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Author Topic: Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)  (Read 1508 times)

Ratman_tf

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Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)
« on: October 23, 2021, 02:56:51 AM »

The effects were great. The sets were good, but not as good as the Lynch version. Stilgar, the Baron Harkonnen and Duke Leto were superb. The rest of the cast were flatlines, including Paul.
Villeneuve did a great job of creating an atmosphere of a future that's uncomfortably alien, yet human at the same time.
The adaptation is ok, so far, but I'm not digging the ecology angle. It's fairly important to the sequels that Dune's natural ecology is a desert planet. This becomes a Big Deal because in the sequels, the terraforming of Arrakis threatens to kill off all the worms and end the production of spice. It is an angle in the first book that Paul promises to fulfill the Fremen dream of a terraformed Dune, so I'm giving them some leeway for now. But there's that goddamn spectre of the story going Woke and turning into a lecture.
When the music is good, it's great. But there's a lot of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" that just drowns out the sound and goes on for ever. Got tiresome after a while.

So overall, a C grade, with moments of brilliance with a lot of meh.
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hedgehobbit

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Re: Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2021, 02:36:02 PM »
It's fairly important to the sequels that Dune's natural ecology is a desert planet.

It's been a loooooong time since I read the books, but I do recall that the planet was originally lush but the larval stages of the worms trapped all the water deep below the surface in giant bubbles composed of their own bodies.

I'll probably watch this on HBO Max. The trailers didn't impress me, especially the costumes which looked too modern military. The old movie had the look that the costumes were all custom made and could actually have worked.

Ratman_tf

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Re: Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2021, 03:19:13 PM »
It's fairly important to the sequels that Dune's natural ecology is a desert planet.

It's been a loooooong time since I read the books, but I do recall that the planet was originally lush but the larval stages of the worms trapped all the water deep below the surface in giant bubbles composed of their own bodies.

It brings up the question of what is Dune, or any planet's "natural" state? Mars may once have had liquid water, but it doesn't now. Is now mars' natural state, or is it the wet one?
My concern is that the Villeneuve Dune will portray a human-centric environment as the natural and right one in a show of modern environmental activism, and not a goal of the Fremen to change the planet to suit themselves. (Which will result in the death of the current environment.)
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Warder

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Re: Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)
« Reply #3 on: October 24, 2021, 12:34:56 PM »
I have seen the movie by David Lynch and the tv series some years after. I feel no need to watch that particular story again.

I woudnt mind GM or playing Dune but the current take mophidius just dosent grab me. Maybe after they release some expansions or something.

''The rest of the cast were flatlines, including Paul.''

How was Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho btw? I read good things bout that performance in the reviews, and his subsequent story also interested me in the next books. And while were at it, how was the guy playing Gurney Halleck? Sir Patrick Stewarts prior take was great. The new guy playing Paul kinda seems ''ehh' to me, Kyle Maclachlan was the original take i saw and codified as the character.

Dune beeing humanocentric dosent concern me, the verse is magnificently weird so that brings the exotic and entertaining flavor in abundance. Then again i like weird too much in movies compared to the typical moviegoer.


Ratman_tf

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Re: Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2021, 05:33:46 PM »
I have seen the movie by David Lynch and the tv series some years after. I feel no need to watch that particular story again.

I woudnt mind GM or playing Dune but the current take mophidius just dosent grab me. Maybe after they release some expansions or something.

''The rest of the cast were flatlines, including Paul.''

How was Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho btw? I read good things bout that performance in the reviews, and his subsequent story also interested me in the next books. And while were at it, how was the guy playing Gurney Halleck? Sir Patrick Stewarts prior take was great. The new guy playing Paul kinda seems ''ehh' to me, Kyle Maclachlan was the original take i saw and codified as the character.

Mamoa was... ok. I wouldn't call it a great performance. Same with Gurney Halleck. They did an adequate job. I'm starting to think that Villeneuve is great at creating atmosphere and feel, but not so good at directing people.
There's a scene where Gurney grunts at Paul about how EVIL the Harkonnen are, and that took me out of the film. Something about how he delivered the line was too OTT.
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ThatChrisGuy

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Re: Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)
« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2021, 12:35:02 PM »
There's a scene where Gurney grunts at Paul about how EVIL the Harkonnen are, and that took me out of the film. Something about how he delivered the line was too OTT.

If there was anywhere in this film to allow an actor to go full BRIAN BLESSED it's when Gurney Halleck is talking about Harkonnens.
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Ratman_tf

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Re: Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2021, 02:26:27 PM »
There's a scene where Gurney grunts at Paul about how EVIL the Harkonnen are, and that took me out of the film. Something about how he delivered the line was too OTT.

If there was anywhere in this film to allow an actor to go full BRIAN BLESSED it's when Gurney Halleck is talking about Harkonnens.

Maybe. But for me, the performance took a step into farce there. Like one of those Snickers commercials.
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Ghostmaker

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Re: Duneneuve (Novel Spoilers!)
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2021, 08:00:34 AM »
There's a scene where Gurney grunts at Paul about how EVIL the Harkonnen are, and that took me out of the film. Something about how he delivered the line was too OTT.

If there was anywhere in this film to allow an actor to go full BRIAN BLESSED it's when Gurney Halleck is talking about Harkonnens.

Maybe. But for me, the performance took a step into farce there. Like one of those Snickers commercials.
Someone needs to slap that together as a Snickers meme. 'Gurney, eat something.' 'Hnh?' 'Cause you're not you when you're hungry. Better?'

And then the picture is of Patrick Stewart as Gurney and he's smiling and the caption is 'Better!'.