and present us with stunning visuals and wonderful soundtrack along the way.
@@waggyn Really? I've never read the books, but considering that they're considered sci-fi classics, would you recommend them? It's not easy to make proper book-to-movie adaptations in general, but it would be interesting to know if reading the books would allow the viewer of the film to gain a better understanding or appreciation of what's on the screen.
yeah its nice that they introduce is slow in this universe. I would love to see this more than 2 films. but well made and true to the story. skip the cgi :D
@@Zsuluap your english needs serious work.
It does help, but everyone has different tastes. Lingering 20-30 second shots on landscapes help people really soak in the environment and absorb the previous scene, but some people only need like 10 seconds. Doesn't seem like a big difference, but repeat it over and over again and there's 20 minutes of dead air. It's hard to call. It's sort of like when some folks take sitcoms and removes the laugh track, and there's just awkward down time ever few lines, but you realize it's there because (in theory) the audience is laughing and soaking in the humor or situation. If it was just go-go-go, people would start missing lines and maybe even plot points.
honestly i thought it didn't go slow enough. There was so much worldbuilding to cover the first film could've been six hours long and i wouldn't have minded
The Baron's olive oil and balsamic vinegar bath was just perfect.
He's about to toss a salad.
FANCY A PKT OF CRISPS now.
I thought it was coffee oil or something. I'd take a bath in that...
@@theeffete3396 can you imagine if Denis tried to portray his pedophilia- seeing hollywoods reaction would have been epic. He could have cast Kevin Spacey as the Baron!
Typical 2021 Hollywood.
"Hey, we need to portray this character as a depraved, very smart and cunning villain. What do we do?"
"Well, we might simply adapt the dialogues and the scenes of the book, which do an excellent job of showing..."
"Fuck that. Have him dress in black and stare around with an evil expression and bathe in mud."
"Brilliant."
"Also, he should float around and say My Dune in an ominous tone for no reason."
"Genius."
"But that doesn't make any..."
"You're fired."
"And Latreena will take your job."
'In a market dominated by brain dead action franchises...' Truer words have never been spoken! 🙏
That said, the movie was really, really good! Do we want part 2, Hell Yeah! 🤞🤞
bring on the spice orgies
@El Bearsidente I disagree. The miniseries was longer, with more content ... but the dialogue has been more adapted, and many things have been lost and the acting is laughably bad at times. The Gom Jabbar scene is ridiculous for instance.
Too bad they cast the same people in those movies so the point is moot
I disagree partially, a movie doesn't fail just because it's a bad adaptation. One of the best examples would be Lord of the rings. They are fantastic films, but they aren't exactly perfect adaptations.
Absolutely, more than brain dead I would say
Me and my wife went to watch it not really having too much hope for a high budget film, but decided to give it a try. We were enthralled the entire time. When it ended, it felt like time had passed so quickly. We could’ve watched it for double the time and we wouldn’t have felt as though it was even a 2 hour film. The sweeping shots of the landscapes and the beautiful scenery were like something out of fellowship of the ring. After it was over, all I wanted to do was watch the second one right away
I usually despise book adaptations, but when I read Dune a few years ago, this movie was what played in my head, down to the way the characters and technology look. People complain about the minor pacing changes and missing elements, but what's preserved is the VIBE and core themes of the story. This is the first piece of Dune media that doesn't feel like a high school Shakespeare play, with the ridiculous hightened speech and art-deco everything.
Um..... no. It really doesn't capture the vibe of the books.
Chalamet has not recreated Paul. He just hasn't. The Baron's character isn't a stoic expressionless turd.
The Fremen didn't have an American accent AND they themselves despise Arrakis as its their prison planet. They aren't fighting for their homeland. They're fighting for vengeance.
And Leto doesn't 'slowly realise' that he's set up to fail. He walks into Arrakis knowing full well why he's sent there, but never expected Yueh to do what he did.
I found the first 40 minutes brilliant. It was all downhill from there sadly. The Drinker voiced my criticisms almost perfectly, especially the part where it all just feels like a forgone conclusion, especially when every fucking character seem to mutter some enigmatic crap when they meet Paul. It really robs the movie of tension.
@@adamsirin7249 Yueh's betrayal was not telegraphed well, not fleshed out. But I love the knife fighting in this movie.
@@Rapunzel879 "every fucking character seem to mutter some enigmatic crap when they meet Paul." To be fair that happened in the book too, although it was mostly internal dialogue.
@@mkultra2456 And Paul isn't even a mentat in this?! What on earth.
A movie adaptation that’s actually decent in modern year? A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Its villeneuve, expect no less!
The endpoint was exactly where I hoped it would be…Pauls transition from Atredies to Fremen with his first life taken. I thought it was perfect.
Yes, I agree... the moment where he decides he is going down the path chosen for him and not run away (as his mother wanted him to)...
I agree here too. I thought it was perfectly timed. You have end of his life as Paul Atreides and the beginning of his life as one of the fremen as Paul Muad'Dib. As the Harkonnen think Paul and his mother are dead so when they hear about a Maud'Dib leading the fremen they have no idea its an Atreides. Minor spoiler bit for the next film :)
Agree! Including Chani's "this is only the beginning" as a solid hand-off to the next chapter of the story. ...maybe too much drinking?
I thought it had a 'Frodo and Sam depart the Fellowship for their path through the Emyn Muil' feel to it. It hit the right tone for me.
Id agree the endpoint is exactly where it needs and should be in the story, it is the perfect break point, but I did feel it was a bit flat like they didnt know quite how to make that work in the film that well, I suppose not having a part 2 green lit at the time didnt help, but Id expected it to be more like Paul to be given his Fremen names and some arrival and acceptance into the sietch, and then its sequence of of all this cool stuff thats revealed, like the sand rider and the water pools and Fremen life that makes you go wow dont stop now I want this to continue and know more about it and instead its just like oh weve finished here have we, people literally sat in our screening at the end and Im not sure they realised it had finished. So yep I think that could have been done better
0:48 "Liet-Kynes was a tall, thin man with long, sandy hair, a sparse but mussed mustache and beard and under heavy brows, eyes that were fathomless blue-within-blue." - spot on.
I finally saw Part 1 yesterday. I about screamed when I saw that nonsense with Kynes. And they ruined the character's conclusion as well, which was one of my favorite parts of the book!
I’ll be honest I thought Timothee was just gonna be this generations Orlando Bloom, and I was pleasantly surprised how well he played Paul. Best performance goes to Oscar Isaac by a mile but Mr Chamolet did just fine.
Whaaaat, really, Orland Bloom?! Haven't you see The King? Outstanding performance from Timothee. That dude has sooo many more layers to his acting.
What’s wrong with Orlando Bloom?
@@pippi2285 Shitty actor.
