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Dune

Started by Trond, October 24, 2021, 12:20:44 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Ratman_tf

Quote from: Aglondir on November 10, 2021, 10:09:45 PM
Dune was good. I would have liked V's production values with the Lynch movie's dialog. Sadly, the most memorable line was Duncan Idabro quipping about Paul's lack of muscles. But there were a few things I didn't understand:

Why was the Baron taking a bath in crude oil?

Did Piter even have any speaking lines?

What was up with the Sardukar guy chanting, and the prisoners (?) hanging upside down?

If only Herbert had created a musical instrument in the books, and one of the main characters was an expert playing it. That would have been cool to see. I guess an NPC playing the bagpipes will work.

Imagery. Same as the bizzare "pet" the Baron had. I can't fault Villenue for going that route. Dune is a pretty funky setting*, and having a healing oil bath, or throat singing Saurdaurkar is way better than inventing "Wierding modules" and having people shoot words that blow stuff up. (Lynch Dune ref, for anyone who hasn't seen the 80's film)

*And gets funkier as the series goes on. I can't wait to see Axlotl tanks on the big screen.
The notion of an exclusionary and hostile RPG community is a fever dream of zealots who view all social dynamics through a narrow keyhole of structural oppression.
-Haffrung

Aglondir

Did the Sardukar throat singing have any tactical value, like the Atredies sign language? That would be rather intimidating to see hundreds of Sadukar going into battle chanting that stuff.

Weirding modules, heart plugs... LOL. Weird excess. But I did like the purple juice Piter drank, and the littany.

Ghostmaker

Quote from: Aglondir on November 11, 2021, 11:19:36 PM
Did the Sardukar throat singing have any tactical value, like the Atredies sign language? That would be rather intimidating to see hundreds of Sadukar going into battle chanting that stuff.

Weirding modules, heart plugs... LOL. Weird excess. But I did like the purple juice Piter drank, and the littany.
The litany is made up whole cloth, but Piter's tipple is sapho juice, a common Mentat pick-me-up. Habitual users develop stains on their lips.

Svenhelgrim

Quote from: jhkim on October 27, 2021, 03:51:21 PM
I saw Dune Monday night with some friends. It was pretty and competently done, and stayed reasonably true to the book -- but I didn't think it worked well as a movie, and there was a lot of stuff that didn't work well - especially the constant whispering and wacky vision montages to represent Paul's precognition.
Oh shit! They did the whispering?  Didn't they learn anything from the 80's version of Dune?

Wrath of God

QuoteDid the Sardukar throat singing have any tactical value, like the Atredies sign language? That would be rather intimidating to see hundreds of Sadukar going into battle chanting that stuff.

I think those were religious/ritual chants used in disciplinary excercise or some sort of prayer. I think it was meant to be Chakobsa but they invented it from cloth it seems.
"Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon."

"And I will strike down upon thee
With great vengeance and furious anger"


"Molti Nemici, Molto Onore"

Wrath of God

Of course as a Polish I'm terribly dissapointed that characters in Dune does not speak Ponglish (Galach - Common Tongue of Known Universe is descrived in-verse as Inglo-Slavic)
"Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon."

"And I will strike down upon thee
With great vengeance and furious anger"


"Molti Nemici, Molto Onore"

Aglondir

Quote from: Ghostmaker on November 12, 2021, 08:20:33 AM
Quote from: Aglondir on November 11, 2021, 11:19:36 PM
Did the Sardukar throat singing have any tactical value, like the Atredies sign language? That would be rather intimidating to see hundreds of Sadukar going into battle chanting that stuff.

Weirding modules, heart plugs... LOL. Weird excess. But I did like the purple juice Piter drank, and the littany.
The litany is made up whole cloth, but Piter's tipple is sapho juice, a common Mentat pick-me-up. Habitual users develop stains on their lips.

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
It is by the juice of sapho that thoughts acquire speed,
the lips acquire stains.
The stains become a warning.
It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

hedgehobbit

Finally watched Dune as today is the last day it will be on HBO Max for awhile. I was surprised that I thought the Paul actor did a decent job although I'm not sure about Jessica. The actress played her as a nervous wreck which I'm not sure was how she was portrayed in the books. She bounced back and forth from inept to hyper-competent a bit to much. The wokification of the Fremen was annoying but I knew that was the case going in.

