MovieChat Forums > Dune (2021) Discussion > My observations

My observations

posted 2 years ago by joej2923 (2959)
3 replies | jump to latest

I've seen the 1984 Dune movie several times and enjoyed it. This movie is just as good and possibly better.

The film started out with some very distracting jump cuts during conversations. The camera would be on Paul for ten seconds during his speech and then jump to the other person while they spoke. I didn't notice it as much later in the film.

I thought it was a woke comment when the Reverend Mother said that so much potential was WASTED on a male. It's another movie that is saying that MEN abuse their POWER. Power corrupts all and plenty of women have committed atrocities.

The costumes were well done overall but I found the nose plate worn by Paul's mother to be odd. Does anyone ever wear something like that? I occasionally have to scratch my nose and one does occasionally have to blow their nose. I guess it could have been a breathing device for a dusty planet.

Zendaya is ugly. She has a big nose and beady eyes. She's an industry plant based on her Disney years but she is not pretty enough for close-ups unless they slap a lot of goop on her ugly mug.

I found many of the scenes were too dark but I was able to solve it by turning up the brightness on my tv.

The shields were definitely better in this version. Baron Harkonnen was so much more animated in the 1984 film but I'm glad the new film doesn't focus on his sadism. While it was interesting to see the new Baron Harkonnen act like Colonel Kurtz of Apocalypse Now, I don't know if that emotionless portrayal corresponds to the books. I thought that Paul's narration reminded me of Leonardo DiCaprio's voice. I love the ornithopters in the new movie since I don't believe they
were featured in the previous Dune show/movie.

I look forward to eventually seeing the sequel.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12389) 2 years ago

When you say "Queen Mother," I think you might be referring to the "Reverend Mother," right? Because there is no real queen in this movie. And honestly, while it does sound woke, it's more of a misandrist saying that wouldn't be unheard of for a high-ranking member of an all-female organization like that to say or think.

Yeah, I liked Lady Jessica's dress when she arrived on Dune in the other two films much better. In the '84 film, she's wearing this gorgeous white gown that makes her stand out among all the men in black uniforms, and she has some kind of silken ribbon and white medallions woven into her hair. In the miniseries, she was wearing something more subtle, like a dark gown with a silver robe over it, and her hair in an elaborate ponytail. In this one, her costume when arriving on Dune looks like a mess. I mean, I think the costume designer was evoking Middle-Eastern garb for the face netting, but honestly, it looked like a mess. She would have looked better in a white robe, or even another iteration of that blue and silver robe we saw on Caladan, but I guess Lady Jessica was wearing a native costume to appeal to the locals. It's the Bene Gesserit way, to do as much as you can to immerse yourself into the culture you are living in. However, Lady Jessica always seemed to have a love and preference for Caladan, and I noticed the moment she moved into the palace at Arakkeen, she wore whatever she liked in private.

Yeah. Zendaya doesn't impress me very much as Chani. She looks like a 12-year-old half-black who got lost on her way to a bazaar in Venice, California, rather than a beautiful, elfin, graceful brunette who is also a badass warrior. She doesn't have the same strong presence the Chani in the '84 film has, though she certainly has better hair than that awful Chani they had in the miniseries.

[–] joej2923 (2959) 2 years ago

Good catch! I changed the Queen Mother to Reverend Mother. I definitely consider the statement to be misandrist and I consider that to be part of wokeness. Wokeness includes all forms of social justice and that includes feminism, classism, racism and other 'isms. Denigrating white males in movies is another way of tearing down both the patriarchy and intersectionality.

As a straight male, I want to tread carefully to avoid a lengthy discussion of women's dresses. I think the women's clothing in the new movie was a bit plain BUT I don't always pay attention to the clothing. There have already been several Dune movies/videogames so they can't get too creative with the fashions. When one is in a harsh desert environment, one should wear desert clothing.

Sean Young was Chani in the '84 film and she was a great beauty who had a long career.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (12389) 2 years ago

Hehehe, I've been a costume nerd since "Star Wars: Episode I" came out in '99. With the exception of the 2000 miniseries, the Dune films usually keep the costumes pretty simple compared to some sci-fi franchises. People are more interested in the story and the fight scenes, rather than clothing aesthetics. It's true, once Paul and Jessica flee the palace and join the Fremen, their clothing mostly consists of stillsuits, and sometimes the simple clothing the Fremen wear in their strongholds.

And yes, Sean Young was the best Chani of the 3 interpretations.

The Baron in this film is interesting because he's nowhere near as disgusting as the one in the '84 film, but he's not as cleaned up and refined as the one in the miniseries. He's somewhere in-between.

I found it most appropriate that the guy who played that annoying gray-skinned, red-tattooed guy in "Guardians of the Galaxy" played his older nephew. He fits the part well.

Another interesting observation is, we don't get to see the Emperor in this film, or the Navigators (other than their representatives). I'm guessing they're saving sightings for the second film. Even more interesting, instead of the Navigators piloting a huge spaceship to carry smaller ones across the galaxy, they appear to be manning a gigantic, portable portal that's shaped like a cigar.