Sci-Fi Dune

[Filmfreak]

I trust the director who shoots a movie knows better than us who haven't even seen those said scenes to know whether they work within the film structure or not.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

I love how dark the Shai Hulud confrontation scene was. Freiser really pushing how dark he can make low light scenes go. Looks incredible in Dolby Vision.

 

[antsman41]

It’s like B-Sides for Radiohead albums, yes they’re also really good songs - but don’t have a place within those albums… they’re best listened to alone or compiled together with other of the same LP’s bonus tracks.

 

[Sithborg]

Options is one thing. Entirely normal. Cutting most of the characterization material out of a film and crucial scenes like the banquet and Jessica and Yueh's talk isnt normal. Downright bizarre when its a director that's never ever shown a concern for pacing or runtime.

I think the criticisms towards 2049 gave him a complex. Made him worry about pacing and runtime more than he should have and he tried to get Dune's runtime as low as he could. Resulting in this less than bare minimum theatrical cut. He'll probably never admit it tho.

The Rogue Cut is the inferior movie to the theatrical cut of DOFP.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

The Rogue Cut is the inferior movie to the theatrical cut of DOFP.

You hear that, an armada of Star Wars fanboys sizing up your buttocks.

 

[Comicbookguy339]

I love how dark the Shai Hulud confrontation scene was. Freiser really pushing how dark he can make low light scenes go. Looks incredible in Dolby Vision.

Is this considered low light? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[Sithborg]

You hear that, an armada of Star Wars fanboys sizing up your buttocks.

Please, hardly my most controversial opinion.

I like Ghost Rider 2 and X-men Apocalypse more than Infinity War...

 

[Drizzle]

Please, hardly my most controversial opinion.

I like Ghost Rider 2 and X-men Apocalypse more than Infinity War...

 

[Comicbookguy339]

Curious what the meditation room scene(s) entailed.

 

[henzINNIT]

All this talk of deleted scenes made me look into if any of Villeneuve's past films contained any deleted scenes on the Blu-ray releases and going as far back as Prisoners, none of them have so far. I'm really hoping that we see some of this footage on the home release for Dune but the track record is discouraging.

That would be a great shame. I hope that Villeneuve breaks his pattern for this. There's reason to hope I guess, as there is a book involved. We know how big a fan he is of the source material, so perhaps he'll feel more attached to the cut scenes, or want to share more for fans of the book.

We're probably past the time where bonus features are a key sales tactic, but this is a more high-profile and more successful film than normal for Villeneuve (sorry). I wonder if there will be greater demand for extra footage at their end, cause there seems to be on ours.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I don’t know a single filmmaker who said the edit didn’t change things. I mean, it has to.

Clint Eastwood, Soderberg.

 

[Marvolo]

I trust the director who shoots a movie knows better than us who haven't even seen those said scenes to know whether they work within the film structure or not.

The scenes we know about so far are from the book or described in enough detail that we don't need to see them to decide if they were necessary.

And if these necessary scenes and cut moments of character development didn't work in the film thats just more evidence that Denis ****ed up.

 

[Filmfreak]

That's a superficial view of filmmaking and adaptations in general. Not everything that works on a book can translate the same way in a different medium and you can't always know for sure before you shoot or edit a scene. Knowing when to cut parts you love and not trying to just cram everything or to simply please fans of the source material is respectable more than anything.

 

[Marvolo]

That's a superficial view of filmmaking and adaptations in general. Not everything that works on a book can translate the same way in a different medium and you can't always know for sure before you shoot or edit a scene. Knowing when to cut parts you love and not trying to just cram everything or to simply please fans of the source material is respectable more than anything.

Youre talking about "killing your darlings". That isnt whats wrong here. This is a case of Denis cutting vital characterization

And I'm far from a purist. Some radical changes to plot and shuffling could have made those deleted scenes and some scenes in the theatrical cut unnecessary. If anything the film is too enslaved to its source which makes it impossible to cut the things he cut.

 

[TheVileOne]

I still think putting so much focus on Jessica during the pain box was a blatant mistake and error.

 

[shauner111]

Second viewing. 4.5/5

The action was stellar. The second half of this movie is incredible, score especially. I got teary eyed during that Jessica/Paul scene. No emotion or connection to the characters my ass. Villeneuve is unstoppable.

My favourite film of the year so far is The Green Knight but Dune is second place.

 

[Asr]

Finally caught this tonight in 70mm IMAX. 10/10!

Denis Villeneuve has outdone himself. I've been watching his movies since Prisoners and he's only gotten better at what he does. This was a cinematic experience on another level. Although I'd say the visuals, sound, and music certainly stole the show and the plot/writing sorta took a backseat, it wasn't bad, just not as great as the rest of the movie.

