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Dune: part 2 = Visually grand but totally forgettable
#1
Tongue 
It appears that ChatGPT or a similar entity wrote this dull movie. Although the feeling of scale and spectacle is commendable, there was no science fiction to dig into, and character development was mostly abrupt or nonexistent. Much like its predecessor, I found this sequel frequently cold and emotionally barren at the most inopportune times. It was basically just a bunch of autistic people standing around looking bored. 

The second half is particularly monotonous as Paul trudges toward a destiny he does not want and presciently believes will be his damnation — and by extension, the universe’s. Not that I thought any of this during the picture’s opening half. It is during this section that Paul settles in with the Fremen, and some of that is interesting. I think we should have seen more of this weird planet and how the spice was affecting Paul, what made him truly special, and so forth. You know, science fiction. Instead, we get a totally forgettable screensaver movie.

Despite the Beast Rabban's (Dave Bautista) buildup as some badass, his character was highly disappointing. His attack on a Fremen stronghold was super weak. It was just him and maybe 20 support troops (this is supposed to be a planetary governor?) and he just ran away and then later is killed in 2 seconds. 

After the third half, there is a noticeable increase in the pace of events, as if there is a financial constraint or urgency. The subsequent assault by the Fremen on a spice harvester, captured through expansive views and gripping close-ups, is absolutely captivating. However, the ultimate confrontation between the Fremen and Outworlders, as well as between Feyd-Rautha and Paul, seemed hurried and lacking in excitement. The lack of any sort of relationship between Feyd-Rautha and Paul makes their final confrontation feel impersonal. Like the rest of the ending, it just sort of happens.

When the Fremen board the Imperial ships to wage jihad—er, “holy war”—on the Great Houses, it seems a little strange—like you're going to outer space, what exactly are you going to do there?

I was not really moved by any of it, I guess there is a science fiction story here, but it falls flat in many ways. A lot of the big action stuff—a massive war between the Fremen and the Harkonnen and Imperial forces—happens off-screen. It all sort of wraps up in a hurry. The good guys make such quick work out of the Harkonnen forces and these supposedly super, duper elite Sardaukar, it’s almost laughable. It was barely an inconvenience.

Villeneuve presents numerous visually nice scenes, but frequently concludes them abruptly. The movie consists of thrilling anticipation that ultimately culminates in a dissatisfying and somewhat cursory resolution. Although I found the director's artistic enthusiasm cute, I was equally dissatisfied with my lack of emotional investment in the majority of the characters or their struggles. And most of all, there was no science fiction. Just a dull ChatGPT creation.

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#2
Yes, this is all correct. I liked the Lynch version, and it basically had the same story. It was just a lot more visually interesting (for better or worse), and the characters also felt much more dynamic! Every character in the new movie just felt very flat and melancholic. So you kind of focus on the story. New Lady Jessica doesn't scare me or seduce me (but she should both). Compare Oscar Isaac's Leto with Jürgen Prochnow. The latter oozes wisdom, confidence, and maturity. He's absolutely credible as a leader of men and as a father. Isaac just stamps around the set, shouting with little inflection occasionally; his charisma is minimal, and at no point is he convincing either as a powerful but troubled head of a house or as a caring but burdened-down father. I would say Lynch Dune has a character and charm to it, and it has the sort of colorful psychedelic nightmare visuals that really distinguish the world. Villenueve Dune is sleek, indisputably better produced, but a bit soulless, I thought. It's a gray, dull, computer-rendered, corporate-approved entertainment product. They cut out a lot of the palace intrigue and character quirks, leaving the narrative a little hollow, as well as any deep background on the Mentats or Paul's Mentat training, it just didn't make sense given how much runtime he had to play with. DV's film looks great and has some solid performances, but it just didn't resonate the same way Lynch's did and felt almost sterile in comparison. DV's Dune is fine, but to me personally, it was... forgettable.

DV seems to do sterile movies, just like Blade running 2049. In Lynch's Dune, there are multiple memorable scenes. One that got stuck in my head for many years was the Atriede, who had to drink rat and cat pee to stay alive. In this new movie, not one scene was memorable. Joyless, one-dimensional, and boring. Sterilized BS. The Lynch version has some genuinely interesting scenes, concepts, and meme-worthy dialogue. 2021 Dune has none of these advantages while also being every bit as poorly paced and peppered with absurd, inexplicable scenes and characters that add nothing to the movie and are only presented because they're in the book; therefore, they must be included in the movie for verisimilitude.

The Harkonnens just aren't characters at all in 2020's Dune, just placeholders. I still cannot recall what transpired in DV's adaptations. This is more rhetorical but: 'Was your pulse actually pounding when the Barron slowly floated towards Leto while chewing something?' I ask because this is the only scene that stuck with me—not because it was memorable, but because it was so destructive to the film's vibe. Here are two of the major players, so let's give this scene the energy of a high school play.
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#3
Totally agree. Shit movies. This nerdy girl breaks it down.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLNuLgvo/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLNufqqp/

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLNuChvu/

Seriously, after the Harkonnens took over as rulers of Arrakis, Baron Harkonnen imprisoned and forced Thufir Hawat to serve him. This was accomplished by injecting a poison into Hawat's blood, for which only the Harkonnens had an antidote.





Fuck DV!
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