Dune: non-spoiler review
Steve Upstill
Here it is the next day, and there's only one review of Dune been posted
so far? Hard to believe.
mini-review: see it. If you've read the book, see it twice.
You who were so concerned about Dino's involvement may rest easy: it
bears virtually no stamp of his involvement except an enormous (and well-spent)
budget.
Good news: The look. This is probably the most gorgeously fantastic
looking movie I have ever seen. David Lynch started as a painter, and it
shows. The depth of originality in this movie is amazing. Dramatically,
all performances are solid, with pudding-face Kyle MacLaughlin (sp?) coming
off surprisingly well. Sting has about four scenes and eight lines.
This is definitely a daring movie in what it expects from the audience.
You actually have to PAY ATTENTION to understand what's going on.
Bad news: First, there was a real effort to get everything from the book
into the movie. As a result, it is somewhat compressed dramatically, and
some things aren't as developed as they could have been. Lovers of the
book will have no trouble filling in the blanks. But the FEELING is
like a 2-hour plus recapitulation -- it's that rushed. The other negative
is the sound track, but it seems that Lynch realized how flat it is and
turned it down about 20dB for release; when the credits were rolling I
honestly thought that the theater had lost a channel and the music was
only coming across via crosstalk.
In sum: much, much better than I expected (but I expected so little...).
I'll definitely go back at least once more.
Steve Upstill
Brad Templeton
with a large group of people, some fans who had read all 5 books (like me)
and some who had read non. Yet every single person was certain that the
movie was (except for fx) very badly done. Since then I have talked to
more people and they have all said, "terrible movie."
So what is it that people can like? Are there people who haven't read the
book yet are clever enough to get the story out of this movie anyway, and
are thus impressed with the basic theme, background and story of the
book? Or are people just tremendously less critical than all the people
around here?
I've seen movies that there is controversy over before, but I have never
seen it over a movie that is this obviously bad as judged by a large
number of viewers.
--
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473
Chuqui[The Time Traveller]
Siskel and Ebert reviewed Dune last night. As usual, they disagreed on the
movie. Siskel wanted it to be skunk of the week, and Ebert simply called
it a glorious failure to be held up to future movie makers as a way to
blow it with the best of intentions, or some such drivel. Both hated it.
Now, it is RARE when those two agree to this extent-- I think Dune (which
I haven't seen yet) has some severe problems. Remember, Gene likes
Halloween III...
chuq
--
From behind the bar at Callahan's: Chuq Von Rospach
{allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chu...@decwrl.ARPA
The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their
bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was
ambitious... And Brutus is an honorable man
se...@rna.uucp
the matte work was awful. In just about every scene with an optical effect
you could see the various elements jiggling with respect to one another.
The even was a shot or two where the matte was dirty. It really ruined
an other wize visually beautiful film.
Anon...@rna.uucp
se...@rna.uucp
1) The set design and costuming. Based, it seems, on 19th
century sci-fi illustrations.
2) The images of sand and water, an indication of the
artistic vision of director Lynch.
Unfortunantly, these things do not a movie make. Dino should have given
David a roll of B&W movie film, a few bucks and no strings attached.
By the way did you know that Dino hired David Lynch before seeing
Eraserhead. Poor Dino hated the film. Too bad Lynch had to go for the
mass appeal and a PG-13 rating, I think his creativity was stifled
and it has resulted in a mostly meaningless, confused, empty film.
Gadfly
Good question. What a dud, in the sense of some great sets
going to waste because of a cast that, as they say in the biz,
"phoned in their lines." In the few love scenes there were,
the actors seemed totally bored. And all those extras for the
storming of the palace--several just stared off into space for
most of the sequence. Nice worms though.
I can see how people can enjoy Dune--it brings the book to life.
But if you liked the movie, you can't have had your imagination
in very high gear when reading the book. I place Dune, along
with Catch-22, in the catagory of novels too well crafted, too
intricate, to defile with celluloid. I purposely avoided Catch-22,
and now more than ever hope I never see it.
--
*** ***
JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** *****
****** ****** 21 Dec 84 [1 Nivose An CXCIII]
ken perlow ***** *****
(312)979-7188 ** ** ** **
..ihnp4!iwsl8!ken *** ***
Ron Christian
Dune is another one of those movies that you don't start to pick
apart until you leave the theatre. Like 2010. Visually stunning,
it has some gaping holes in it.
I appreciate that they tried to compress a large book into a two
hour movie. And what's left of the plot is more true to the book
than any movie I've seen recently. However there are several points
that grate on my nerves, most of which I think I can attribute to
Dino and his daughter.
Anyone notice how wooden the acting was? Many times the actors
are standing around awkwardly, like they don't know what to expect.
The characters of Leto and the Emperor were probably the worst.
The Emperor was played as a colossal wimp. Hey, this guy is supposed
to be holding a galaxy wide civilization together. And here he
spends most of his time cringing. Leto spends much of *his* time
looking uncertain and stepping out of people's way. In general
none of these people who are supposed to command vast hordes
(stilgar included) look like they could keep order at a boy scout
camp. All the awkward phrases (Reverand Mother: "They tried
and died" Stilgar's last phrase: "Maud...DIB" awk I guess you had
to be there) the wooden characterization, the inattention to
detail, the stress on VISUAL IMPACT VISUAL IMPACT VISUAL IMPACT
is *typical* of Dino de Heavyhand. Lots of examples of this:
The baron floating around like a huge gross baloon (In the book
he had antigravs to support his ponderous bulk, but no mention
was made of him flitting around like tinkerbell on acid), the
scene of gore and blood being washed into a trough (which had
no relationship to the previous scene or the next one) the
big black tube coming out of head and into nose of the Navigation
Guild ambassador (What in Hell???) the ships exploding from one
shot, (and the same explosion scene used twice!) all the soundwave
weapon crap, and the final scene in the movie, (I won't give it
away here) which doesn't make the least bit of sense and wasn't
in the book.
