"Dune" fans?
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@89th said in "Dune" fans?:
I know 100.0000% nothing about Dune. Guess I should check it out?
Well, it's a tough call.
The original book, "Dune" is the seminal work. It's full of politics, intrigue, mysticism and a whole universe imagined from scratch. Set more than 10K years into the future, with humanity evolved into different capabilities. The book ends in a satisfying way, but leaves the door ajar for sequels, which were written. I've read 3 of the sequels, and they get kind of weird.
After Frank Herbert died, his son undertook a project to tell the story of how everything came to be. The prequels have been vilified by some for not being as "visionary" as the canon books. I found them to be lighter fare, but very much fun. Of course, they're uneven, with some better than others.
If you're interested in diving in, I'd suggest you watch the movie which was just released. It tells half the story of the original book (second half coming next year), and though it's not "finished" it's a way of sort of understanding what's going on.
I read the original back in the late 1970s and was overwhelmed with the scope and depth of the story. I've read it twice more (most recently about 2 years ago) and I dove into the prequels. I think I've done 8-9 of them by now.
The original book has earned all kinds of awards for its vision and "otherworldliness." Not the easiest read, but well worth the effort.
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I'd read the first one. If you want more, read the original trilogy (Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune).
Things start getting pretty silly after that.
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I'd read the first one. If you want more, read the original trilogy (Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune).
Things start getting pretty silly after that.
@Doctor-Phibes said in "Dune" fans?:
Things start getting pretty silly after that.
Yes.
But the Brian Herbert books are fun. They're pretty straightforward sci-fi, setting up the universe and story that Frank Herbert did. They get a lot of flak in the hard-core fandom, but I enjoyed them for what they are - popcorn.
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The books that took place later in the timeline were bad, but the prequel stuff was quite good… The Machine Crusade that led to the end of all thinking machines and paved the way for the beginnings of the Bene Geserit, Mentats, and Spacing Guild were quite good.
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Went to the theater this afternoon to watch part 2. First time at a movie in ... I don't remember when.
Random thoughts:
It's been a while since I read the book (4 years?), and there are some significant differences. The real "Dune nerds" are apoplectic over this, but I found it a pretty faithful adaptation, even though some parts were notably missing. Among the missing things are the Guild Navigators, the background of the Bene Geserit sisterhood. The fact that Feyd's knife was poisoned in the final duel is omitted.
It's a long movie - 2:45. But I never felt it was dragging. Still in the interest of being more faithful to the book, some stuff could have been cut - Feyd's arena scene added nothing to the story other than showing you that he's a psychopath.
Worm riding. It was truly spectacularly well done. Brought a big smile to my face.
We are never told the background of Jessica and Vladimir Harkonnen, other that they are related. Not why.
Spice harvesting scenes are also very well done.
Austin Butler steals the movie with his psychopathic malevolence. A truly evil villain.
See this in the theater - in an IMAX and sit close to the screen. No home theater can do it justice.
ETA: Thufir Hawat is not in the movie, sad to say.
The ending seemed kind of rushed, and very open ended.
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Went to the theater this afternoon to watch part 2. First time at a movie in ... I don't remember when.
Random thoughts:
It's been a while since I read the book (4 years?), and there are some significant differences. The real "Dune nerds" are apoplectic over this, but I found it a pretty faithful adaptation, even though some parts were notably missing. Among the missing things are the Guild Navigators, the background of the Bene Geserit sisterhood. The fact that Feyd's knife was poisoned in the final duel is omitted.
It's a long movie - 2:45. But I never felt it was dragging. Still in the interest of being more faithful to the book, some stuff could have been cut - Feyd's arena scene added nothing to the story other than showing you that he's a psychopath.
Worm riding. It was truly spectacularly well done. Brought a big smile to my face.
We are never told the background of Jessica and Vladimir Harkonnen, other that they are related. Not why.
Spice harvesting scenes are also very well done.
Austin Butler steals the movie with his psychopathic malevolence. A truly evil villain.
See this in the theater - in an IMAX and sit close to the screen. No home theater can do it justice.
ETA: Thufir Hawat is not in the movie, sad to say.
The ending seemed kind of rushed, and very open ended.
@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
Worm riding. It was truly spectacularly well done. Brought a big smile to my face.
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out. Been waiting a couple of years. Expectations were absolutely cranked.
And it did not disappoint. It was so excellent. I want to go back just for that alone.
Please love yourself.
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@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
I fear that this series will be like Apple's adaptation of "Foundation." Not really bad, in fact, pretty good. But it has little to do with the books, other than the general concept.
I don't understand why they keep getting this wrong. You can't focus group your way to greatness, motherfuckers.
Film and TV adaptations are like cover bands: you have two options. Either get as close and identical to the source material as you possibly can (To Kill a Mockingbird), or you just gotta completely own the differences and go way off the reservation to make the adaptation truly your own (The Shining).
All or nothin'. None of this in-between shit.
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I don't understand why they keep getting this wrong. You can't focus group your way to greatness, motherfuckers.
Maybe the focus-grouping's objective is something a bit less ambitious than "greatness," maybe it's mere commercial profitability that they're after.
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@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
Worm riding. It was truly spectacularly well done. Brought a big smile to my face.
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out. Been waiting a couple of years. Expectations were absolutely cranked.
And it did not disappoint. It was so excellent. I want to go back just for that alone.
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out.
