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I’m not a fan of Villeneuve after this and Dune. 2049 really laboured it’s ‘noir’ credentials at points and seemed deliberately slow and ponderous. And the mo

by Nursie 4y ago

I’m not a fan of Villeneuve after this and Dune. 2049 really laboured it’s ‘noir’ credentials at points and seemed deliberately slow and ponderous. And the modern Dune seemed like almost a conscious reaction against the visual excesses of the old Dune. It was austere, there seemed little human affection between characters, little emotion. It was just so dry.

nicklaf 4y ago
One thing I missed from Frank Herbert's work in watching Villeneuve's adaptation was the intimate connection to the characters you get from reading all the dialogue. I suppose a film version is going to cut some things, but Villeneuve takes the other extreme, being so minimal with dialogue, that I felt it unnecessarily suffered here.
0_____0 4y ago
I watched Dune back to back with Pig (wherein Nic Cage is looking for his pet pig), and was startled by how I felt basically nothing watching Dune (it would make a good coffee table book) but was reduced to a blubbering mess by Pig.
- piyh 4y ago
  I loved Dune and haven't seen Pig, so I think that says more about Pig probably being an amazing movie than Dune is milquetoast.
  - 0_____0 4y ago
    Have you read Dune? I hadn't, and I wonder if that made the difference. Either way you should definitely see Pig.
- mock-possum 4y ago
  I mean that cooking and dinner scene at the end... you almost don't need the rest of the movie, it's such a quiet little masterpiece all on its own.
MikusR 4y ago
What did you think about Sicario and Arrival?
- darkerside 4y ago
  Loved these two movies, and BR 2049. Agree with others that Dune felt paint by numbers and overly spare.
- Nursie 4y ago
  I haven’t seen them. I’d say “I should get around to that” but my opinions on his films that I have seen make me rather ambivalent about watching more.
  - MikusR 4y ago
    The thing is I really liked Sicario and Arrival, but really hated his blade runner and dune.
    - Nursie 4y ago
      I’ll take that recommendation :) Or at least I shall approach them with a more open mind.
danjoredd 4y ago
I actually quite liked 2049 and Dune. I say this as a fan of the original Blade Runner, Android Sheep, and the novel "Dune." For 2049, maybe its just my own personal struggles with personal identity and losing people I love, but K's struggles resonated with me. Its a story that mostly says, at least the way I interpreted it, that who you are doesn't matter so much as the actions you perform in life. K, for most of the movie, is doing what other people tell him to do. In the end he takes action and makes choices that are meaningful to him. It results in his death, but it was a choice between either being a dead man walking with no meaning in his life, or finding meaning even if it means dying for it. I can see why someone might not like it...its slow and it focuses more on the internal struggles of the main character than action on the screen. Still, when I ponder what happens in the movie, it resonates with me and lots of other people. Its pretty much a modern cult classic...did poorly at the box office, but certain types of people(including myself) are crazy about it. For Dune, I agree it could be a bit dry. I love the book and I was a bit disappointed that the interactions were not as passionate, especially between Paul and his Mother. Still, the cinematography was amazing and they did the best they could IMO. Dune is a slow book that is hard to adapt to the screen so I am quick to forgive it.
- Nursie 4y ago
  I can see why you might like 2049. To me it’s not the introspection and growth of the character that’s its failing, it’s the poignant multi-second shots of a tree root or a bit of ash that felt overly deliberate and designed to seem meaningful while also dragging out the run time. Yes - I love the books of Dune (well, the Frank Herbert ones) and I find the old movie entertaining and used to obsessively collect different cuts. I enjoyed the sci-fi channel adaptations, though I didn’t much care for their portrayal of Paul and also I probably haven’t watched them in 15 years. I felt that the lack of interpersonal rapport and affection, along with his choice of palette, just made the whole thing feel sterile and dull. My fear is that this becomes the definitive Dune for the next few decades, blowing the budget (both literally and metaphorically) for Dune adaptations on a polished though ultimately bland pair of movies.

by Nursie 4y ago

nicklaf 4y ago

One thing I missed from Frank Herbert's work in watching Villeneuve's adaptation was the intimate connection to the characters you get from reading all the dialogue. I suppose a film version is going to cut some things, but Villeneuve takes the other extreme, being so minimal with dialogue, that I felt it unnecessarily suffered here.

0_____0 4y ago

I watched Dune back to back with Pig (wherein Nic Cage is looking for his pet pig), and was startled by how I felt basically nothing watching Dune (it would make a good coffee table book) but was reduced to a blubbering mess by Pig.

piyh 4y ago
I loved Dune and haven't seen Pig, so I think that says more about Pig probably being an amazing movie than Dune is milquetoast.
- 0_____0 4y ago
  Have you read Dune? I hadn't, and I wonder if that made the difference. Either way you should definitely see Pig.
mock-possum 4y ago
I mean that cooking and dinner scene at the end... you almost don't need the rest of the movie, it's such a quiet little masterpiece all on its own.

MikusR 4y ago

What did you think about Sicario and Arrival?

darkerside 4y ago
Loved these two movies, and BR 2049. Agree with others that Dune felt paint by numbers and overly spare.
Nursie 4y ago
I haven’t seen them. I’d say “I should get around to that” but my opinions on his films that I have seen make me rather ambivalent about watching more.
- MikusR 4y ago
  The thing is I really liked Sicario and Arrival, but really hated his blade runner and dune.
  - Nursie 4y ago
    I’ll take that recommendation :) Or at least I shall approach them with a more open mind.

danjoredd 4y ago

I actually quite liked 2049 and Dune. I say this as a fan of the original Blade Runner, Android Sheep, and the novel "Dune." For 2049, maybe its just my own personal struggles with personal identity and losing people I love, but K's struggles resonated with me. Its a story that mostly says, at least the way I interpreted it, that who you are doesn't matter so much as the actions you perform in life. K, for most of the movie, is doing what other people tell him to do. In the end he takes action and makes choices that are meaningful to him. It results in his death, but it was a choice between either being a dead man walking with no meaning in his life, or finding meaning even if it means dying for it. I can see why someone might not like it...its slow and it focuses more on the internal struggles of the main character than action on the screen. Still, when I ponder what happens in the movie, it resonates with me and lots of other people. Its pretty much a modern cult classic...did poorly at the box office, but certain types of people(including myself) are crazy about it. For Dune, I agree it could be a bit dry. I love the book and I was a bit disappointed that the interactions were not as passionate, especially between Paul and his Mother. Still, the cinematography was amazing and they did the best they could IMO. Dune is a slow book that is hard to adapt to the screen so I am quick to forgive it.

Nursie 4y ago
I can see why you might like 2049. To me it’s not the introspection and growth of the character that’s its failing, it’s the poignant multi-second shots of a tree root or a bit of ash that felt overly deliberate and designed to seem meaningful while also dragging out the run time. Yes - I love the books of Dune (well, the Frank Herbert ones) and I find the old movie entertaining and used to obsessively collect different cuts. I enjoyed the sci-fi channel adaptations, though I didn’t much care for their portrayal of Paul and also I probably haven’t watched them in 15 years. I felt that the lack of interpersonal rapport and affection, along with his choice of palette, just made the whole thing feel sterile and dull. My fear is that this becomes the definitive Dune for the next few decades, blowing the budget (both literally and metaphorically) for Dune adaptations on a polished though ultimately bland pair of movies.