Okay, so Dune…this came out two years before I was born, but I became pretty obsessed with the movie when I was younger and in school, due to being obsessed first with the video game. I played that as often as I could. So when I had the opportunity to watch this movie at the cinema, I jumped at the chance immediately.
Despite the fact that this movie is older than me, it still remains one of my favourite movies. Though I feel that there was a lot of rather gross stuff portrayed. The scene with Rabban stuffing his face and talking was cringeworthy. And the Baron was just awful.
I thought that, despite the fact the actor was much older than Paul should have been, Kyle MacLachlan was particularly good at portraying him. I thought the same about the actors playing Leto and Jessica. I was given some glimpses into their relationships and I really cared about the characters.
One thing I really didn’t like with this movie was the use of voiceover when it came to the characters thinking. A lot of the time, I felt that what those thoughts could have been spoken out loud. Or shown through the actions of the characters. The main one that springs to mind is when Thufir Hawat thinks about how he’s failed Leto; that could have easily been shown through actions or even conversations with other characters.
I did think that the worldbuilding was done particularly effectively, especially when it came to Paul learning about Arrakis and the spice and worms. There were a lot of characters that weren’t fully developed; and there was a lot from the book I would have liked to see included.
Considering the age of the movie, I did think that the special effects were really good for the time period, even if watching the movie now makes it clear just how dated those are. What was particularly effective was the way the voice, perhaps the strongest weapon of some characters, was shown and heard. It was very clearly something that was out of the ordinary and still sends some shivers down my spine even now.
Despite the fact that this movie has been one of my favourites, I can’t really see it as a true adaption of the book. There was a lot that was left out that would have really added to the atmosphere of this movie. The use of the shields, especially, looked so clunky and awkward. I honestly couldn’t see how it was possible to fight like that.
This movie was entertaining to watch for the time period and the main characters were interesting and engaging enough to keep me watching. But there were things that could have been done better. I really hope that the newest adaption of Dune will live up to my expectations.
Ink of Blood 