On Wednesday, the clouds parted and the first trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s anticipated adaptation of Dunc Dune shined down upon us. Sure, it could end up being a big ol’ dud, but, given that Villeneuve’s past films include Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, whatever we get is at least going to be visually arresting, especially with Rogue One cinematographer Greig Fraser behind the camera.
In the wake of the trailer, one wonders how much of David Lynch’s infamously panned 1984 version of the film will influence Villeneuve and Fraser’s creation. Well, IMDb had that question, too, and took it upon itself to compare and contrast. See for yourself.
Taken side-by-side, it reinforces the notion that Villeneuve is grabbing at least some visual cues from Lynch’s vision of Arrakis, while certainly still building his own unique look in many ways. The real debate, however, is as serious as it is ripe for double-entendres: Which director has the biggest, baddest sandworm on display here?
Send Great Job, Internet spice shipments to [email protected]
86 Comments
I demand big, fat, slimy, farting despots in my sci-fi movies!
Lynch’s sandworms were big three pronged penises.
Villeneuv’s sandworms are big toothy buttholes.
Lynch’s worms remind me too much of the creatures from Tremors and Beetlejuice to ever be anything other than comical-looking at this point.
Put them together and you get what Jodorowsky’s sandworms would’ve been.
Lynch’s worms were in keeping with the original cover art. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandworm_(Dune)
1979 versionAnd Jodorosky’s from the early ‘70s and Giger’s take for that doomed project
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54503791 John Schoenherr (Analog, Jan 1965)
Lynch’s sandworms (for closeups) were made of tens of thousands of condoms cut end-to-end for tendons, etc.
Very *manly* sandworms.
But in the new one does Patrick Stewart get to eat tacos with Max von Sydow and also get to meet a nice bassist in a police band?
What, so side-by-side-by-side comparison with the Sci-Fi Channel’s mini-series? William Hurt!! And . . . other people.
WORM!sign?
OMG, I just looked up that cast and I had completely forgotten that Matt Keeslar played Feyd.
It is by will alone I set my mind in motion!
It is by the juice of Sapho that thoughts acquire speed, the lips acquire stains, stains become a warning
It always catches me off guard that the Mentat’s Mantra was a thing Lynch added for the movie, because it’s at least as memetic to me as the Litany Against Fear.
Lynch started giving everyone a Litany, such as the Baron’s Doctor’s Litany Against Acne — “Put the pick in there, Pete,” etc.I bet the Guild janitors had their own Litany Against Slipping And Falling On Wet Floors. “Mop the slippery slime, Bob, and try to do a real neat job.” (The Spacing Guild may be manipulative bastards, but at least they’re considerate enough to clean up after themselves XD)
The detail that I liked best about Lynch’s film was that the Guild interpreters would speak into their microphones in a clearly alien language, then it would get translated with some slight delay. Beats all the Romulans speaking English, no wait, it was our communicators/badges all along, in our heads.
“I bet the Guild janitors had their own Litany Against Slipping And Falling On Wet Floors.”Cuidado, piso mojado!
Chalamet at least looks like he could be 15. MacLaughlan was born looking “about 30″. The irony is they were but in their early 20s when they made their Dune movies, people just looked older back in the day I guess
So much of the styling back then definitely ages people up compared to modern takes. It definitely kinda blew my mind that MacLaughlan was that young when he filmed Dune.
Yeah, he hardly looks younger than he did playing Agent Dale Cooper in the first season of Twin Peaks, but that was six years later.
He hadn’t had enough pie yet.
I like MacLachlan, but he was a shitty choice for Paul Atreides. He sucked out whatever life remained in that movie after it left the cutting room. Otherwise, Villeneuve *should* copy Lynch’s terrific visuals. If this script is better, then the movie should be fine, whatever the Dune purists think.
I was thinking just that yesterday when the trailer was released how every young actor in the 80’s looked much older than every young actor today.
Other than Michael J Fox.
I would be very surprised if this does well. The main problem with Dune is that it is a niche audience where a small percentage of Sci-fi fans LOVE it, and everyone else thinks it is byzantine, confusing and a Jesus story knock off. It is literally one of those properties that are much better on paper as a novel can really delve into the convoluted setting and set up the different powers and families where a movie just does not have enough time to do so. (for further proof, see “Jupiter Ascending”)For me to even describe the setting to set up this universe before what happens in the plot so the plot makes sense would take a 1000 words here.