I now see why so many people say the movie was boring. It was a case of too much foreshadowing. First, they have Paul with a vision where everyone dies, then they have a (pointless) scene where Drax talks to Baron von Kingpin and it's revealed that it's a trap, then they're a scene where the Bene Gesserat betray Atreides and make a point that Jessica and Paul will survive, then there's another pointless scene where they recruit the Sardukar, and finally the Duke says, "I wish I had more time". He's dead the very next scene. His death holds no impact because we all knew it was coming for hours by the time it actually happens.

I've seen movies where the trailer spoils the ending but, in this case, the movie is just spoiling itself over and over again. Anyone paying attention knows that everyone will die and only Paul and Jessica survive which takes up the first two hours of the movie. Leaving only the last 30 minutes for new surprises.

The ending wasn't bad IMO. Although Chani saying "this is only the beginning" came out of nowhere and made no sense given the way her character had been presented up to that point.

Was the term "Desert Power" in the book? it seemed so cheesy.


Ghostmaker

Quote from: hedgehobbit on November 21, 2021, 10:04:29 AM
Finally watched Dune as today is the last day it will be on HBO Max for awhile. I was surprised that I thought the Paul actor did a decent job although I'm not sure about Jessica. The actress played her as a nervous wreck which I'm not sure was how she was portrayed in the books. She bounced back and forth from inept to hyper-competent a bit to much. The wokification of the Fremen was annoying but I knew that was the case going in.

I now see why so many people say the movie was boring. It was a case of too much foreshadowing. First, they have Paul with a vision where everyone dies, then they have a (pointless) scene where Drax talks to Baron von Kingpin and it's revealed that it's a trap, then they're a scene where the Bene Gesserat betray Atreides and make a point that Jessica and Paul will survive, then there's another pointless scene where they recruit the Sardukar, and finally the Duke says, "I wish I had more time". He's dead the very next scene. His death holds no impact because we all knew it was coming for hours by the time it actually happens.

I've seen movies where the trailer spoils the ending but, in this case, the movie is just spoiling itself over and over again. Anyone paying attention knows that everyone will die and only Paul and Jessica survive which takes up the first two hours of the movie. Leaving only the last 30 minutes for new surprises.

The ending wasn't bad IMO. Although Chani saying "this is only the beginning" came out of nowhere and made no sense given the way her character had been presented up to that point.

Was the term "Desert Power" in the book? it seemed so cheesy.
Wait, did they write out Dr. Yueh? Jesus Christ.

Premier


Quote from: hedgehobbit on November 21, 2021, 10:04:29 AM
Was the term "Desert Power" in the book? it seemed so cheesy.

Yes it was.

Quote from: Ghostmaker on November 21, 2021, 10:23:50 AM
Wait, did they write out Dr. Yueh? Jesus Christ.

No they didn't, he's in the movie, it's just that hedgehobbit's rant is not very good as an actual review.
Obvious troll is obvious. RIP, Bill.

hedgehobbit

#40
Quote from: Ghostmaker on November 21, 2021, 10:23:50 AM
Wait, did they write out Dr. Yueh?

I didn't mention him because his betrayal is one of the few legitimate surprises in the whole movie. And is an example of what could have worked if used earlier in the movie; showing the betrayal and then explaining why the betrayal happened afterwards. But it's immediately followed by another instance of the original problem in that the Duke's second death is just as telegraphed as his first.

Wrath of God

QuoteI now see why so many people say the movie was boring. It was a case of too much foreshadowing. First, they have Paul with a vision where everyone dies, then they have a (pointless) scene where Drax talks to Baron von Kingpin and it's revealed that it's a trap, then they're a scene where the Bene Gesserat betray Atreides and make a point that Jessica and Paul will survive, then there's another pointless scene where they recruit the Sardukar, and finally the Duke says, "I wish I had more time". He's dead the very next scene. His death holds no impact because we all knew it was coming for hours by the time it actually happens.