I saw this in a theater that was maybe packed about 67-75%, which surprised me a lot for two reasons: (1) covid, and (2) it was basically a niche genre sci-fi movie by a director who hasn't really made a single crowd-pleasing blockbuster yet, and NONE of the other movies I've seen this year drew anywhere close to this much of a crowd either, which included F9, Black Widow, Cruella, and Free Guy. I was genuinely curious how many people might've walked out because of the pacing, but no one did.

After seeing this I really, really want Villeneuve to direct a Star Trek movie. I have no doubt he'd bring back the "class" that the movies used to have and make them even better. I also really want him to direct more sci-fi movies, including more book adaptations. His style would be perfectly suited for Isaac Asimov's stories too. Someone needs to make that happen!

Glad I saw this in IMAX first because it was downright incredible. I may watch it again on HBO Max to catch some dialog that I missed.

 

[Weather Witch]

I still think putting so much focus on Jessica during the pain box was a blatant mistake and error.

Why? I think that scene was really well executed. It did justice to Paul and was the most thrilling version of this scene that we've gotten. It also did a lot for Jessica's character and really builds on their relationship, which is a corner stone of the movie. We're missing inner monologue here, you need the type of emotional display we saw here for the audience to care. Jessica standing there emotionless would not have gone over well in a movie adaptation. In fact, I saw an analysis the other day that said that this might be one of the most important additions that makes the movie work.

 

[VTGuy]

Is this considered low light? I'm genuinely curious.

It looks like the scene was filmed on a cloudy day in the desert (thus preventing strong shadows). The setup of the camera can darken the scene a bit and further darkening can be done in post processing to make it appear to be night (but dimly lit enough by the moons that you can actually see).

 

[TheVileOne]

Why? I think that scene was really well executed. It did justice to Paul and was the most thrilling version of this scene that we've gotten. It also did a lot for Jessica's character and really builds on their relationship, which is a corner stone of the movie. We're missing inner monologue here, you need the type of emotional display we saw here for the audience to care. Jessica standing there emotionless would not have gone over well in a movie adaptation. In fact, I saw an analysis the other day that said that this might be one of the most important additions that makes the movie work.

Because it was Paul's test. Not Jessica's. It took the focus off of Paul. The editing almost made it seem like Jessica was guiding Paul through it. It wasn't about her being emotionless. We weren't really supposed to see her at all. And the pain box was supposed to make Paul feel like his flesh was being burned off to the very bone.

 

[Mjolnir Reborn]

Because it was Paul's test. Not Jessica's. It took the focus off of Paul. The editing almost made it seem like Jessica was guiding Paul through it. It wasn't about her being emotionless. We weren't really supposed to see her at all. And the pain box was supposed to make Paul feel like his flesh was being burned off to the very bone.

As someone that didn't read the novel yet I didn't get the feeling that she was guiding him at all. Seeing her reaction to what was going on, despite that she was part in it happening, really elevated the sense of the stakes to me, and at the same time saying a lot about her relationship to Paul and the Sisterhood. Im not sure what the exact nature of the pain, other than just that it's immense pain, is supposed to add to the matter, although I guess it's a nod to the book readers that there is a vision of a burned hand.

All in all I found the scene great.

 

[Eddie Dean]

It is as much a test of Jessica as it is of Paul. It's testing her loyalty to the Benne Gesserete, knowing what pain her son will go through and even the possibility of his death and if her place as a mother will override her place as a member of the Benne Gesserete.

 

[TheVileOne]

As someone that didn't read the novel yet I didn't get the feeling that she was guiding him at all. Seeing her reaction to what was going on, despite that she was part in it happening, really elevated the sense of the stakes to me, and at the same time saying a lot about her relationship to Paul and the Sisterhood. Im not sure what the exact nature of the pain, other than just that it's immense pain, is supposed to add to the matter, although I guess it's a nod to the book readers that there is a vision of a burned hand.

All in all I found the scene great.

It's not a really vision of a burned hand. The box basically "simulates" the pain. It makes Paul feel like his hand is being burned to its very bone. So imagine you're being tortured and forced to put your hand in like piranha or shark tank and your hand is getting ripped to shreds and if you so much as move, you're a dead man. So arguably Paul could be envisioning in his head his hand is being burned. But the sensation is supposed to be the simulated pain is so intense that his hand is burning so badly the flesh is being burned off. This was really Paul's moment, not Jessica's. Jessica figures into the aftermath of that moment. I don't like the scene because it undercuts Paul's development. Also, Paul does NOT use the Litany Against Fear. Only Jessica does.

We never hear Paul recite the Litany once.

 

[OutOfBoose]

And the pain box was supposed to make Paul feel like his flesh was being burned off to the very bone.

And it did.

 

[TheVileOne]

And it did.

I didn't get that feeling from watching the scene. Wasn't quite visceral enough.