Timothee has already proved his talents time and again in indie films, this is a super weird comment. The range he's displayed at this age alone - he's played a lonely bisexual 80s teen in a complicated relationship with an older man in CMBYN, erratic and emotional drug addict in Beautiful Boy, heartbroken layabout drowning his sorrows in Little Women, conflicted ex soldier turned pacifist forced to return to war as an untested leader in The King - these are not 'heart-throb hottie phoning it in' type roles. Timothee Chalamet gives compelling, convincing and emotionally wrenching performances in everything I've seen him in, even if the film itself wasn't that great.
@@bubblewrapstargirl my first film with Timothe was Dune,but I actually liked his role in "Don't Look Up" so I agree that he does have versatility.
I watched this and felt like I'd finally seen a proper film for the first time in longer than I care to remember. The main actor was superb.
my thoughts exactly , about time I saw a movie that actually felt like a movie experience
No kidding. I'd forgotten what it's like to see a movie that left you feeling shaken. I think the last time I felt like I have with Dune was the first time I watched Jurassic Park as a kid, or maybe Fellowship of the Ring.
I was carefully optimistic and Dune did not disappoint. Hope this turns into a trilogy.
I believe it’s just meant to be 2 films
@@samjohnstonemusic6328 For the first book yes, but Villeneuve has quoted in recent interviews of considering doing Messiah as a final third part.
To add someone posted that the studio cut 40 min from the movie, hopefully we get a directors cut.
Once every 10 years, hollywood acutally manages to make a good movie (for me atleast, the last I really enjoyed was Mad Max: Fury Road). I hope this will have a directors cut, couse I need me some additonal Thufir, Piter, Dr Yueh scenes!
@@samjohnstonemusic6328 In this era of shitty Wokewood films, I'll take it.
I read the first book a few years ago and loved it. After finishing it I immediately went to the bookstore to buy the next couple, where I learned from the cashier that they were going to make a movie. I was simultaneously excited and wary, because it seemed to me that Dune wasn’t going to be very adaptation friendly. The part that worried me most was how introspective Paul is in the book. A lot of the story is communicated from his inner self rather than verbally delivered. I was very happily surprised when I saw it.
If only Timothy could use facial expressions and not messianic visions to communicate that introspection
And then you read the next few books and were like "WTF is this shit? What happened to the awesome story I was enjoying so much?" The first book is excellent though. The rest just get progressively wierder. I won't say bad, I barely remember them. But they really aren't much like the first book.
Having read the book multiple times, I can tell you that there is no other possibile end point for Dune part I. You either stop where Villeneuve stopped or finish the whole book in a single movie.
No, perfect ending would be with the sayyadina ritual. 15-20 min longer movie. End with crazy visions of the Jihad, visions of the past from Jessicas and Alias perspective as they are effected by the water of life. A great chance to end with a great mind fuck that hasn´t been seen since 2001. The ending we got literally ran out into the sand.
@@avenderiel I think at Jamis’s funeral would’ve been the best point.
A single, glorious 8 hr movie.
lol no and Ive read the books like 80 times, they would have been better served stopping at Idaho's last scene or at the first confrontation as they escaped with the sand worm.
They left so much out that was important or better and had scenes that did nothing to convey any story or narrative
@@avenderiel Nope. Part 1 ended exactly where it needed to. It makes sense on a narrative level. Paul escaping the attack with his mother and fulfilling his late father's goal of forming an alliance with the Fremen, so it goes back to what his dad said at the beginning "Desert Power". Leave it there so audiences can look forward and be hopeful for Paul to become the "hero" or "savior" in Part 2. And then Part 2 can start with the Water of Life, the disturbing visions and all the weird shit, it will completely change what the audience thought was going to happen. It'll be a good shock for them
Paul Atreides was 15 years old at the start of the novel, so casting someone who could pass for a teenager was great choice. Nothing against the performances of either Kyle MacLachlan or Alec Newman, but both men looked like they were much older than the character they were supposed to portray. Timothee Chalamet was probably one of the best casting choices that could be made. He looks the right age both in his face and his slight build, but he has enough gravitas to feel like a kid who's been trained since birth to eventually rule a planet.
I wonder what they will do for the 3rd movie (Messiah) though ? Not sure that he'll be able to age enough ? (Virtual) makeup ? But will he be able to pull it off as an actor ?
I think Alec Newman did alright, and he could pass as much older in Children of Dune. Hopefully Chalamet can pull it off if they do a Part Three.
"Looks like you put on some muscle."
"I did?"
.
.
.
"No"
Chalamet was perfect casting, but his performance was dull, morose and melodramatic.
@@ronron86 Agreed, liked him better in 'The King' but I wanted more emotion in this. I didnt feel his pain from the gom jabbar or his trauma from his first kill
I actually really liked where Dune ended. The whole thing felt like a fever dream and the fact it just kinda stops puts it in a place where you definitely want more and are excited to get it. I think that's a smart thing to do when you need to foment enthusiasm for a second part that hasn't been greenlit.
I wouldn't mind seeing another video where you do more spoiler content and more comparisons to the book.
Where they were taking their time on a lot of things I think I should have showed more up into the attack and during the attack they should have spent longer showing fights and whatnot it should have ended it right there that I think would have been a good cliffhanger I do agree that where it ended was kind of a little weird but like the Drinker says it's still one of the best movies you got in a few years
Second part has been greenlit!
It's a tough call, if you're going to split the novel, this is one of the few places where you can, only problem is that the reason it's a good place to split the story isn't apparent until you get closer to the end.
I of course agree that it was an appropriate place to do the split but I think it is a little dangerous to leave people so thirsty for more for so long. Part 2 is expected around 2023 (and we can certainly expect a delay or two), I'm not sure I have much faith in general audiences to care for that long.
@@VespoLiveGaming Personally, I would of tried the idea of adding a dream to paul to end it. The dream would be a scene of the upcoming jihad.
I thought the ending point makes total sense really. In the book this is the half-way point, and after they undergo that ceremony where Paul gains his foresight and Lady Jessica and her unborn daughter undergo that change, there is a time skip forward. Unless I'm remembering that wrong.
You’re right, there is a 2 year timeskip. I think the second part should start there with Alia already born so the narrative is more focused.
Hot damn, if they made this good ”prologue” and manage to nail the part 2, we might have truly a meaningful duet of movies. Dune just might have a worthy movie adaptation here!
A duet? Think a bit bigger. If they are both successful, we may see an adaptation of the whole series.
@@malcolm_in_the_middle you've given me goosebumps dude :)
The next Star Wars. Just don't let Disney get their hands on it!
We need atleast 11 more movies to adapt the entire thing at this pace.
Paul's own story needs atleast 5 more movies
I haven't been to the theater in years, however I made an exception for Dune and it was worth every minute!
Saw it for the first time at home, and at the end I realized I had made the mistake of not seeing it on the big screen first.
@@CoolName5383 Be grateful you saw it at home. I saw it on an airplane. With only the exception of a cellphone, this was the exact opposite of IMAX.
I watched the premier on HBO Max, but then decided to go see it in the theater to do what little I could do to ensure a sequel.