A noble family is given a new tract of land with valuable natural resources by the monarch, who is concerned about that family’s growing influence in the legislature. In doing so, the monarch gives that family’s rivals, who previously owned that territory, an excuse to attack them. Their rivals take it back by force and kill most of the family. The son and his mother escape into the wilderness. The son’s supernatural powers make him a religious icon to the indigenous people, who he rallies to expel his rivals from the territory.Yes, there’s a lot of extra stuff in there, but the big beats can be explained pretty simply.
haha yep, that is the very, very abridged version. The problem is 1. knowing and explaining why the land is valuable, as it is basically the entire point of everything, 2. understanding the dynamics of the emperor and the families and really how this universe works, 3. understanding who is “good” and who is “evil”, 4. Explaining the motivations of the emperor so it makes sense, 5. Explaining why the son has “supernatural” powers and how it relates to the plot, 6. Explaining the indigenous people and their beliefs and why they would consider him to be a messiah and 7. How his powers work and how they use them to expel their rivals and 8. What that means to this universe.Yep, easy-peasy in a two hour movie..haha
Most of that is fairly easy to an audience that’s been primed by decades of popular material cribbing from Dune, or from the same sources Dune went to. A semi-reluctant protagonist with special powers who inspires an uprising isn’t going to throw anybody who’s ever seen a single YA film from the past 15 years or so, and warring feudal factions isn’t much of a leap these days either. Some of the points you brought up would be easily covered in a couple lines (seriously, melange is important but it’s hardly complicated), and some of the others just arise naturally through telling the story (the emperor’s motivations and who counts as “good” or “bad”).Yeah, it’s a lot for a two hour movie, but 120 minutes hasn’t been a soft limit for blockbusters for a very long time now, and the story’s being split into two movies anyway, so we’re likely looking at something closer to five hours to cover the first book. That’s plenty of time to cover all the major points and still give things some time to breathe.
Yes, the popularity of things like “Game of Thrones” gets how noble houses compete against each other and how many nobles aren’t above murder even within their house for advancement. Of course that’s basically just actual European history, but GoT brought it to the non-history reading public.
I would agree, but they have tried that now twice going back 30 years and it has not worked. There is something just more complex about Dune that makes it hard for regular people to get into it. Unlike Star Wars where they could just say “Empire bad” I think the complexity here with an emperor who is bad?? maybe? With a “bad guy” family whose only beef seems to be with one family and not everyone. plus the messiah angle is a big hurdle
It’s…really not as complicated as you’re making out to be. Even GoT had messianic themes, re: Danny, and no one is out here thinking Robert or Cersi or anyone with real power were “good guys”.I think you’re really overstating just how complex the books were just because the author stretched out and continued to tell the story across six books, when the this remake is really only geared toward telling the story of the first book across—maybe—two films.
Cries out for an HBO series.
The film adapts only half the book, with a sequel on the way if it’s successful, and there’s no way it lasts 2 hours. Most likely Villeneuve plans on telling the story over 5 or 6 hours.Only points 5, 7 and 8 present any real difficulty – how dense must an audience member be not to tell the heroes from the villains? – and the first film only needs to address number 5.Save the attitude for when you know what you’re talking about.
That’s one part of the story, perhaps the easy part. It skipped the oppressed and exploited peoples (both Fremen and Sardaukar), a desire to reshape an inhospitable planetary climate, the operation of a galactic collective company which may be more powerful than the government, the fact that the children of the rival families are relatives, and so on. The supernatural powers make him a religious icon only due to long term planning to convince them of this. Sure, one can squeeze it down, but then it isn’t really Dune. I would prefer a movie adaptation of Tom O’Bedlam – a story with far more visual appeal opportunities. There are too many features in Dune that barely make sense on the page much less in a visual sense. One thing I did come across recently is worm grunting – the use of rhythmic vibrations to attract earth worms. It’s likely Herbert knew of this and just scaled it up.
The vibration actually creates a raindrop sound that brings the worms up, not sure what he’s talking about with moles. You’ll see birds dancing around doing the same thing to bring the worms up. Makes em think it’s raining.
Walk without rhythm and you won’t attract the worm.
Also, there are really big worms in the wilderness.
Jesus? The more overt parallel is to Muhammad. Jesus didn’t get to lead an army, he just died.
Exactly. And it is set in a desert populated by nomads. And Arrakis is a name of a particular star in medieval Arabic astronomy.
Not only that…*sniffs, pushes up glasses*Arrakis is stated in the book as being the third planet of the star Canopus, which was a tremendously important star in early astronomy (being the second brightest star in the night sky, though not visible from mainland Europe). Also, it’s yet another reference to the Iliad – Canopus was the pilot of Menelaus’s ship. (Aaand he was loved by a prophetess, so there’s another oblique little reference there to prescient visions).
I agree the Jesus analogy is a bit off. However, the Fremen definitely considered Paul a messiah sent to deliver them from their persecutors and lead them to victory.
Jesus wasn’t that kind of messiah.
