Dune: The Best Adaptation Yet?

Now we have another adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, but is it good? Is it worth it?

I went in with high hopes after having seen other movies by the director, Villeneuve: Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049. And I was not disappointed. He delivered everywhere I had expected: excellent cinematography, intriguing execution, good acting.

The music was great, and not too overwhelming -- that is, it was Hans Zimmer without Christopher Nolan. The action was also perfect.

As far as being true to the original novel, I can't think of any other adaptation that gets even close. Think of the David Lynch version, remove the scenes that weren't in the book, and add in more scenes that were passed over, and you get this movie. Some parts still get left out, just because there's so much in the books. For example, Piter de Vries makes an appearance and does a few things, but I don't remember anyone ever saying his name. 

The only complaint I have is that there was one boring part near the end. Perhaps it can't be helped, as there's a big boring section in the middle of the novel -- corresponding with this boring section. But then again, the two other Villeneuve movies I mentioned above seem to have boring sections as well. Perhaps pacing isn't his forte, but all scenes seem to be necessary.

For those who know nothing about the plot: The Atreides family is chosen to be the new stewards of the planet Arrakis (also known as Dune), and to be in charge of the spice production for the galaxy. The spice, melange, exists only on Dune, and without it, safe intergalactic travel is impossible. So, as you can imagine, this spice is very important.

The previous stewards, the Harkonnens, known for their brutality, concoct a plan to regain their stewardship and maintain their control of the spice.

Paul, the son of the Duke of Atreides, must remain strong on this new planet as he faces new challenges, which include prophecies from the Fremen (the indigenous inhabitants of Dune) and the Bene Gesserit (women throughout the galaxy with extra powers, who are trying to create a prophesied Messiah through genetic coupling). Yeah -- Paul lives in a very strange world full of interesting people.

The result is a very complex story.

I highly recommend catching this movie in IMAX -- its intended format. And I can't tell you how grateful I am that they're not pushing the 3D glasses version in the US. As I understand, it was not filmed in 3D, and I have yet to see a fully successful Fake 3D adaptation of anything -- there are always distracting artifacts. If I have to wear glasses over my glasses, the quality of the 3D has to make it worth the discomfort. So, thank you -- US -- for not ruining my IMAX experience.

Finally, this morning I've read a few reviews by "experts" and some of them made me cringe. They were basically whining about how this movie wasn't Lynch's version. So, let me set things straight. This movie is not Lynch's movie. I also loved that 1984 movie, but let's be honest -- Lynch's movie is for those who already know what's going on. Its minutes-long prologue is just terrible and beyond confusing. The extra scenes that were added to explain things just make it worse. My wife, who has not read the books, felt very confused after watching the Lynch movie, but after last night, she felt that this new movie cleared up a lot of questions. In other words, this new movie is likely to reach more generic audiences.

It you want a fun drug-trip filled adaptation of over-the-top confusing epic scenes, then catch Lynch's version. (A lot of those scenes are indeed fun to watch.) If you instead want to watch a movie that sticks much closer to the original material, does a better job of explaining what's going on, provides more of a realistic adaptation, and has Jason Momoa who's really awesome, then this Villeneuve adaptation is the one to catch.

So -- I say -- ignore those negative reviews and give this one a try. Fun for the whole family!