I liked this movie more when it was Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Although, when Star Wars came out, it was Dune author Frank Herbert who complained about how much was borrowed from his 1965 novel.
So far, this series just hasn’t been my jam. Sure, the production is incredible. Watching it in Dolby, with our seats shaking to a pulse pounding score by Hans Zimmer, is kind of fun. But almost three hours of these people fighting, just isn’t my idea of a great time at the movies.
Characters just feel like part of the scenery. No growth, really (aside from Paul Atreides, played by Timothy Chalamet). Watching as he starts getting along more with the Fremen on Arrakis, and trying to avenge the death of his dad, without an intergalactic holy war starting, just isn’t all that interesting to me. It also doesn’t make a lot of sense as to why his love interest (played by Zendaya), never trusts him to do the right thing for her people.
Watching him go through the desert and learning how to ride the giant worms, should have been filled with more tension. Yet every time someone rides a worm, it looks kind of goofy. I also wonder why the worms always approach underground, when they’re attacking, yet once they’re being ridden, they stay above the sand. Why wouldn’t they just burrow again, knocking the rider off?
Watching Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), a pregnant mom who is with Paul, doesn’t ratchet up the tension any. And her constantly hearing from, and talking to, her unborn baby – was just odd.
The Harkonnen colonizers are pillaging the planet for its spice, and I just couldn’t figure out why they weren’t happy doing it with the side of the planet that was working. Dave Bautista (who spent the entire movie yelling at people) and his baddies just keep coming down and attacking, unsuccessfully, to acquire the whole planet. It would’ve been cool to see Stellan Skarsgaard as the big Jabba the Hutt character soaking in some mud bath thing. But we saw that in the first film. But, Bautista’s ineptitude led us to watching Austin Butler’s character (as the brother) come in to clean up his mess. He was my favorite thing in the whole movie.
I didn’t care about trying to figure out why people are living on a planet with no water (it was rather interesting what they do with people that die, in terms of getting their fluids and putting it in a pool). I didn't care about why they live on a planet with this valuable spice, but never figured out a way to harness and make money or trade it with others in the universe.
Other cast members that were wasted in this expensive production, included Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling (mostly covered by a veil), Anna Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem (usually overacting), Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa (who I don’t even remember in this film, only the first one), Christopher Walken (sounding like all those guys imitating him in that Super Bowl commercial, which made casting him a poor choice), Florence Pugh, and of course, Zendaya mostly pouting.
Patrice Vermette created sets that are awe-inspiring. Fans of the novel will love this (my friends that liked the book, loved the first movie, which I found boring and a mere set-up for this picture. [The third one will be the final of the series.]).
There was a fight scene borrowed from Gladiator, but it was much more fun watching Joaquin Phoenix rig a battle against Russell Crowe by stabbing him in the shoulder.
I think fans of Dune (either the ‘80s movie, the book, or the first in this series), will be thrilled by what they see on screen.
We see it 2 ½ out of 5.