The GF and I went to see Dune in the cinema last night, in one of the swish local cinemas with reclining seats etc. We took along a little cup of chocolate mousse and it was all very pleasant.
The film itself wasn’t too bad. It was too long, and the characters spent rather a lot of time staring at vistas, and the music was silly at time. There was a lot of mumbling. I wondered to what extent someone who hadn’t read the book would follos what was going on, but I had read it, so was fine. Also I wasn’t particularly committed to the book, so it was not set up to disappoint. Whereas I’m fond of the short story the director’s previous film, Arrival, is based on, and like the original Bladerunner very much indeed, so Villeneuve’s adaptation and sequel, respectively, seemed very poor by comparison.
Other negatives: I still find Timothee Chalamet quite a slappable presence, and the desert wasn’t nearly as overwhelming as I think it should have been. But I really liked how they did the sandworms, and some of the other characters – Duke Leto, the ecologist, the Harkonnens, were all very good. And they did capture something of the lunacy of the book, though admittedly after Lynch’s film it was a sober production.
Anyway, nice to go to a cinema, and especially one where people looking at their mobile phones can’t really bother one as everyone is seated in their own little box.