The book has an iconic "dinner party scene" where the Atreides invite the movers and shakers of Arrakis to their palace to get a sense of where everyone stands. It also gives you a glimpse into how the common people of Arrakis live.
I've heard they've cut this from the movie, which blows my mind, as I always saw it as a key portion of the book.
Social justice warrior politics got it cut, THAT scene in the dinner would have made the masses furious
@@voidsff wobble your head, what on earth in that scene runs against 'social justice warrior politics'? It's about the dire imbalance between the rich and the poor, and the Atreides deftly family navigating the powers that be in their new homeworld, if anything it's exactly the sort of scene that would appease a social justice narrative
@@MysterousBear The part where paul stands on the dinner table and starts declaring his hate for space n words (his words)
That piece of shit Justice League gets a 4 hours cut, maybe this movie will get an extended cut too.
Extended version/Director's cut. Just sayin.
"It doesn't really help that the story's delivered as if everything that happens in it's a foregone conclusion..."
Dude, This is DUNE: Everything that happens in it IS a foregone conclusion. I don't want to insult your intelligence by asking if you've ever heard of at least one of the interations before, because for you to not have done, would be simply astounding. If you're not keen on the pacing, that's cool, everyone has their preference, but again: This is DUNE. It is NOT a fast-paced story. It's a story about prophecy, inevitability, obligations etc, concepts which simply aren't 'fast-paced'.
I haven't seen it yet, but I loved the novel, previous movie and TV mini-series, so I'm looking forward to to seeing this interpretation and seeing how they do with the source-material.
Thankyou for giving me reassurance that they haven't completely shit the bed with it.
Probably 90% of the people who saw this movie have no idea it's based on a pop up book. You dunnies™ got to cut the normies some slack. Who tf would know about any of that stuff? Waay to minouche details there brobro
Will yeah DUNE is more about characters reacting to things and their thoughts about more than the events itself even the genuine shock moments impact came upon the charters way more than the reader it is about interpolation and the effects this events from the precitcative of the charters it is not suppose to be climates or have any element of mystery for the side of surprising the reader like the example I immediately think about is doctor yuui betrayal the book say in the fucking second chapter about the betrayal and the whole plot to overthrow Leto the first and about the emperor involvement and then it acknowledges that every charter know about the plot than you as reader are actually anticipating the reaction and the thoughts that the character will show after the betrayal it this what is DUNE really charters interacting with the world around them and their thoughts their are not really big conflict or mystery or relationship to solve it just about philosophising about things and situations
@@bBersZ dune is the single most famous science fiction. It’s a extremely famous book.
@@platypodesrock9221 k
@@bBersZ Bruh everyone knows about the books by now, come on. It's listed on literally every single Sci Fi "Best Of Ever" lists of classic litt.
One of the themes in Dune (the books anyway) is inescapable destiny. Having the fall of a house telegraphed and the players resigned to their fate is part of that. While I agree it does mute any attempt to build tension but it sets (or should set) the stage for much greater tension when Paul and other characters defy their fate.
Yep, the knowing creates a growing sense of dread as the trap tightens. That's largely missing from the movie. In the book they know exactly what is coming to include the sardakur wearing fake uniforms. Little sense of that desperation or how the Duke was already starting to abandon his virtues to win
And the theme that the coming of a massiah is not always a good thing.
What I loved from the original book - and which I sorely missed in this movie so much I've been pissing and moaning about it for over a month now - is the storyline of Yueh. We knew from the start he was the traitor. We knew the inescapable destinies of everyone already. It makes the characters tragic, and Yueh being called "Traitor" by a Sardaukar soldier was gutting in the book. I wished Villeneuve had given that a bit of time.
The book is full of destinies, big and small, like that.
Chalamet is too young and feminine looking?
Lmao Paul is literally 15 years old and described as "small for his age".
I agree with your criticism of the lack of an insight into "daily life" within the universe - it does add a certain emptiness to the film. However, I also think it could be interpreted as a stylistic choice - it gives the narrative a sense of aloofness, and mirrors how the conflict of medieval nobility was often for reasons which were superfluous to the common man. So happy the film ended up being this good!
That's actually a spot on take
I agree - I don't seem to remember the books describing any daily life on Caladan either so it's not like the movie took away anything.
While the books don't portray any daily life, I think it would have helped the film to add some. The palace seems empty, the worlds seem empty, the cities seem empty. They could easily add more vehicles moving around the cities or servants in the palace just to show that there's life in this world besides the main characters. At times it feels like the main characters are the only people who inhabit this universe.
The book was also sparse on it's description of the common man. It's mentioned in the first part of the book that there are farmlands outside the Atreides castle on Caladan, and a few mentions of the commoners of Arrakis, but it doesn't go into much detail about them, and it's mostly with how a few of them interact with the main cast (Shadout Mapes with Jessica and the waterseller with the Duke).
exactly-- remember that feeling when you're reading Dune for the first time and you realize that the books only noticing the characters the nobility notice-- and ignoring everyone else? That 'the people' isn't part of their world?
When I first saw Dune in 1984, I was 27 and a huge lifelong science fiction fan. And while I had read Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury and Tolkien my entire life I had not checked out Frank Herberts or Dune. Frankly I was intensely disappointed, finding it confusing. But the special effects intrigued me. The hype surrounding the movie though inspired me to read the book. It was GREAT! Which of course compelled me to rewatch Dune armed with the knowledge of WTF is going on. And this time it blew me away. In particular, the atmosphere of the movie was captivating. I just finished Dune 2021 and can't believe how effectively it has held the original atmosphere! This is a worthy making of the story and I'm eager for Dune 2.
I read the books as a kid in the 70s and thought the first movie was an abomination. The miniseries was good though and so is this movie, though nothing can ever match a child's imagination.
Watched it last night in Imax. The first time I bothered going to the cinema since the first Rey Skywalker movie - and SO worth it. I loved it but I'm a long-time fan. I was, however, with someone who had never heard of it, and she loved it too. It's pretty rare that that happens with a film with such a legacy. The sound design was exceptional and every shot, grade and effect were so beautiful. Solid performances and good casting. I kind of miss Lynch's Harkonnen a little - but that's like complaining that one of the bubbles in my beer drifted at an odd angle.
Do yourself a favour - watch it in Imax before it's off. For 2-and-a-bit hours I forgot about global health problems, social justice warriors and climate change. I was there. Exceptional work by everyone involved. Everyone. And a healthy salute to you Mr Drinker.
The movie was overall amazing I have to say. As good as the new Dune was I still have a very warm place in my heart for the old one.
I'll say this though, I like the old soundtrack a lot better than the new one. I found some of the main soundtrack they use for the new Dune to be very annoying rather then epic & cool like the old Dune soundtrack.
This film is terrible
@@TraditionalArtist1 I mean I have some criticism about the film myself but overall I say was really good.
The movie supposed to be slow-paced, but I would say my main criticism is they could explore the Dune Universe a little better, like the cities and the people and who the sardaukars and Harkonnens were.
