From: psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid   
      
   On 21 Oct 2021 08:16:19 GMT, Thor Odinson  wrote:   
      
   >I saw Dune last night in 3D in IMAX. I've read the book at least times in   
   >my life and I've watched the 2000 Syfy miniseries several times also. I   
   >know every twist and turn of the story, so I wasn't expecting much new. I   
   >just wanted to see how Denis Villeneuve would tell the story.   
      
   You are to be commended for your courage.   
      
   I'll watch it when I can rent it for a price I am willing to pay.   
      
   >First of all, the casting was almost spot on. The only mistake was the   
   >gender swapping of Kynes, though the actress herself did a decent enough   
   >job.   
   >   
   >The cinematography was meh. Everything was too dark, too, dusty, too   
   >misty, too sandy, etc. In too many scenes, it was just too hard to make   
   >out what was happening and it became a distraction.   
      
   In the past, darkness has been employed to make the CGI easier.   
      
   Fewer visible details, less money needed.   
      
   Not saying that applies here -- but "can't see what's happening" has   
   become a /very/ common complaint made of many movies.   
      
   >Paul has a minor amount of character development, but he still seemed   
   >kind of whiny even at the end. Granted, this is part of a two-part movie,   
   >but after 2.5 hours, I would have expected more. The Baron Harkonnen has   
   >vey little personality. Oscar Isaac seemed to be phoning it in a little   
   >as Duke Leto. Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho seemed to be having a good time,   
   >but then Jason Momoa always seems to be having a good time no matter what   
   >he's doing. Missing from the books is Princess Irulan and Feyd-Rautha   
   >Harkonnen.   
   >   
   >Finally, I have one last gripe. There are too many foreshadowing   
   >flashforwards which leaves the story a non-linear mess in some places. If   
   >you're not already a Dune fan, I think this will leave you pretty   
   >confused in some places.   
      
   Can you at least /tell/ they are flash-forwards [1]? For example, by   
   toning down the color saturation. (Preferably /not/ by flashing a red   
   light throughout the scene, as at least one film did back in the late   
   60s or thereabouts).   
      
   >I give this movie a 3/5. I could have been better and I hope that part 2   
   >redeems part 1.   
      
   [1] I recently saw Vellai Pookal, a Tamil film about a mass murderer   
   set in Seattle, where the flash-backs appeared to be part of the   
   current time-line, until they suddenly didn't. I found this ...   
   disorienting, although the film /itself/ certainly works well.   
   --   
   "I begin to envy Petronius."   
   "I have envied him long since."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)