Dune Part One

Teetonetal

I got hooked on dune via the PC game dune 2 in the 90s... read the books and then watched the lynch Film... 

But that was so long a go, that I retained the basic concept, but the Detail is long gone, with that in mind, I loved this Film a lot.. it has the Atmosphäre that I have in my mind for dune... sure it's not as deep, but it's immersive. 

Can't wait for part 2

littlegreenman

Read the books in the 80's and am a fan of the Lynch movie.

I did enjoy Part 1, and looking forward to Part 2.

But then, I am bit of a nerd so...

Philly_Q

I still haven't seen part 1, I keep debating whether I should watch it now on Netflix but it could be quite a while before part 2's on streaming services.  I'd rather watch them back to back, or more likely over a weekend.

I have read the first four books, but it was 40-odd years ago so although I can remember characters and a general vibe, I don't really remember any specifics of the storylines.

I always feel duty-bound to mention this:

ICBM

Philly_Q said: if

I have read the first four books, but it was 40-odd years ago so although I can remember characters and a general vibe, I don't really remember any specifics of the storylines.

I think it must have made a bigger impression on me - it’s that long since I read it too (also the first four books, I somehow lost interest at that point), but I’ve retained a huge amount of detail and even some of the dialogue. Apart from a few changes, I thought the new film was really quite accurate to my memory of it - and I think Chalamet is pretty good, certainly as a young Paul, I’m not sure how well he will be able to do when he’s meant to be older.

Interestingly I accidentally read Children first (it was in the school library and the other two weren't), so I came to the first two as “prequels”, and that seemed to work quite well somehow. This is still one of my favourite book covers ever…

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

Interestingly I accidentally read Children first (it was in the school library and the other two weren't), so I came to the first two as “prequels”, and that seemed to work quite well somehow. This is still one of my favourite book covers ever…

Yeah, it's those New English Library editions I've got too.  My original copies disappeared somehow - probably given to charity by my stepmother - but I tracked copies down on eBay and Amazon Marketplace.  It had to be those covers.

Children of Dune (from what I remember) seems pretty adult for a school library in the '70s or early '80s!

ALR

The same as @Teetonetal I got into Dune through Dune 2 on the Amiga, a cracking game that I think was possibly the first Real Time Strategy game? Certainly it was the progenitor of the Command and Conquer series. I tried to read the book (at aged 14), but only got about halfway through it. Watched the David Lynch film but that didn't really seem to make any sense (and I love Twin Peaks).

My wife and I went to see Part 1 and I liked it but she really loved it. We've since got it on Blu-Ray and watched it a couple of times, once just a few weeks ago as she's so excited about the next part coming out and we are planning a whole evening around it! She's not by any means a sci-fi fan, but it seems to have captured her imagination.

I think the current versions are beautifully shot and well directed. I'm sure they left a lot out of the original book but if it has made it translate better to the screen then it is all the better for it.

DuploLicks

If we're doing all things Dune then this review of the boardgame is a great watch. The Shut Up & Sit Down team do very entertaining videos that make you want to buy the game. I'm a fan of the book & the original movie so this is right up my street

steer

The film was good in some ways, but annoyed me also, as it felt like they spent ages setting up the background story and by the time the actual plot started to move forwards the film was nearly over. I felt short changed If they got on with it, they could have fitted the whole story into one single epic movie. 

It felt like watching half a film. Other franchises have done this sort of thing before but much much better - like Lord of the Rings for example, where the 1/3rd of the book is enough to make a  great stand-alone film. Dune, less so. 

bertie

assuming we're talking the re-make,   I attempted to watch it,  4 or 5 times and failed................ then after some "advice" on here  forced myself to watch it,  and wish I hadnt  -Its not that its bad or "rubbish"  just not for me,  not an easy watch.  Gave me headache I wont be rushing to watch the sequel/part II or what ever its called

Roland

I read Dune and sequels when I was at university, and liked it a lot, particularly the details of how life could work on a desert planet. Spoiler - I was also intrigued in the later novel when Paul has real time visions.