I could go on and on (I know: he's already gone on and on and on.)
but you get the idea. I just wish someone else had made Dune.
Kubrick, maybe. Or Run Run Shaw. Anyone.
--
Ron Christian (Watkins-Johnson Co. San Jose, Calif.)
{pesnta,twg,ios,qubix,turtlevax,tymix}!wjvax!ron
Alien Wells
gotten personal reviews from friends. I expected cameo appearances, choppy
plot, a loss of most of the intricacies of the book. After all, it would
clearly take at least a 4 hour movie to do justice to the book.
What I was NOT expecting was the CHANGES from the book.
The emperor was setting up the House Atreides because of a SECRET WEAPON they
were developing? The Baron Harkonnen turned from a suave, sohpisticated,
intelligent yet evil plotter into a bumbling, disease ridden idiot? And where
did those HEART PLUGS the Baron was so fond of come from? And why were the
Sardaukar breathing green gas? And why were they so incompetant?
To me, the major theme of Dune was that adversity breeds strength. The emperor
was in power because of his Sardaukar, raised on the inhospitable prison planet
of Salsa Secunda. Paul is able to lead the Fremen to victory because they were
even better fighters raised in an even worse environment.
Is any of this in the movie? Is any of the subtle interplay of people and
forces apparent? No, what we have is a heroic young man escaping evil nasties,
drinking magic water to become superman, handing out secret super weapons to
his bumbling fremen friends (who showed no fighting talent whatsoever), then
destroying the evil Imperial forces by calling them names without losing a
single man! Of course, he gets the girl along the way. And don't forget the
classic Hollywood ending where he commands the heavens to open up and the rain
to pour through!
What I find particularily upsetting is Herbert's raving about how wonderful the
movie is and how it is a perfect adaptation of the book. Granted, he is
getting a share of the profits, but he seems to sincere ...
This lends strength to a theory I have. Dune is an acclaimed masterpiece. All
the Dune sequels were trash. (Not just my subjective opinion. Not only do most
of my SF friends agree, but a recent SF poll we took here had Dune in the top
10 (I believe #1), with the sequels to Dune in the worst 10 (we had votes for
best and worst).) Herberts prior work showed no great talent. Furthermore,
his praise of the movie shows he has no great love for the original.
Question: Who did Herbert get as a ghost writer for Dune?
In fairness, I should point out the good parts. The sets were wonderful. They
did an incredibly good job at painting a feudal-industrial society. The casting
and acting were wonderful! If only they had had reasonable script writing and
cutting ... it could have been wonderful.
I'll close now, the more I think about it the more disappointed I get. For the
occasional movie goer - pass this one up. Movie addicts should probably see it,
but don't expect much. For you Dune addicts: If you liked the sequels to Dune,
you'll probably like the movie. Otherwise, let it pass.
Alien
Alien Wells
Ron Rizzo
I could never manage to read beyond page 63 of DUNE; it was just too
episodic, unlike Tolkien's RINGS books.
But I was aware that the book was more complex and sophisticated than
the film.
Herbert's cloning of a primitive "arabist" version of Islam was reduced
to ludicrous neo-Nazi terms in the film (which reminded me of 30s films
Leni Riefenstahl made for Hitler, except those were much better made than
Lynch's turgid paean to fascism). I particularly loathed the vicious
homophobia added to the portrayal of Baron Harkonnen, or Feyd-Rautha, for
that matter: while Herbert himself is homophobic in DUNE (I tore up my
copy of it into tiny pieces Wednesday night after seeing the film and
threw it into the trash), the movie amplifies it to a screech with liberal
doses of gore, putrefaction, & sadism.
Why did big name actors lend themselves to the debacle? It's ironic to
see Linda Hunt or Juergen Prochnow (who's starred in various films by
Wolgang "Das Boot" Petersen, including a gay film in which Prochnow
portrays a "pederast", ie, he's attracted to teenage boys) abetting
such an effort.
The sets were literally awesome, but the screenplay and dialogue would've
flunked even the afternoon soaps.
May Herbert & Lynch choke on their melange!
Remember Ozymandias,
Ron Rizzo
Jim Moore
>cheated us by using the characters, locations and actions that we knew too
>well.
> Robert Kenyon
I also thought that the movie was visually well done. The [3gbattle between
Gurney and Paul early on using their personal shields was very convincing.
The members of the Spacing Guild were fantastic, even if they weren't
what one might have pictured from the book's description. The first time
(or two) that we see the Makers was truly awesome. If the acting was bad,
let's blame it on the pacing of the film and the direction. The actors,
after a few glimpses, seemed to appear as the book might have described
them, with the possible exception of Feyd Rautha.
But you can not take a book that requires you to - read between the lines
on practically every page, picture (in your mind) an entirely different
Universe, and spend a sizeable amount of time just reading it - and make
a classic motion picture. Not in the 2+ hours *they* tried to do it in.
Maybe it would have been better as a (gulp) T.V. maxi-series. We may yet
find out.
I *enjoyed* the movie, but didn't *live* it with the characters like some
of (all of) the great ones. Heck, in Cassablanca I felt as though I was
standing at the airport with Rick and Ilsa and Victor. Aaaaaah!
"Louie, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship!"
Oh, well... The movie DUNE has few (no?) memorable lines. Sad.
--
Jim Moore
dual!ptsfa!ptsfc!jpm
Pacific Bell
REMEMBER - "Things are only as bad as they are
and can only get worse if they do!" - James P. Moore