Dune (Denis Villeneuve, 2021-4)

[yoloswegmaster]

New release date is March 15, 2024.

Release date has been moved up to March 1

[therewillbeblus]

Someone pointed out that in Dune 2

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Christopher Walken tosses a girl with the name Natalie off a space boat

so I guess now I'm gonna have a hard time taking this one seriously too

[flyonthewall2983]

I loved it. It sets up a lot for a third installment but within the structure of the extensive and well-paced exposition carries the same kind of cosmic ingenuity of craft, and with a sense of danger and threat in at least Austin Butler's characterization. Chalamet is coming into his own as a leading man here and I found his performance as the perfect engine for all of this to be channeled through emotionally.

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Only realizing this now but I wonder how many are just figuring out the similarities between Walken and Biden.

[pistolwink]

This was excellent, but I actually thought it had a few pacing issues that the first one didn't. The climactic series of concluding(?) events happened extremely fast—it's here where the two films most closely replicate or echo the beats of the infamously-compressed Lynch version.

I like that there's no way you can make Dune fit the goes-down-easy template that most contemorary blockbusters (I'm thinking especially of comic-book movies) follow. Its vision of power and struggle—as cyclical and, basically, amoral—doesn't leave one with a conventional hero to root for. That said, Villeneuve's films, probably inevitably, lack the sense that they are immersing us in an disorientatingly "other" moral universe (as, I think, other mythic/epic films like Excalibur and The Fall of Otrar do). That's partly because it makes Chani—and her disapproving gazes—so central to the story. The new film even ends with her.

[swo17]

Apparently there's going to be a Dune: Part Three, adapting the novel Dune Messiah

[The Curious Sofa]

..but according to Villeneuve, not till he has made another film or two in between.

[The Curious Sofa]

As Dune 2 has made back it's production costs in just a few days, an adaptation Dune Messiah now appears to be a done deal.

[captveg]

..but according to Villeneuve, not till he has made another film or two in between.

I believe 12 years or so take place between the novels, so he's got time in that respect, though I imagine Legendary / Warner would rather strike while the iron is hot then wait quite that long.

[Maltic]

I saw Part 2 in a regular cinema, and Part 1 (for the first time) in a home cinema from a BD, over the weekend.

Which is to say in the 2.35:1 ratio (or thereabouts) in both cases. It often felt like watching a pan-and-scan. Why didn't they just release them in standard widescreen, when the films were clearly created for the narrower IMAX?

Apparently, it was Villeneuve's own decision, not WB's. I know he wants as many people as possible to go for the full IMAX experience, but the majority will be seeing it either on a regular cinema screen and/or on streaming/home video nevertheless.

Anyway, it was fun to get a dose of pseudo-folklore and "worldbuilding" and some big brutalist setpieces, I had taken a break from these kinds of movies for a few years.

[AxeYou]

I've now seen Part Two twice in IMAX 70mm. Decided to jot down some thoughts. This being my first "review" and me being a non-native speaker, I welcome any and all critique! I've also posted the same on Letterboxd. Would love to follow more people from here.

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Second watch. I suspect most viewers will find Dune: Part Two a thrilling spectacle. But I struggled to get through my first watch, and I now stand by my position after my second: Part One is the superior film.

Perhaps I’m naturally drawn to world-building, atmosphere, ambience, and a good mystery left for the imagination. That’s why I loved Part One, despite its many flaws. [Perhaps that’s also why 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of my favorites, even though I remain perpetually perplexed by its message.]

Part Two IMO suffers most from an overcompensation for Part One’s oft-criticized slow pacing. Here, the action is firing on all cylinders. There is scarcely a moment of rest. We leap from battle to battle. Yet as each action sequence lasts mere minutes and with little to no buildup, they all fail to deliver either the satisfaction or the emotional impact on par with, say, the ambush of Arrakeen in Part One.

Compare that with Part One. We were methodically introduced to House Atreides and their settling down on Arrakis. We followed Duke Leto and Paul as they surveyed the spice fields. We grappled with Paul’s struggles, uncertainties, and ambitions. We came to understand and empathize with the characters’ motives. So when the chips finally fell, we felt the punch.

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Part Two in contrast is almost devoid of such character development. Stilgar, Chani, the Harkonnens—All appeared as flat as they could be. The only characters who underwent any change in heart were Paul and, to a lesser extent, Jessica. Regrettably, these changes were conveniently attributable to a mysterious consciousness-altering agent: the Water of Life. To put it another way, Paul and Jessica did not find within themselves the motivation to embark on a devastating Holy War—Something inexplicable made the decision for them. As a result, such developments can never resonate with us viewers.

Much has also been said of the beauty of Part Two’s cinematography, but I suspect most applause hail from the casual moviegoers’ camp, who by this point must have been fed up with the cookie-cutter Marvels and reboots that plague the modern film stage. The fact is, Part One is also the far prettier film, with appreciably more variety in camera work, set locations, and costume design.

When Nolan likened Dune: Part Two to The Empire Strikes Back, he certainly had a point in the extent of action involved: Recall the impressive Battle of Hoth, Luke’s training with Yoda, Luke and Vader’s iconic duel atop Cloud City, and Han’s daring escape. But such an equivalence misses the heart of Empire Strikes Back: The hero’s hubris being tamed by defeat. That lesson learned allowed Luke to transform himself from the cocky pilot at the end of A New Hope to the wise master at the start of Return of the Jedi. That personal growth is sorely missing here.

Overall, a solid and enjoyable crowd-pleaser from the immensely talented Villeneuve. But a far, far cry from the pantheon of the greats that the current 4.6 rating would suggest.

Side note on the technicals: While it’s always an awe-inspiring experience to sit in an IMAX GT theater, I disagreed with many of the 1.43:1 full-frame compositions in Dune: Part Two. Many times it felt as though a shot was in 1.43:1 “just for the sake of it.” Many such shots evoked a tunnel-vision effect in me, when a wider scope or even flat aspect ratio would have looked more “epic.” Nolan’s judicious doses of 1.43:1 shots in Oppenheimer, on the other hand, is near perfection.