Films will always be different from books because they tell the story in a different way, and often miss out characters and sub-plots because of time constraints, and the need to keep focus. Lynch's film is good. I’ll reserve judgement on the new version until I’ve seen part 2. As @steer said, part 1 only sets the scene.

Stratavarious

As moviemaking. it does make me appreciate the Lynch version more…  a movie with more memorable scenes and despite its length it seemed the narrative was better and more coherently delivered. Cast was stronger too I think.

The new one seems bland.. the artificialness of the CGI probably a factor. In attempting to look real it perhaps loses some engaging theatrical, human element or the attention to the story is lost while looking at the background.  Same with Bladerunner. The new one was just dull.

GoFish

I used to have a "Maxi" fan edit of the David Lynch film that reinserted deleted scenes etc and ran to around 200 minutes. Tht was pretty good and something like it is probably available as an extra on a re-release.

I loved reading the books as a child, I found it a refreshing enough take on the 70s oil crisis and was intrigued by how it seemed less bound by the genre conventions of pure fantasy or SF that had developed at the time. It was like a strange coda to the weird fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs and the first wave. Then of course Star Wars came and revived all the shockly 30s pulp comic space opera stuff which had a different feel entirely.

I will watch the new films when the set is complete, I guess. I thought there was a lot to like in the new Blade Runner but I don't know how much of it came from Denis Vileneuve and how much was in the script and specific visual language, let alone how much of it was ruined by Jared Leto.

Stratavarious

Dune 2 on Amiga… in your browser

https://epicport.com/en/dune2

ICBM

Philly_Q said:

Children of Dune (from what I remember) seems pretty adult for a school library in the '70s or early '80s!

Yes - presumably donated by a parent unaware of the content… it must have been quite new too, the paperback only came out in 1978 I think, and I can’t have read it any later than 1980 or 81. I’m almost tempted to buy a copy of just that one purely for the cover.

Thinking about it, losing interest after God Emperor might have been due to the paperback covers for Heretics and Chapterhouse - there were some truly hideous trashy ones in the later 80s and 90s that did a total disservice to the books. The current ones with the slightly pseudo-Minoan-style artwork are quite good, I possibly should have bought those instead of the one-volume ‘Great Dune Trilogy’ edition.

CaseOfAce

I didn't know it was disappearing from Netflix in March - right I'll get my skates on to watch it.

Hopefully it's a bit more than the last Bladerunner - I can do great cinematography but I need a story (and that shouldn't be predicated on having to have read the book beforehand).

If I get Star Trek motion picture part 1 vibes in the first half hour off it goes. I've got Obliterated to finish off watching. 

crunchman

Stratavarious said:

Dune 2 on Amiga… in your browser

https://epicport.com/en/dune2

Or get it here and play on Dosbox:

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/dune-ii-the-building-of-a-dynasty-1e7

froglord

DuploLicks said:

If we're doing all things Dune then this review of the boardgame is a great watch. The Shut Up & Sit Down team do very entertaining videos that make you want to buy the game. I'm a fan of the book & the original movie so this is right up my street

There's also a newer Dune board game - Dune: Imperium, based on the new films. It's complex, highly strategic and manages to represent the themes and ideas very well. Recommended (if you're not averse to a pretty heavy gaming experience).

Axe_meister

The Lynch movie gets a lot of bad press, however I love it. Great soundtrack from Toto as well.
I'm looking forward to part two coming out next Friday. Might watch Part 1 again before I go, now I've got
a new OLED TV

ElectricXII

My youngest took me to the Odeon to see Dune Part One and it was actually pretty good. I was sceptical beforehand, as I'd read most of the books in the 80s, and doubted that the film would do them justice. No film ever does though. The Lynch movie was pretty decent for its time.

I say I read most of the books, because I gave up after God Emperor of Dune, by which Herbert's stuff was getting too weird.

Kittyfrisk

Woah! Sandworms, you hate em' right?