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Yeah, I don't remember Jessica being nearly as overtly emotional in the book as she is in Part 1. I enjoyed Part 1 while watching it, but somehow it's just not

Yeah, I don't remember Jessica being nearly as overtly emotional in the book as she is in Part 1. I enjoyed Part 1 while watching it, but somehow it's just not memorable to me. It's a much more faithful book adaptation than Lynch's Dune, but Lynch's Dune is full of moments that stick with me and has an iconic soundtrack. To be fair, I first saw Lynch's Dune when I was very young so that might explain part of why I find it so memorable. I dunno. To me Villenueve's Dune just kind of seems... flat, by-the-numbers, gray and dull. Weird thing is, I love Blade Runner: 2049 and I find it to be very memorable and vivid. But then, Villeneuve had a chance to make his own story with that one, which might explain the difference. Lynch's Dune is, I think, a significantly better movie than Villeneuve's, but it is so different from the book that I'm not even sure I am willing to call it an adaptation - and that might have made Lynch's job easier. For example, Lynch's Dune fully just goes with the classical "hero's journey" approach to Paul, with no hint of the devastation that he will be responsible for. It also goes full on into mysticism, which I enjoy, but which is quite different from the book's skeptical and cynical approach to spirituality. Nonetheless, it is a better movie just as a movie. I have not seen Villenueve's Part 2 yet, but I hope that it makes up for some of the things that I find dull about Part 1.

at_a_remove 3y ago
Lynch understood what the problems of a direct adaptation would be. An example would be the Weirding Way. One would have to invent a martial art that both looked fresh on the screen (new, different) and was also simultaneously overwhelmingly powerful. This is perhaps nigh-insurmountable (I dunno, clone Bruce Lee, but also raise him with a lot of cinematography experience, then have him design another Jeet Kune Do which looked impressive through a lens). Lynch opted for the Weirding Modules, which still provided this surprise advantage against the Sardukar terror troops and tied back, thematically, to Paul being the fulfillment of prophecy. He understood that millennia of feudalism would make for a psychically claustrophobic atmosphere, that the avoidance of the thinking machines would necessarily birth the creation of humans who might have visibly different traits ("... the lips acquire stains ...") from the strain of being human computers. He understood that voiceovers were appropriate because, to survive in such an environment, you must constantly be thinking about what other minds are thinking, to remain steps ahead. Finally, Lynch understood that the dialogue must be larger than life. I heard a trailer for the recent one and I swear, some of the dialogue between Paul and Chiani sounded like Avengers-era quippy Whedon output.
JohnBooty 3y ago
Lynch's Dune is, I think, a significantly better movie than Villeneuve's Yeah. Ultimately I think Villeneuve's movie commits the worst sin of all which is being kind of boring. (Though as a Dune "veteran" I realize my perspective is highly skewed!) Lynch's movie is kind of a mess maybe, but there is a sense of wonder there that I just don't get from Villeneuve's beautiful-but-sterile version.

at_a_remove 3y ago

Lynch understood what the problems of a direct adaptation would be. An example would be the Weirding Way. One would have to invent a martial art that both looked fresh on the screen (new, different) and was also simultaneously overwhelmingly powerful. This is perhaps nigh-insurmountable (I dunno, clone Bruce Lee, but also raise him with a lot of cinematography experience, then have him design another Jeet Kune Do which looked impressive through a lens). Lynch opted for the Weirding Modules, which still provided this surprise advantage against the Sardukar terror troops and tied back, thematically, to Paul being the fulfillment of prophecy. He understood that millennia of feudalism would make for a psychically claustrophobic atmosphere, that the avoidance of the thinking machines would necessarily birth the creation of humans who might have visibly different traits ("... the lips acquire stains ...") from the strain of being human computers. He understood that voiceovers were appropriate because, to survive in such an environment, you must constantly be thinking about what other minds are thinking, to remain steps ahead. Finally, Lynch understood that the dialogue must be larger than life. I heard a trailer for the recent one and I swear, some of the dialogue between Paul and Chiani sounded like Avengers-era quippy Whedon output.

JohnBooty 3y ago

Lynch's Dune is, I think, a significantly better movie than Villeneuve's Yeah. Ultimately I think Villeneuve's movie commits the worst sin of all which is being kind of boring. (Though as a Dune "veteran" I realize my perspective is highly skewed!) Lynch's movie is kind of a mess maybe, but there is a sense of wonder there that I just don't get from Villeneuve's beautiful-but-sterile version.