In Book - you've got meeting between Vladimir Harkonnen, Piter de Vries and Feyd-Rautha in SECOND CHAPTER - where they explain whole plot against Atreides, plot that is fullfilled later in novel like perfectly aside of Paul and Jessica escape. So... you know - this is novel thing. Everyone knows it's coming. No sudden surprises but inevitability of fate is important, and if modern audience demands thrills over depression, then to hell with modern audience.
"Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon."

"And I will strike down upon thee
With great vengeance and furious anger"


"Molti Nemici, Molto Onore"

Kiero

I thought some of the editing choices were weird - they basically cut out all the scenes with Dr Yueh in them, which meant his betrayal was shallow and seemingly out of left field. Thufir Hawat was barely in it either. And the banquet scene would have added a lot.

In contrast, the last half hour should really have been the beginning of Part 2. It could have ended with Paul and Jessica crash-landing and escaping the worm.

Overall I liked it, but for those editing decisions. Looking forward to Part 2.
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Reckall

Quote from: hedgehobbit on November 21, 2021, 10:04:29 AM
Finally watched Dune as today is the last day it will be on HBO Max for awhile. I was surprised that I thought the Paul actor did a decent job although I'm not sure about Jessica. The actress played her as a nervous wreck which I'm not sure was how she was portrayed in the books.

Lynch's Jessica was more faithful to the book - something that Rebecca Ferguson could have pulled off too. It was not a good change.

Quote
and finally the Duke says, "I wish I had more time".

Something, BTW, that left my friends flat footed. "Wasn't she his wife? Who was she, then?" Lynch had half the time and managed to pack much, much more than V.

Quote
The ending wasn't bad IMO. Although Chani saying "this is only the beginning" came out of nowhere and made no sense given the way her character had been presented up to that point.

V. knew that Timothée + Zendaya was his best shot at attracting the youngsters. He also knew the tragic truth: that the two only meet at the end. I guess this is why we see over and over Zendaya in a parfum commercial ("Oscar for the best actress that turns" was my comment outside the theatre).

Lynch managed to give us the Emperor, the Princess, the Navigators, the Navigators folding space (I mean... only what the whole ruckus is about...), more Doctor Yueh, more Tufir, a truly scary Baron (what a waste of Stellan Skasgard here) and even a better soundtrack (I totally hated what Zimmer did and even if he produced some meh scores I never hated his work before). True, Lynch's final effort was deeply flawed, but I don't see V's one as the superior one. If anything it made me to appreciate Lynch even more.
For every idiot who denounces Ayn Rand as "intellectualism" there is an excellent DM who creates a "Bioshock" adventure.

Battlemaster

Quote from: soundchaser on October 24, 2021, 11:11:59 PM
Odd lefty notion? Dune's author supported centrist GOP off and on in his life, and I think he was very critical of JFK. His space-feudalism is predominantly aristocratic and militaristic. Sure, he's got elements of the anti-colonialism present in the Fremen (though I'd say there's some mixing of weird stuff, like the condemnation of AI, along with that line of thinking that of a Marxist hermeneutic of suspicion mainly in the themes related to the manipulations of the BG "seed planting" to prepare for their messiah). That hermeneutic is what bothers me most, but it's liberal enlightenment thought mixed with materialism and the cyclical Hegelianism, tracing the rise and fall of civilizations while regarding religion as a construct of the elite. That's something that trends across modern political lines, generally.

Well,  you have to remember that over the last 20 years the American right has gone completely insane and is now full bore fascist, with torchlight marches and people chanting ''JEWS WILL NOT REPLACE US! '', Trump supporters calling for 'liberal genocide' and saying 'the only good Democrat is a dead democrat',  wearing ''I'd rather be Russian than Democrat! '' shirts, storming the capitol,  etc.

Basically what was the right  in the 60's-80's would be driven out of the Republican party today as ''liberal socialists! '' if is didn't leave the modern party in djsgust. Dwight D. Eisenhower would be called a communist abd a socialist for his condemnation of the military industrial complex.

So yeah,  anything that would be center right when dune was written would be called radical socialist pedophile liberal Democrat today by the current right which has gone all the way to fascist.

Fuck the fascist right and the fascist left.