They put too much air time on his Visions which I don't mind but that was kind of annoying.
@@Reactionary_Harkonnen I'm assuming you're referring to the 1984 movie? I just went back and gave it a listen - it's been a while. Thanks. No doubt that was really beautiful. It would be nice to have something similar in the next part, as I'm hoping we'll spend some time getting to know the planet through Paul's eyes. I've always loved the desert landscape. I think the Dune universe (I know the movies and games, not the series) have had some pretty incredibly soundtracks. I still often listen to the Emperor: Battle for Dune soundtrack and wish I still had working disks and an optical drive so I can play the game again. I kind of really hope we get a really good Dune RTS again after this. They were some of my favourite games ever!
@@ruaangrobler3035 yeah that movie is better even angry joe said it
""Every character is already walking a path that has been laid out for them"
Yeah drinker, you know that's how it is in the book, so it's not really a valid criticism. It wouldn't have been the same story otherwise. And the character of Paul is 15 at the time of these events, so I think the choice of actor is solid. He played his part very well.
It is a bit unfortunate that the movie ended when it did. It kind of felt like it was just ramping up.
Is it just me, or are the good big-budget movies in Hollywood almost exclusively made through Legendary Studios?
you say that because you are talking from hindsight, for someone who hasn't read the book it takes away a lot from the anticipation and it ruins the tension, it's ok to introduce these ideas of destiny and all that but you need to understand that this is a film adaptation of a book released over half a century ago so many people watching this will not have read it before plus. And most importantly you need to make the movie interesting because the ideas it tries to use will have no value if the movie has no magnitude.
@@arturogenso2224 Yes, a movie adaptation cannot faithfully represent everything in the book. This is true. But some things are part of the core narrative. Paul's dreams and the words of the Bene Gesserit mother are integral parts of the story.
You assume that giving the impression that they are all on a set path blunts the viewer's anticipation. I think it does not - especially since not everything Paul dreams of comes true.
And even if it did, maybe a film adaptation of Dune just wouldn't work. Make something else then. But don't make a different movie and call it Dune. So, in this aspect, I think Villeneuve got Dune right.
@@Fishmans That is disheartening to know...
@@arturogenso2224 it's revealed in the same exact way in the books. The movie actually explains way more by the time it ends than the books ever did.
Legendary and WB. You gotta give credit where it's due.
“In a market fill by brain dead action franchises and endless bland, predictable comic book films”
Damn, as harsh as that was I don’t think anyone really could’ve said it better
@built different can you like stop spamming?
Pretty much sums of MSheU
@@thekiller7994 The spambots are getting worse everyday I swear. Almost every video I click on from any channel has at least a hundred spam replies in the comments. I keep reporting them when I see them but nothing seems to happen ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It was an absolute breath of fresh air.
The trailers before the movie were all utter trash. The one exception was Spiderman and only because of Doc Oct. Hollywood is a talentless wasteland.
Grew up on the books and even had the games. The visuals and absolute grandiosity of the images were so good. The noships and emissary transports was incredible. Absolutely loved the way the tech feels old and worn and massive.
The ending completes the first arc of Paul's journey, from a protected kid with weird dreams, to a potential messiah with the burden of avenging his family, becoming a surrogate leader to a mysterious people, and knowledge that his dreams can foreshadow the real possible future. He needed to revolve his dreams from the beginning, to get to the new future at the end, and that is what he did.
He's been a potential messiah since very early on. I never got the feeling he was avenging his family but moreso trying to embrace his destiny and become someone greater. And again, we don't see anything of him being a surrogate leader, just a promise for the next film. So a lot of these things don't make for a satisfying ending considering they're only set-ups and turning points. Not actual pay-offs.
*avenging
@@mkultra2456 😁
I agree. There is some growth over those two hours. He passes from a "boy" to a "man" - by killing the first person and by daring to oppose his mother. And he embraces his potential, moving from a young scion of a destroyed house (who would run across the space and try conventional means of reclaiming his legacy, like petitioning Landsraad) to a potential messiah-figure, operating on a more guerilla + mystical terms; still however overcoming his concerns from early movie and embracing Leto's heritage (i.e. trying to win Fremens' support). Sure, it is by far not a satisfying ending, but I think it was the best moment to stop the narrative, without advancing it too far and leaving insufficient material for the second part (assuming they want to conclude it at the same place the original book did).
The only minor problem I had with dune was the 12 age rating. There’s a quote at the beginning of the movie about how “these people are brutal”, I love the world building and everything, and I’m not asking for excessive gore, but dune was bold and grand, and I feel like having a higher age rating would have immersed me more into it, as sometimes I was kind of thrown off by the lack of any blood in some more adult moments of the movie. Other than that I enjoyed it a lot and can’t wait for a sequel
We dont need the age ratings tbh people are viewing the movies underage anyways
They probably went for a wider audience to make more money.
I actually like the lack of brutality, I want more intelligent movies who are for everybody. I want more Lord of the Rings or Jurassic Park or Iron Giant.
Lol - I think the Sardaukar battle prep soon is more than gory enough. They did them up as these casually brutal Nordic Beserker Samurai - which is awesome.
If Dune went rated R it would've been a guaranteed box office bomb like Blade Runner 2049 was.
Despite Dune's runtime being 2 and a half hours, I still could have sat in this movie for another hour and not gotten bored.
I wish it had been another hour. They glossed over some stuff I wish had been explored a bit deeper. There was just a basic mention of the Spacing Guild and space travel. It really needed to be talked about more to show just how important spice is to humanity.
@@Powermad-bu4em Someone posted that the studio cut 40 min from the film, i hope we get a directors cut.
@@boratb258 The ahould have cut the amount of times we see zendayas face and the knife and used theat time to explain things deeper.
I kinda wanna be a few years into the future where I try to make time for the unavoidable 5+ hour behemoth that will be both parts back to back. I kinda want them to then make a cut that skips the credits and just makes it one big movie.
Damn, I hope they adapt later books, because shit gets weird and I wanna see a fully realized God Emperor human-worm hybrid.
I wish the ended it on a high like the first movie
I sat on the edge of my seat both times I watched it in the cinema and was acually tearing up at times not because it was sad but because I was overjoyed to see a fairly faithful rendition of one of my favorite books. I even enjoyed the last version, but this one was by far the best.
They actually seem to be putting art over ideology for this film. Refreshing.
They made a film instead of a booklet.
Oh, come on--don't bring politics into the discussion.
Which is ironic, given that the book was an allegory for actual politics. Still, refreshing indeed.
@@johnbaxter3676 that is the exact point most film goers make to the movie makers
@@PibrochPonder Have you seen the majority of films released in, say, the last five years? There are hundreds, so you're talking about a relative handful. For every movie with obvious PC casting or story elements, there are dozens that are just movies without any ideological significance.
Best epic scale movie from Hollywood in a looooong time. I was totally immersed for two and a half hours. Already watched twice and going to watch more. Can't wait for second part.