Kind of the point I was making.
Yes, I was not being that specific. I meant more of a messiah thing and just said jesus
I think you nailed it. This story is an epic saga that took Frank Herbert six books to tell. Not only that, but those six books were intricately detailed. Unfortunately, Lynch tried to pack the first novel into one movie, which meant he had to gloss over a lot of material. It also ran long. The result was people who’d read the books were disappointed and those who hadn’t were left confused.Villeneuve is covering the first novel in two parts, so I think there will be a lot more detail this time around. The Dune series is similar to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy in scope and scale and requires a similar effort in bringing it to the screen. As far as the visuals, I’ve always thought Lynch did a top-notch job in that department. Lynch’s Dune is a visually stunning movie, especially by 1984 standards. It’s entirely possible it would resemble Villeneuve’s Dune if he’d had the today’s technology available 26 years ago.
Didn’t the 1984 film hand out programs to the audiences going into the theaters to catch them up on all the complicated world-building background stuff before the movie started?
Yes, but it obviously did not work since Dune is considered one of the biggest bombs of all time
I don’t think it is necessarilly that complicated -especially since the book basically spells it out right away “we think you are the messiah but the Harkonens hate you and have planted a traitor among you.” All the rest is atmosphere. I just hope that they keep the traitor’s identity secret longer than the book because that kind of took any suspense out of it.
It’s the timeless tale of a rich white guy failing upwards. Except this rich guy drinks his own piss and turns into a giant sandworm.
Game of Thrones had an extraordinarily complex plot but it managed to capture a large audience (setting aside the has the writers made of the last season). Though it did have multiple episodes and seasons to pull it off. And used some silly scenes early on (sexposition) to explain the background.
It’s not really Jesus or Mohammed. Paul is basically the islamic Mahdi, which makes the worm emperor the second coming of Christ. I love the combination of religions in Dune. Catholic, Zen, and Sunni in a singular narrative. It’s pretty rad.
As much as I would like to see this movie be successful, I doubt it will. 1) There is a pandemic still going on and until we get a vaccine before this movie comes out, only a hand few (diehards or curious moviegoers) of people will go see this. 2) And unlike Game of Thrones, to really understand what this movie is about, it would take multiple viewings. With G0T you can just go back and watch it over and over if there was anything you missed. Or have the CC turned on if you didn’t understand what was being said.I love the sheer epicness of this new movie. And I think American audiences are a fickle bunch on wanting to watch a movie where they have to use their brain to grasp what they are watching.
The art direction is the one aspect of this that bums me out so far. The cast, director, and all that are impeccable, but visually it looks like Lynch’s with all the fun leeched out. Same high-collared military uniforms, minus the giant Czar Nicholas fur-lined robes.You could go in so many wild directions with this, as many artists have, which makes it a bummer that it looks like fairly generic sci-fi.
That’s exactly it for me. Honestly it looks like Sicario? Sort of drab, desaturated military? No grandeur, no spectacle, no Big Vision. I’m bummed Villeneuve’s toolbox is so small; I was hoping at least for some OTT costumes. They’re aliens, for cryin’ out loud. The “PUT YOUR HAND IN THE BOX” scene is … sedate. I love that scene in the Lynch version. This is giving me generic military video game vibes. I’m extra bummed about the glow-y force-fields being red and blue, meaning we’ll get CGI battle sequences with a bunch of indistinct blobs lighting up in their respective colors as a means of telling them apart. And this is still the movie I’m looking forward to the most. Go figure!
He made Blade Runner 2049 an incredibly worthwhile experience for a story that absolutely didn’t need to be told, and I enjoyed Arrival as well. I think he does great stuff and I’m very much excited for this. But you can only see Moebius’ illustration of a glam/femme Feyd Rautha so many times before you just assume these books support whatever wild-ass vision a person can conceive. It could be so bonkers.
I haven’t commented on here since The Great Defection but I have to chime in on this. I’ve been waiting around 25 years for a good Dune adaptation on the big screen. After reading it for the first time I immediately went and watched the David Lynch movie and even by 80’s standards it was pure shit. Fucking Sting slinking around on screen. I couldn’t even finish it.But this. This looks AMAZING. Technology has finally gotten to the point where the effects wont be distractedly fake. They have legitimately good actors playing all the essential roles. And we have a director who grew up idolizing the Dune series. The fact that he’s splitting the first book into two movies proves that he gets it. It’s a dense story and he’s not gonna rush through it. I think in the absence of any Marvel films this will become a legit Franchise and we’ll finally get the whole original trilogy in big budget movie form. What a time to be alive!
Why assume the absence of Marvel films?
