A couple of things before we begin. I watched this movie on my laptop. Obviously, it was made for the big screen, so a lot was lost in translation. Also, I’m a fan of the Dune series, the first three books I read more than once, though it was over twenty years ago.

Recently I joined a productivity community called The Lifehack Method, a part of the program is celebrating your wins, with a ¨champagne moment¨. I’m not drinking right now, so I had to come up with something other than champagne to celebrate my new geek status. I chose my favorite chips, and I rented Denis Villeneuve’s Dune from Amazon. It was kind of a big deal because I’m trying not to spend money, since don’t have any income right now.

I am sorry to say I was disappointed. This movie barely scratched the surface of the book. Zendaya’s Chani had about 3 lines. If felt that it was made only to create a franchise. But you could easily do that and get at least to where the sister is born, and more of the messiah story comes into play.  There are 24 books in this series. I wish I had Dune here so I could have a look at how far into the story they got, I feel it is barely a third of the way through.

I would reread Dune again today, but it’s over my 10 dollar limit on kindle since it was recently made into a movie.

I love this cast, but, I feel like they didn’t have much to work with somehow. Odd, since the characters in the book are so rich…surely it can’t be a wholesale bland performance from these talented actors. I have to look to the director.

Everything felt subdued. The books also have a controlled tone, with an undercurrent of magic, ecstasy, and gargantuan all-consuming worms! The sand worms weren’t even impressive. There were a lot of interesting mechanisms, intricate feet of space ships, and dragonfly winged helicopters, which I enjoyed looking at. More than Timothee Chalomet or Jason Momoa.  Very odd.

Mr. Bardem managed to stand out, but he is more magical on screen than a Bene Gesserit with the Gom Jabbar.

Will I see the sequel in 2023?  That will depend on the circumstances. It’s more appealing to look for a used copy of Dune at Goodwill the next time I’m in the states. I will definitely revisit David Lynch’s Dune. Though dated, and not well received when released, I remember it fondly and Lynch made it all the way through book one’s storyline.

What did you think? Have you seen it?  Are you a fan of the series, or this director?  I’d love to hear your take. Which Dune movie do you prefer?