Enjoying the book, I felt the movie was missing two main scenes: The Dinner Scene and the Harkonnen Council Scene. The former explains a lot of the politics of Arrakis, the value of water, the dynamics between the different groups (smugglers, fremen, townspeople, noble houses, the CHOAM company, etc), and serves as a good window into the politics that lead up to the fall of Atreides, and the plans Leto had. The second scene (which I think actually happens earlier in the novel) has the Harkonnens and their mentat meeting to discuss the plan to overthrow Atredies and does a good job of explaining how the Emperor is involved, what everyone's roles in the conspiracy are, the roles of mentats, etc. I also feel it is missing development for Gurney Halleck and Thufir Hawat, who (at least in the first book) are probably slightly more important characters than Duncan Idaho and should be given similar amounts of screen time. I personally felt the movie could have gone and hour longer and was too fast paced. I think a pacing like in the LOTR movies would have been better to fully portray the intricacies of the plot without cutting as much. But that's just my personal opinion, and that sort of movie wouldn't sell well. Overall, I enjoyed it visually, sound wise, etc, and think it did a good job making it into an action movie. Just missed the character development and political/philosophical depth brought by the book.
I felt the same, I thought it was surprisingly fast paced (too fast) and now wish there were 3 film installments so that we could get the dinner scene and a few other important moments/ character development/conflicts from the book in there. Overall I loved the movie and hope the directors cut will restore some of that material. The main thing I love about the books is the philosophical/psychological aspects (rooted in Carl Jung's dream theories) so I miss the exploration of inner dialogs and interpersonal communication that arises from the power of the Bene Gesserit ways.
I think that some of the political/philosophical aspects are there. Denis did a great a job at adapting some key points from the book that the general audience will get. I'm already pretty surprised and happy to know that non-book readers were able to point out the the intricacies surrounding Paul's bloodline, the possible implications of his abilities, the bene gesserit...But yes, would've preferred more stuff to be included and a longer run time.
Part of me wishes this was a miniseries to fully explore some of these concepts, but man the impact of it as a movie is amazing, especially in IMAX. You can't do that with a miniseries.
Does Thufir Hawat get a hairless cat in glass tube hooked up with umbilical's? Or is that part 2?
And they had those scenes in the mini series and people complained that they were "boring" and "too much talking"......
This was a good review. I can't say how accurate it was to the book, however, I thought world building with Arrakis and House Atreides being the focus of the first movie was the right movie. I also thought the action scenes were unique and loved how they were portrayed in this film.
It makes a large number of changes from the book. I thought it was all right but not as good as the 80s film, and nowhere near as good as the mini-series.
I don’t think it could have gotten any more accurate to the book without suffering. In fact, ome thing that struck me while watching it was just how close it was sticking to the source material. As far as I could tell all of the changes were essentially cosmetic. The shortening of events here, the exclusion of some dialogue there and some rearranging of some tiny parts of the story so that the string of events are understandable to an ignorant audience. All in all the did a very good job of translating the soul and intention of the book onto an entirely different form of storytelling that has different strengths and limitations. Superb actually, especially when you consider the industry standard of book adaptations is to the effect of Netflix’s ‘the Witcher’.
@Etienne de Vignolles you're joking right?
@@etiennedevignolles7538 the only thing I’d change is Kynes’ death. I don’t think it would have been all that much of a stretch to explain how spice is actually created through some form of flashback to a younger Kynes as she dies in the Desert.
The movie is amazing aesthetically. My main criticism is that it's a movie and not a 10 part series. It would give so much more breathing room for the events to play out in a more natural and understandable way, and it would especially do justice for the sheer amount of characterization that had to be left out. I think it would abate Drinker's criticism of how everyone's path seems to be laid out already
In this era, it definitely does seem "Netflix series" worthy (or better than that, actually). However, and maybe I'm talking out my ass, but I'm pretty sure you can get a bigger budget for a movie or two than for a series, and while Dune might be about the story, it's just hard to imagine it being loved without the visuals.
@@BWMagus yhh ur right tbh. When I finished the film I could tell that there was so much left out cos it just couldn't be fit into the film. Problem is ur trading off some vital components. Go with the film and a lot of things will need to be taken out and u gotta tell the story in a timely yet effective manner. With a show u got lots of time to address the story but a show could never have the budget of dune and I honestly don't think it could work with such a smaller budget. Even then for a show the budget would be massive which in turn could end up meaning the show is gonna be shorter length anyway to make up for it
A 10 part series in this quality inside of this universe would be amazing
@@TY-km8hj I think with Dune, its a case of they have to make a movie that follows the plot of the book accurately and enjoyably. They cant just put the book into a movie
To recreate the source material would require the time very few viewers would invest. That said, I agree with you in principle though.
I'm ok with the young looking lead- dude was 15 at the start of the book and 17 by its end.
I'd always admired the 80s movie for managing to convey the first book in 1 movie, and portray the often grotesque deaths that awaited many characters.
Javier Bardem as Stilgar was laughable. A cartel hitman with a dutch boy is one thing, but Stilgar sounding like a Fremen conquistador is hard to justify.
We're that movie failed tho is unless you have read the book you would not know what's going on. They leave out a lot of necessary information. I haven't read it but I did thoroughly enjoy watching the 80s movie with my mother filling in the blanks for me.
And the music was kick ass
@@Perroden I havnt read the books, I have heard soem general things about the dune world. I wouldn't say that i needed any extra information, the general plot was quite clear by the end and the couple of people that went in blind also had no problems with understanding whats going on and why. One of em got sold hard on the books.
@@jaymakak stilgar in this dune was 100x better than in the lynch movie or the mini series.
Holy shit a positively-titled Drinker review? Gotta be a good one.
This movie was BORING. And they added woke trash into by gender/race swapping Kynes. Drinker is usually spot on with his recommendations with the exception of The Boys, The Expanse, and now Dune 2021. You can skip these they are not good.
@@skinnie2838 your opinion is wrong and stop spamming
it's actually really good
Woah woah woah, cool it with the expanse slander
@@skinnie2838 I agree, what a load of shit this was. Surprised they didn't rename the fremen to "Taliban".
It was a solid adaptation. The problem is that the source material is very tricky to translate to the screen. This was a decent attempt(and certainly probably the closest to capture the spirit of the book), although given the director's previous films(Arrival and Bladerunner 2049) - I was expecting a bit more from it. Still, compared to other modern films it's head and shoulders above them.
The fact that everyone's destiny seems predetermined is kind of what the whole dune saga is about. You need to get all the way to 'god emperor' though to learn this, but I think it's a good idea to already start to drop some hints in the beginning of the story.
Isn't it pretty clear by the end of Messiah ?
(Rereading them, and I'm not even sure that I managed to get up to God Emperor the only previous time...)
@@BlueTemplar15 Yeah by the time Paul takes control of the fremen it's pretty clear that the ability to see the future is a curse to be unable to break your destiny. Then the books leading up to god emperor explore the idea of Fate and how different people who know what is to come but cannot alter it react in the face of fate.
