“I am the voice from the outer world!”

So far, the best film of the decade. Although this viewing was far inferior to my first (nothing can really compare to IMAX), it remains an incredible cinematic experience. As noted many times before, often in jest, this film is very orange. But what else can be expected of the desert planet? I love the aesthetic here. The special effects are also some of the all time greatest, pretty much flawless in that regard. 

The action is also good. Denis isn’t an action director, and his sequences aren’t the strongest I’ll it. But they are functional and remain entertaining. It’s well edited and framed. You understand what’s going on and can follow with it (unlike some other films purporting to be action…). They’re enjoyable, but ittedly not super memorable. It’s not the highlight of the film, but the action is not bad. 

All the performance are good. Timothee is great as Paul, he’s absolutely on fire in some scenes (in particular where he finally embraces himself as Lisan al-Gaib, to the tragedy of everyone else). Austin Butler is also gunning for a ing actor nomination, honestly it’s pretty much inevitable that the guy will win an award soon. He deserved it for Elvis, but he also deserves it for his work here as Feyd. The rest of the cast is also great, not a bad or sleepy performance to be found, everyone’s on top form. Even Zendaya, one of the most overrated actresses of all time, is pretty solid here. That being said the changes made to Chani’s character are pretty dumb. It also doesn’t even go anywhere within the film, but I suppose we’ll see how it affects the Dune Messiah adaptation. As a negative it’s pretty minor, as in the context of the film (ignoring that this is an adaptation for a second), it works well enough. I especially like Chani’s face of betrayal when Paul decides to take the Princess as his wife. 

I love the arc Paul goes through here. In Paul’s character I think the film completely succeeds. Many people sort of misunderstand Paul. He’s less Luke and more Anakin (actually being an inspiration for Anakin). He’s not really the good guy, him choosing to go to the South, choosing to be the messiah, will kill billions. Interestingly, the movie changes the book’s much more evocative “jihad” to just being a “holy war”. Also, many people mistake Paul for being a Jesus allegory. He’s not, actually quite the opposite. Paul is the messiah, but he’s the political messiah that the Jews expected. He hasn’t come to bring peace or free us from sin, he’s come to kill billions and take over the empire. He’s a false messiah, a false Christ (anti perhaps). Paul is more in line with Sabbatai Zevi or Muhammad. Another clue to that is how the Fremen are presented. They’re a sort of mix between the Hebrews and the Arabs (in particular being based upon the Bedouins). Likewise their culture is a Sci-Fi-ification of Second Temple Judaism and Islam. An interesting look at the phenomenon of the false messiah, far deeper than I think the average viewer might be willing to look.