I loved it.
Personally, it's one of the most visually stunning science-fiction films I've ever seen. So many shots look right off the cover of an old pulp sci-fi magazine. Utterly GOREGEOUS! My biggest concern was, well, it wouldn't get a Part II. I'm glad to hear it's confirmed now.
That concern stems from, well, I was worried many would simply find the film boring. It's not really an action packed flick - it's much more political intrigue, character, and backstabbing. That's not to say that there is no action, it's just not really the point. Think more Game of Thrones than blockbuster action spectacle like SW. I think it'll appeal more to those who like, say, Lord of the Rings or Trek - more character heavy stuff.
But Part II is when the action much more ramps up, like the later LOTR films. But I loved it. I thought the acting and dialogue was on point from all. I was also concerned that some audiences might have felt fooled by the star power as many roles AREN'T in this much. It's really the story of Paul and Lady Jessica, they're the focus. So when big names like Zendaya, Momoa, Brolin, Bardem, Bautista, and Skarsgard are (more or less) barely in it...I thought it might tick people off. Obviously some will be bigger roles in Part II.
So I'm very grateful the follow-up WAS confirmed. I'd have been furious if it tanked and we only got HALF the story.
I actually love David Lynch...at times (he does go a bit far at times for me, but I enjoyed Mullholland Drive, Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, and Blue Velvet so long as you look at them as kind of like dreams)...but not so much his Dune. It's too much Lynch, not enough Dune. It reminds me of what happened to Batman Returns, too much Burton and not enough Batman. But I do like aspects of both of those films....but I think they're both highly flawed. I don't hate them, I just have a bucket of issues.
One thing I really enjoyed about the NEW Dune was Baron Harkoneen. In the Lynch film, I felt he was so over-the-top and even downright silly. When he's floating around he looks like a popped balloon, it's comical. In this new version, it's downright menacing and intimidating - nothing silly or unintentionally funny about it. You almost get the sense that he "floats" as a symbolic way of representing how he looks down upon people.
Another real stand-out was Oscar Issacs. I love this guy. Even in SW films I dislike, I like him. He's had such an interesting career IMO. He seems to do it all. Indie films, foreign films, blockbusters, artsy blockbusters, the works. I think he's unbelievably talented. He was fantastic as Duke Leto.
I have a rather interesting history with Dune as a series. I've actually owned the book for probably 15 years, yet I've still never finished it. It's a real intimidating read. It's often compared TO Lord of the Rings, just the sci-fi equivalent. It's not that they share much narratively in common at all, it's just that the world building is so in-depth it almost feels like homework to understand what's even happening and to keep all the characters, houses, cultures, and made-up words and such straight. Now it's not that I dislike it, quite the contrary, it's just almost an undertaking to read - of which I'm a hypocrite as I absolutely adore Tolkien's novels and know them to a tee. I've often re-tried to read the novel, every few years, and I just....can't. It feels like too much dedication.
So with that said, I appreciated that the film seems to have retained, like the LOTR films, the gist of the novel and stayed relatively accurate to the heart and spirit. But even more so, I appreciate that it sort of streamlined the lore to make it more accessible and understandable without requiring that said sort of homework to do to just simply understand the narrative.
So needless to say, I highly enjoyed it. I knew when Denis Villeneuve was announced as the director and co-writer, after seeing Arrival and Bladerunner 2049 (of which I was UTTERLY opposed to making a sequel to that masterpiece...and he convinced me....I was wrong)...we're going to have something truly special on our hands. Dune (and Bladerunner 2049 for that matter) did not disappoint me.