I've only read the first book, is it worth reading any more?
@@chatteyj absolutely book 4 God Emporer of Dune is my favorite book, it really made me think. it really ties it all together as it concludes the first 3 books and sets up the next 2.
@@chatteyj After the incredible success of the first book (the first sci-fi bestseller !), the 2nd one was kind of critically panned, because they didn't like how Herbert basically took down his Hero archetype built up in the first book.
Despite knowing it in advance (and having already read it before), I still stopped after the movie - 1rst book - 2nd book, all in a few days. I'll probably still try to pick up the 3rd one in the next weeks.
Epic visuals, great acting, and a mostly solid adaptation of the first part of the novel. My minor nit pick is it kinda felt like there was quite a bit left on the cutting room floor. It felt like a four hour movie that was trimmed to 2 and a half hours. I understand that you can't show a 6 hour assembly cut of the movie, but I don't think 3 hours was out of the question. I hope there will be a drectors cut.
Hell yeah! A 4 hour director's cut would be phenomenal. I wasn't bothered at all by what some considered slow or uneven pacing (2001 A Space Odyssey, anyone?), and an extended director's cut would immerse the viewer even more into the story, I think.
yup, imo the opening scene felt kinda rushed, would love to see a director's cut
Unfortunately the director has already stated that there is no directors cut. What we saw is all we're getting.
I read somewhere that the banquet scene from the novel was filmed and subsequently cut for time but I really feel like that would've flushed out more of the politics on arrakis. I also think there are parts with Dr kynes, Doctor yueh, and Thufir Hawat missing. Also Gurney kinda just dissapears from the movie. Also also I think there's definetly more scenes with Baron Harkkonen out there. So yeah directors cut for sure. Id buy a 4k box set
eh, i think it would expose a lot more changes then already there was from the source material. I felt like this was a remake of the '84 version and not so much an adaptation of the book. To me it lacked the underlying details that made the epic story so special. Like, why are the mentats so special? Why, in the 10,000+ year is their technology as primitive as one would not think. It felt like many of the character's scenes were extended just to give actors screen time. There were too many WTF moments for me. I also didn't think the '84 version was that great either. Like, where the hell is Fayde Rautha? The whole spitting thing is right out of Ace Ventura...
I felt the place where they chose to end it was probably the best spot.
They travelled on to symbolize that the journey thus the story continues, Paul has left his old life behind (ending one chapter) and was starting a new one (moving on the the next chapter)
Hell when watching that end scene I was thinking "You have to end it here you have to end it here this is the right time"...and they did.
Exactly, there couldn't be a better moment to finish the first film.
Yup, same here. It felt like a natural moment to end the movie. Indeed, the movie does not feel like a standalone, which if a second part does not come, it will really suck, but that's the risk they had to take to do justice to the story.
@@primusro the studio confirmed the part 2 today. October 20, 2023 is the release date.
Appreciate your channel and reviews CD - I will say I was confused with Zendaya in this and the overall hype, then I watched Euphoria over the last week. Personally, she’s amazing in it and makes me curious to see how she’ll play Chani. Then again, i haven’t watched a spider man since the second original.
A solid review. The 'self-fulfilling prophesy' and everyone's 'fate' is in the book, as well, so I don't think that's a valid criticism of the movie itself. And I really liked Jason Momoa in the role of Duncan Idaho. He makes the master of arms believable. The movie itself is quite faithful to the book, which is all I could ask for. The movie was epic.
"is in the book, as well, so I don't think that's a valid criticism of the movie itself"
But this isn't about the book. This is about the movie. A movie is not a book. The conditions are different.
@@Grasslander It's a faithful adaptation of the book and the theme of self-fulfilling prophecies are adapted into the movie so the comparison is completely justified.
Not sure something is really that faithful to the books if it feel compelled to do gender and race swaps. I've been reading some ominous things about part 2 making Paul essentially a background character in his own film.
@@greeb666 Point taken, but the book doesn't detail character descriptions all that much, and Denis Villenueve prioritizes plot, character development, etc., over wokeness.
Yeah, I so very much do not agree with that part of Dune. It's almost a sacrilege to me because I really believe in Free Will, Tabula Rasa etc. But I am also aware that's only my belief and things could and most likely are different.
When you’re as excited for the Drinker Review as you are for the actual film.
@Rapunzel ♪ selena gomez a foot model? :D
The one I am waiting is for the Foundation series. I am sure the bile and the blood will pour from the screen and I look forward soooo much for it... :D
I was looking forward to the movie, saw it and was very disappointed but I’m never disappointed by the drinkers material.
That being said, I saw Dune two days ago and I thought it was brilliant.
Hans Zimmer: BWWWWAAAAAAAAUMMMMMMUUMMMMAHHHHHHHHHHHHHZZZZUUHHHMMM
yeah, because I let the Drinker watch it first to see if it's full of "THE MESSAGE" before I use my money to find it for myself lmao.
Funny that you say _"Hollywood is still capable of making good movies if the right people are involved."_ Except, this wasn't a production of Hollywood. This was a production of several _foreign_ film professionals, who only contracted through Warner Bros. These foreign film professionals unlike Hollywood, focus on making good movies not woke bullshit. I did like this version alot, it was refreshing to see. A couple of things I missed though was I liked the "internal monologue" of the David Lynch version, the whisper of inner thoughts. Alot of these characters are often alone for entire scenes in the book, and alot of those moments are about their thoughts on the matters at hand, so I missed that. Kind of like the inner monologue version of Blade Runner, which was very film noir and detective story. Not every movie is thematically appropriate for inner monologue but BR and Dune are two examples that it fits and I miss that. Other than that, I loved the movie in it's totality and that's rare these days. One thing I hope they do for part two, just so there is a connection to previous renditions and because he's a good actor, I'd like to see Patrick Steward cast as Emperor Shadam the IVth. He'd be able to play another role in the Dune series, as well as "play a bad guy", which Stewart says he's always wanted to do.
The fact that you think foreign companies dont make "woke" movies ( basically anything you dont agree with ) shows just how little you know about foreign media leave that bubble of yours buddy
i really agree with your comment on the inner monologue, it gave a deeper sense to things and Paul's process of growth and transformation. This whole Dune lacks the spiritual side of the story i was used to see in David Lynch's version and really doesn't give me any emotional reason to be attached to any of the characters. Nowadays i wish Jodorovsky had his opportunity to do his versione before his project was practically stolen and given to David Lynch.
Liet Kynes got turned into a black woman for the sake of ''diversity'', they were pretty open about it,
so it didnt escape wokeness completely.
