I am a great fan of Frank Herbert's Dune and everything he wrote about it. I have read the main novel perhaps a dozen times back to back and some fragments many more times. So please bear this in mind that I will be confronting what I saw in "Dune: Part One" with what I imagined over the years Dune and its characters and would be like.
Also I do not want to compare this film to the earlier adaptation, which I found detached way too much from the novel - no more words on it :)
*The Plot* Book lovers will find most of the important aspects of the book. Unfortunately it is difficult to portray the internal monologue of the characters, which is crucial for understanding of what happens. The movie manages this by adding a dialogue or two in between and everything clicks quite nicely.
I was especially surprised at the accuracy of the second part of the movie, when Paul and Jessica are out in the desert. The Shai-Hulud crossing was exactly as I imagined it.
There are some small inconsistencies with the book (e.g. The fight with Jamis was not taking place in the open, but in a cave used as a temporary camp). One notable scene missing is the big reception dinner organized by the Atreidis. In the book it was setting the political scene somewhat.
*The Scenery* Wow! Just wow! The locations, the sets, the CGI - everything is fantastic! Dune is very industrial, dry, sandy. Giedi Prime is as ugly, as it can get. Salusa Secundus is a hell-hole (but with rain).
The machinery, especially the ornithopters, are very well designed and have a utilitarian look about them. Nothing is flashy just for the purpose of being flashy.
*The Actors.* I would not have cast Timothee Chalamet as Paul. It's not that he is doing anything wrong - I just envisioned Paul differently. Jessica is spot-on, most of the Atreidis staff also. The Fremen, while we see very little of them in Part One, seem to be cast perfectly.
Actors' play is at worst adequate, but mostly good. Several scenes are difficult due to their psychological content and yet the actors deliver.
*The Music* Hans Zimmer. This says it all :)
*Overall* A great movie for a book lover and I think it will be also enjoyable by someone completely unfamiliar with the Dune universe. Although a friend who knows the book will definitely help to explain a thing or two.
Can't wait for Part Two!
Also I do not want to compare this film to the earlier adaptation, which I found detached way too much from the novel - no more words on it :)
*The Plot* Book lovers will find most of the important aspects of the book. Unfortunately it is difficult to portray the internal monologue of the characters, which is crucial for understanding of what happens. The movie manages this by adding a dialogue or two in between and everything clicks quite nicely.
I was especially surprised at the accuracy of the second part of the movie, when Paul and Jessica are out in the desert. The Shai-Hulud crossing was exactly as I imagined it.
There are some small inconsistencies with the book (e.g. The fight with Jamis was not taking place in the open, but in a cave used as a temporary camp). One notable scene missing is the big reception dinner organized by the Atreidis. In the book it was setting the political scene somewhat.
*The Scenery* Wow! Just wow! The locations, the sets, the CGI - everything is fantastic! Dune is very industrial, dry, sandy. Giedi Prime is as ugly, as it can get. Salusa Secundus is a hell-hole (but with rain).
The machinery, especially the ornithopters, are very well designed and have a utilitarian look about them. Nothing is flashy just for the purpose of being flashy.
*The Actors.* I would not have cast Timothee Chalamet as Paul. It's not that he is doing anything wrong - I just envisioned Paul differently. Jessica is spot-on, most of the Atreidis staff also. The Fremen, while we see very little of them in Part One, seem to be cast perfectly.
Actors' play is at worst adequate, but mostly good. Several scenes are difficult due to their psychological content and yet the actors deliver.
*The Music* Hans Zimmer. This says it all :)
*Overall* A great movie for a book lover and I think it will be also enjoyable by someone completely unfamiliar with the Dune universe. Although a friend who knows the book will definitely help to explain a thing or two.
Can't wait for Part Two!
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