The final battle with the worm-riding army was pretty cool too.
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out.
The final battle with the worm-riding army was pretty cool too.
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
I haven't seen it yet, but it sounds as though that misses the point as badly as making Paul into a hero.
I was only joking
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@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out.
The final battle with the worm-riding army was pretty cool too.
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out.
The final battle with the worm-riding army was pretty cool too.
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
Mixed feelings. Ultimately I think it's in keeping with an aspect of Herbert's vision that might otherwise not be conveyed. Dune ain't Avatar.
Please love yourself.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I don't understand why they keep getting this wrong. You can't focus group your way to greatness, motherfuckers.
Maybe the focus-grouping's objective is something a bit less ambitious than "greatness," maybe it's mere commercial profitability that they're after.
@Axtremus said in "Dune" fans?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I don't understand why they keep getting this wrong. You can't focus group your way to greatness, motherfuckers.
Maybe the focus-grouping's objective is something a bit less ambitious than "greatness," maybe it's mere commercial profitability that they're after.
Yes, Ax, I know that, as does everybody else.
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@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out.
The final battle with the worm-riding army was pretty cool too.
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
Mixed feelings. Ultimately I think it's in keeping with an aspect of Herbert's vision that might otherwise not be conveyed. Dune ain't Avatar.
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
Mixed feelings. Ultimately I think it's in keeping with an aspect of Herbert's vision that might otherwise not be conveyed. Dune ain't Avatar.
The sequels don't make sense unless Chani dies in childbirth while with Paul, and Paul doesn't get to partially redeem himself, which is key to the story.
I was only joking
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@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
Mixed feelings. Ultimately I think it's in keeping with an aspect of Herbert's vision that might otherwise not be conveyed. Dune ain't Avatar.
The sequels don't make sense unless Chani dies in childbirth while with Paul, and Paul doesn't get to partially redeem himself, which is key to the story.
@Doctor-Phibes said in "Dune" fans?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
Mixed feelings. Ultimately I think it's in keeping with an aspect of Herbert's vision that might otherwise not be conveyed. Dune ain't Avatar.
The sequels don't make sense unless Chani dies in childbirth while with Paul, and Paul doesn't get to partially redeem himself, which is key to the story.
Still very much a possibility if they make subsequent movies.
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@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
I haven't seen it yet, but it sounds as though that misses the point as badly as making Paul into a hero.
@Doctor-Phibes said in "Dune" fans?:
@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
I haven't seen it yet, but it sounds as though that misses the point as badly as making Paul into a hero.
I could see it going both ways.
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@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out.
The final battle with the worm-riding army was pretty cool too.
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
Mixed feelings. Ultimately I think it's in keeping with an aspect of Herbert's vision that might otherwise not be conveyed. Dune ain't Avatar.
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out.
The final battle with the worm-riding army was pretty cool too.
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
Mixed feelings. Ultimately I think it's in keeping with an aspect of Herbert's vision that might otherwise not be conveyed. Dune ain't Avatar.
Yeah, and the Fremen aren’t exactly those blue skinny aliens, either. The Fremen were a very… I don’t want to say bloodthirsty .. let’s call them a practical people when it comes to death and war and spilling the blood of their enemies. If Chani is walking because of horror at the continued death and destruction across the universe being visited upon these planets by the Fremen? That’s out of character. If she’s walking because of what it’s doing to Paul to have to be this abomination? Ok.
If she’s walking because of Irulan, then I don’t think these guys understood the characters at all.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
@Aqua-Letifer said in "Dune" fans?:
I had been looking forward to that scene since I first heard part 1 was coming out.
The final battle with the worm-riding army was pretty cool too.
Thoughts on the ending, with Chani walking out and leaving?
Mixed feelings. Ultimately I think it's in keeping with an aspect of Herbert's vision that might otherwise not be conveyed. Dune ain't Avatar.
Yeah, and the Fremen aren’t exactly those blue skinny aliens, either. The Fremen were a very… I don’t want to say bloodthirsty .. let’s call them a practical people when it comes to death and war and spilling the blood of their enemies. If Chani is walking because of horror at the continued death and destruction across the universe being visited upon these planets by the Fremen? That’s out of character. If she’s walking because of what it’s doing to Paul to have to be this abomination? Ok.
If she’s walking because of Irulan, then I don’t think these guys understood the characters at all.
@LuFins-Dad said in "Dune" fans?:
If she’s walking because of Irulan, then I don’t think these guys understood the characters at all.
I got the distinct impression that's what it was.
Paul goes into this "I'll always love you" speech, and within 1 minute, turns to the Emperor and says "I marry Irulan or you die." Chani storms out, and summons Shai-Hulud.
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@LuFins-Dad said in "Dune" fans?:
If she’s walking because of Irulan, then I don’t think these guys understood the characters at all.
I got the distinct impression that's what it was.
Paul goes into this "I'll always love you" speech, and within 1 minute, turns to the Emperor and says "I marry Irulan or you die." Chani storms out, and summons Shai-Hulud.
@George-K said in "Dune" fans?:
@LuFins-Dad said in "Dune" fans?:
If she’s walking because of Irulan, then I don’t think these guys understood the characters at all.
I got the distinct impression that's what it was.
Paul goes into this "I'll always love you" speech, and within 1 minute, turns to the Emperor and says "I marry Irulan or you die." Chani storms out, and summons Shai-Hulud.
Jesus