Patrick Stewart's been playing a villain for quite some time now. Watch that hot mess called 'Picard'. *smh*
@@99Vood99 hahaha 😆👍
I have read the books a couple of times and absolutely loved them. I give this adaptation a 6 out of 10. Do I want to to watch it a second time? Certainly not. It is boring : there is no depth, no tension, no fear, no sweat. The plot is really poorly build from the start. You don’t feel the pressure on house Atreides. Where is the Emperor ? And Baron Harkonnen … is that all we get ? Should have been more organic. Great scenery and pompous “mystical”music are not enough to make great movies. The actors are ok, it’s not their fault.
I'm a huge fan of Frank Herbert and Dune. It's important to remember that this is a Sci-Fi Drama not action like most Sci-Fi movies. That being said, I haven't actually watched this movie and am going off of the book only for my two scents.
I think the lack of information for house Atriedies is purposefully blank because it allows the reader (or viewer in this case) to develop their own idea of a "good guy" all you really need to know is, they are incredibly rich, they live in a beautiful underdeveloped world and they control a significant portion of the interplanetary trade and spice. How they do this is hinted to be virtuous however details are left short because it really doesn't matter at the end of the story anyway.
Because this is a drama, there are really only 2 big battles and a few duels, most of the story is based around the complex politics of the various houses that rule the galaxy. If you come in with the expectation of a star wars or a guardians of the galaxy, you may be disappointed.
If I came in with the expectation of guardians of the galaxy I would be totally bummed those films suck.
I'll keep it short. Visually it's stunning. Ticks all the boxes. But there is a something missing that's hard to pinpoint(same goes for Blade runner 2049). Yet again we got idiotic portrayal of Harkonnes. Some weird pale human species. Baron was fat but not that fat. Secondly some poor casting choices: Chani, Duncan Idaho, Liet Kynes and few other... Except low budget and some weird design choices, both tv series is better than both Dune movies. Baron from Tv Series is closest to book description.
I think the harvester scene is meant to portray Atreides in the good light, through the perspective of Liet Kynes
I didn’t come expecting Star Wars I came expecting an interesting story & this movie did not deliver. If the politics are so complex & fascinating why don’t they talk more about it instead of gazing off into the horizon & have visions in slow motion? Where’s the beef?
@@nebulous6660 i felt like most of the “staring” and “visions” came after plot moments as a way to allow things to breathe a bit. In my eyes, it gave each moment more gravitas, instead of just wisking you away to the next scene. I liked it but 100% it’s not for everyone.
"Timotheé Chalamet is too young"
You see, he plays a 15-year old character.
I looked older than this kid when I was 12…
@@ChipsChallenge95 You're proud of that? No one believes you coz that would be impossible unless you have a rare disease.
Yeah you've obviously never seen a Mexican kid. Full beards at 12 I shit you not
@@ChipsChallenge95 good for you, and I'm sure you've seen plenty of scrawny pale twig-lile kids at 15 that have yet to hut puberty right? Him being a pampered royal, even with his defence classes, doesn't seem too out of the ordinary.
And he was 23 when they filmed it.
Children of Dune is also a fascinating story. I hope we get that to follow. The Sci Fi production with James McAvoy was the first time I saw him in anything. It was good. And I've read all the books. I'm glad this is sticking with the story.
Need to continue into God Emperor. Although I'm not sure people are ready for the Golden Path.
@@Mr.Bobcat1776 I´m not even sure if people are ready for the adaptation of the second book...The way it ends is bad for a movie for general audiences
@@nunobettencourt1429 Messiah is dark, but that's were Leto II saves the day and humanity in Children of Dune/God Emperor.
MacLachlan and McAvoy are both better than this kid.
@@snoopstp4189 Agreed. Also the original Kynes blew this new version out of the water. The new movie was not good.
I have just finished watching part one. This movie is unworthy of being mentioned in the same breath as LOTR. Perhaps the books are incredible, but the movie was subpar. It was a poorly made adaptation that did not make it accessible to people who haven't read the book. I understand the story, and I understand the objectives and idea being pushed. While the world may feel real, it's real in the way that a visit to the DMV is
Skarsgard is, to me, the standout in this movie. His portrayal of the Baron was masterclass.
And his first appearence in the film where his bald head shows up reminds me of Apocalypse Now when Marlon Brando as Kurtz first showed up.
Agreed, Jessica was also very well played
"But Arrakis is Arrakis. And the desert takes the weak. My desert. My Arrakis. My Dune."
damn chills
@@nothajzl absolutely epic
@@casshern9454 If I'm not mistaken, Skarsgard specifically requested they shoot the scene/reveal of the Baron as an homage to Apocalypse now.
My biggest nitpick is that they never used the word "Jihad" to describe the holy war in Paul's vision XD
But yeah, loved this movie, and I'm salivating for a directors cut / part 2 to come out
Amen to that!
If anything they will probably call it a "crusade".
For obvious reasons. The Fremen Jihad was a parallel to Islamic Extremism, but no one in the entertainment industry is touching that with a ten-foot pole.
Hollywood execs would shatt their pants at that prospect these days
@@EvilDoresh Yeah except they didn't, they call it holy war in the movie. Shame huh because I know where you were trying to go with that.
Dune seems to be one of those rare contemporary movies that most people seem to agree on being good. Making such movies is becoming a hallmark of Villeneuve - his audience and critic scores on RT pretty much are all in the same ballpark for all his movies.
Have you seen Sicario, Drinker? Worth a watch. Prisoners, too.
Sicario is a brilliant film
Blade Runner 2049 sucks, tho.
Actually this movie seems kinda divisive. Lots of very positive reviews but also a lot of people that really didn't enjoy the movie. Almost nothing inbetween.
@@jaccovw99 it can’t be that many that didn’t like it or else the audience scores would be a lot lower on review sites.
@@desc4405 true, but if you read the reviews it's definately not liked by everyone.
My first viewing of _Dune_ was one of the greatest theater experiences of my life.
Went to see Dune this afternoon. I really really liked it! And I especially liked how the actors were actually allowed to act, with a decent script, and with obvious knowledge of their full characters from the book/s! Villeneuve put his best director face forward, and I don't know how you could do it better. Super impressed, and it was super-enjoyable.
With a decent script? The entire thing couldn't have been more than 5 pages long. None of the characters other than Paul have a single bit of development....
Great review. Your criticism of the lack of description of regular life on Caladan, Arrakis or Geidi Prime is interesting, because that is EXACTLY the way the Dune books are written. You are repeatedly told about how the events affect average people, but nearly zero description about how those people live. Caladan, of course, is the worst, because you assume that there must be cities there, but there is no discussion of that whatsoever.
The only departure from this is the Fremen, whose lifestyle is described in detail.
I guess my point is that it's hard to call this a failure of the movie, when the movie aspires to be exceedingly faithful to the source material, and this aspect is a key feature of that source material.
Dune was one of the most beautiful and immersive cinematic experiences I’ve ever had. Although I felt like there could’ve been some added scenes that would’ve enriched the story further, it’s honestly a mastercraft of cinema. I am ecstatic for Part 2.