I’m glad you’re excited for it. There’s certainly few enough things in the world to be happy about right now that I’m not going to try and convince someone out of one of them. Like I say, I’m sure the movie will be rad. I just find the art direction to be a drag.A+++ on Oscar Isaac’s beard tho. That alone will get my ass in a seat.
That beard is glorious. No denying that
The Great Defecation? I hope you are feeling less bloated now.
I could certainly go for one of those
I’m with you. I’ve been waiting for this movie for decades and it looks absolutely mind-blowing to me. It didn’t even occur to me that anyone would consider this to be tame given how beautiful and impeccably crafted it looks. I am 100 percent down with Villeneuve’s entire aesthetic. And the scale/scope looks truly epic. I absolutely cannot wait to see this.
My husband was arguing the same point with me last night… He expects a Dune retread to create a new, visually arresting space world. I argued that you know you’re getting a sleek minimalist take with anything Villenueve directs. It’ll be interesting to see if the grandeur translates or if we get some actual colors rather than the standard teal and orange Hollywood digital grading yet again.
This is assblow speculation on my part, but I also wonder if producers skittish about a moody, slow-burn sci-fi production want to ensure it has the broadest visual appeal possible to compensate for the Byzantine political and cultural machinations.
And here I am being extremely into the visual design of the movie, especially the costuming. But the rest too, likethe Gom-Jabbar looking like some ancient Aztec-esque device and especially the Bene Gesserit.The only thing I’m doubtful about is the force fields, but if they keep that relatively subtle with mild shimmers then I’m good.
Unless there are battle pugs, I do not care for this movie.
I loved 1984 Dune. As a kid, it was one of my favorite movies. But so was Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I liked boring things.
David Lynch’s Dune is an amazing trailer for a much longer film.
Sure, it could end up being a big ol’ dud, but, given that Villeneuve’s past films include Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, whatever we get is at least going to be visually arrestingOne bewilderingly overrated film and one bewilderingly stupid sequel do not bode well, arresting visuals or no arresting visuals. The one thing that can save this is if he’s faithful to the book.
We get it, you don’t like things.
“We”? Are you related to royalty? Or are there more than one person in you head?(I love things. I love good things. Arrival and 2049 aren’t good things. Mostly because of dreadful storywriting, but still.)
What specifically was bad about the storytelling in Arrival?
Nah. They’re good things. But, ya know, they’re just opinions.
Kyle MacLachlan, Sean Young, Timothee Chalamet, and Zendaya were all approximately the same age in their respective Dune films, discuss.
No thanks
i think the reason so many people think Kyle MacLachlan and Sean Young looked older than Timothy Chalamet and Zendaya despite being roughly the same age is that most of us were kids in the 80s when Lynch’s version came out, whereas we’re adults now. characters in their late teens-early 20s were supposed to look older than we were at the time, whereas now we’re all much older than those characters. that’s just me speaking as a near 50 old, tho – maybe to GenZ eyes they all look the same or maybe 80s hair just added 10 years or whatever
Bladerunner 2049 was “a dud”? Arrival was “a dud”?
No.
Both were fine.
Both are rewatch-worthy.
Man, that actor really has a knack for looking completely disinterested in whatever is happening around him. I also wonder how many calories a sandworm expends chasing down a meal equivalent to a human eating two gnats, Frank Herbert’s vast ecological research notwithstanding.
Rogue One cinematographer Greig Fraser… seriously? Not Bright Star cinematographer Greig Fraser (his best work), not Foxcatcher, Zero Dark Thirty, Lion (for which he recieved his Oscar nomination)? Come on!Anyway, I actually dislike the lensing on Arrival – it was so wan and underlit. This looks marginally better but still kind of drab.
Not seen the original but looking at the side by side I would watch Lynch’s adaptation. I love Denis as a director and think Arrival and BR2049 is among the best sci-fi this decade gave but man that trailer was just dull and Timothee chalamet just isn’t that interesting to watch.Lynch’s adaptation looks so nice and colorful while the new one looks so saturated.
Aaaaah …. love reading the comments here, and umpteen other posts, where an unreleased, barely glimpsed film gets crapped on and called DOA without watching the film proper, bolstered by Correct Opinions on How the Film Should Be. Breathe it in folks, that’s evergreen!
Now I need a series based on The Book of the New Sun. A four novel length story set on a worn out Urth, it tells the adventures of an apprentice torturer and the interesting people he meets and executes.
I thought the sets and costumes in 1984 looked for the most part excellent. The navigators were not that well done. The special effects were a bit lame even back then. I was surprised that the sandworms were pretty good. The main problem as I have always thought, the movies is too short. Relationships had no time to flesh out. The duel at the end seemed more like an afterthought. The cast was very good, and it’s easy to say now, but I wanted more Patrick Stewart.