Denis either didn’t get Dune (doubt it, or at least I’d like to believe so, seeing how fascinated he’s been with Dune, historically, but he’s a visual artist and not a philosopher/writer so it’s always possible) or was forced by money people for money reasons to drastically change some important characters in ways that make no internal sense (but are more appealing to the Western audience). Both movies are basically just well shot, very pretty spectacles and, if you’ve read Dune, you know the essence of it is in the silent reflection, logical inferences and ideological battles, so even at their core the movies failed to understand Herbert. Idk, it’s just a mess, a very pretty one but “random religious disunity in a group that actually believes and is currently being subjugated by the great powers” and “spicy, annoying, immature New-Yorker who’s supposed to be the ideal, loving and wise woman (and much of the reason why the plot advances at all) for a man assaulted by visions and the pressure of power” definitely soured the whole watching experience.
I look at it more that Denis made a lot of choices to remove a lot of the more esoteric elements to fit that it was a movie and a sequel made years later. A lot was removed from the book, but it still feels well paced for two movies.
And if you’re going to make significant cuts, you might as well cut out the really weird shit.
Denis either didn’t get Dune (doubt it, or at least I’d like to believe so, seeing how fascinated he’s been with Dune, historically, but he’s a visual artist and not a philosopher/writer so it’s always possible) or was forced by money people for money reasons to drastically change some important characters in ways that make no internal sense (but are more appealing to the Western audience). Both movies are basically just well shot, very pretty spectacles and, if you’ve read Dune, you know the essence of it is in the silent reflection, logical inferences and ideological battles, so even at their core the movies failed to understand Herbert. Idk, it’s just a mess, a very pretty one but “random religious disunity in a group that actually believes and is currently being subjugated by the great powers” and “spicy, annoying, immature New-Yorker who’s supposed to be the ideal, loving and wise woman (and much of the reason why the plot advances at all) for a man assaulted by visions and the pressure of power” definitely soured the whole watching experience.
I look at it more that Denis made a lot of choices to remove a lot of the more esoteric elements to fit that it was a movie and a sequel made years later. A lot was removed from the book, but it still feels well paced for two movies.
And if you’re going to make significant cuts, you might as well cut out the really weird shit.