Wow
I completely agree. It really needed another 10 minutes or so establishing the Harkonnens better to really make the threat they pose sink in. You appreciate the situation more when you see just how corrupt but ingenious the Baron and his house are. Even just taking a moment to show Gurney's back story on Giedi Prime or showing Yueh's hatred of the baron early on would flesh them out
100%. i watched it with some people who dont know the books so they were obviously confused with a lot of the story but they still enjoyed it for the spectacle and the storytelling.
@@Meadras Well said. Some extra back story for Gurney and Yueh would’ve been great, even adding the dinner party before the invasion.
This movie was so good, far better than I would have thought possible and the design is Amazing
I feel the same way: it’s beautiful, epic, but also strangely empty, both on the visual details and emotionally.
But I will be pissed if we don’t get a second chapter. I’m still pissed because we won’t get Alita 2.
Same
Last time i checked, part 2 was already confirmed!
@@wiraydh there's still no confirmation for a part 2.
Man I really wish Alita 2 was a thing
Well the Dune books are meant to make you feel emotionally dead on the inside so the movie did its job. It's not a really happy future lol
iirc, according to lore Caladan is mostly ocean with small, rocky land masses. The population is relatively small, and primarily engages in fishing and water-based industries, one of which is some sort of pearl or gem that is highly sought after and very rare. So there really isn't much to see.
Nor has F.H explored any of it in his first book, all of it was a setup to make the reader (and in this case the viewer) know the difference between the normal or lavish life and Arrakis's unforgiving dune scapes.
Plus the Fremen are more interesting, they drink their pee!
Sometimes it feels like Earth is the only planet in the universe with a diverse ecosystem.
@@ThePreciseClimber That's because it probably is. Considering how many factors are involved in making Earth what it is and how rare those same factors are outside of the Solar System, We should consider ourselves immensely lucky.
@@wesleyhill7517 We don't know for sure. Though if Earth is in any way average among other planets with life, they will be diverse too.
Whereas in fiction, they're jut forced to do simplifications.
@@BlueTemplar15 Most known star systems have an average of two exoplanets (of those that have any at all). Ours has eight, each with a near-circular orbit. There is a theory that the gravity of each planet helps regulate the orbits of it's neighbors. In Earth's case, this limits extreme temperatures compared to an elliptical orbit with a higher eccentricity. That's just one of many of Earth's nuances.
Sorry for rambling.
I saw this at an IMAX theater and became so immersed within the film that I didn't notice that two and a half hours had gone by. The sound and music work in this demands an IMAX viewing. And, obviously, it was visually stunning, too. I had minor nitpicks but nothing that throws off my enjoyment of the film.
I felt like I could of watched another 3 hours straight away
The story was confusing (but I think they intend to make a trilogy so that should work). I also loved the idea of the settings. I also love the most of the characters
"Most the characters seem to be talking a path already laid out before them."
Probably not deliberate, but very relevant observation when it comes to one of the central themes of "Dune".
The "plans within plans within plans" of the Dune universe are hard hard to convey in one movie, but it captures the futility and desperation the Atreides feel at walking into a situation they know is a trap but not knowing how to avoid it. The same with Paul being forced into a destiny that he doesn't want but not knowing what actions will make it more or less likely.
I think the Dune books do political intrigue better than ASOIAF could ever dream.
@@jamietodd2560 The political intrigue in Dune is forced and it's why I don't like the book. Spice is power, yet somehow, House Atreides was a "threat" even though House Harkonnen owned Arrakis first. Shouldn't Harkonnen be the most powerful House? The Emperor disrupted the flow of spice TWICE (once when he ousted Harkonnen, again when Harkonnen destroyed Atreides) and the Navigator's Guild just shrugged and said "oh well". It's silly and inconsistent.
@@redvenge709 The guild was in on it as well. Everyone was concerned about the Atriedes being able to contest Corrino due to their popularity. Also, the Harkonnens were getting their asses kicked by the Fremen and covering up their losses to the general Landsraad. Wealth doesn’t automatically translate to military capabilities either, generally the guild refuses to transport large forces which is part of why the attack that came was such a suprise, it normally wouldn’t have occurred at any price, only the guild collusion made it possible.
@@davidgill3356 It still doesn't make any sense.
If House Harkonnen squandered resources and inefficiently exported spice (and wasn't a ruse as suggested in the book) then why give it back? The Guild interrupted spice flow TWICE to give Arrakis back to incompetent morons. The Guild are bankers and financiers. They KNOW what House Harkonnen's spice production was. Why would they go along with this stupidity?
@@redvenge709 He was afraid of their charismatic and social influence, I think, more than their economic and military one (although their military is small but effective, as I recall)
But the Baron was just as likely to challenge the Emperor, if not more so.
This was absolutely unadulterated spectacle. I mean that as a compliment. It’s a stunningly gorgeous slow-burner that captured the essentials of the narrative without getting bogged down in minutiae. I’m going to go see it again.
I will prob see it again too, this time on HBO max.
You must be crazy. This movie was BORING. And they added woke trash into by gender/race swapping Kynes. Drinker is usually spot on with his recommendations with the exception of The Boys, The Expanse, and now Dune 2021. You can skip these they are not good.
@@skinnie2838 Hold up, you dont like the Expanse? I think you just have some different tastes, which is ok. Dune wasnt perfect, but nothing ever is. Kynes is one of my more favorite sub characters in the book and I was concerned when I heard who would be playing that character. But I dont see how that characters race or sex matter in the way that the narrative of the film was constructed, which is very different from the book.
And despite it's length, there's not one boring minute in it. There's always either something significant happening or something for the eyes to feast upon, which serves the world building and immersion. In fact, it often feels like the movie could have been even longer and more detailed to really establish the setting and all its significant constituent parts.
@@axelhopfinger533 I was surprised by that. The 2 hours and 35 minutes flew by.
We need a slow movie. I just saw "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" get dissed for length. I got the feeling that the critics think a movie is something to be gotten through with as terse a telling of the story as possible. "Okay, I've seen it and know I now what it was about." Read the Cliff's Notes.
The Good the Bad and The Ugly - seen it last sunday. One of the best movies ever seen, fantastic, clever and suprising. A masterpiece!
It all depends on the story you want to tell and the depth you want to tell it with. Dune is quite a saga, so it's impossible to cram it all into a few 90-minute movies.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is an example of a lengthy story that's being told in a comprehensive way. Yes, it's long, but every time I watch it, and I've watched it multiple times, I've never had the idea that there was much they could have cut out to make the movie shorter. It all fits and feels "natural", by lack of a better description.
But with other, shorter stories there's always the risk of drawing out proceedings just for the sake of drawing them out.
Anyone who thinks the good, the bad and the ugly is anything less than a masterpiece needs a punch to the genitals.
I’ve got a 6 hour cut of gods and generals that you would die for
@@tjroelsma Dune can be filmed in its entirety in less four hours--David Lynch did it, whether you like the results or not. The Good The Bad And The Ugly was long for reasons having nothing to do with the movie's very straightforward storyline.