I read the first Dune book and I hated it. I know the book is ~60 years old, but all the plot devices, references and lore really sounded dated and it really killed the vibe for me. I also didn’t find Herbert to be a very good storyteller, and there were many plot points severely lacking in detail. The latest movie however, was pretty fucking awesome, and gave the story the futuristic feel it was lacking in the book.
Dune purists are going to crucify me now
I’m not mad. Just disappointed.
I kid. Everyone has their own tastes and flavour preferences. I’m a fan of the book and also think Villeneuve did a pretty bang up job with Part One.
All sci fi ages poorly, some ages more poorly. Dune has the advantage of being a universe where they fought a war with computers, thus they’ve more or less been banned. This helps them avoid references to aged tech like most sci fi, giving it a bit of a reprieve there. If you read novels that were contemporary with it, you’ll find a lot of rooms full of tapes for computer systems, and similar. But perhaps that is more your style.
Personally, I dislike “psi” powers in my sci fi. And Dune, like many others in its era, is obsessed with this notion that “you only use 10% of your brain… imagine what you could do it you unlocked more!?” Modern neuroscience has completely pooh-poohed the idea, but if you read anything classic sci fi, you need to tolerate it. In the case of Dune, I tolerate it because the world building is worth it.
I absolutely agree about Herbert not being a good storyteller or writer. I found it a difficult read simply because of the prose, and I really didn’t like his use of an omniscient narrator. I don’t really like omniscient narrators in general, but I found Dune’s narrator especially difficult because of how freely it switches between characters. I often found that if my focus slipped even slightly, I’d realise a couple of minutes later I had no idea whose perspective the narrator was giving any more and have to backtrack paragraphs or even pages to work it out.
I think I perhaps appreciated the book more than you, but I didn’t find it an enjoyable read. It certainly gave me a greater appreciation of the film, though, which I also very much enjoyed! And I’m glad I read it simply because it’s such an influential book in a genre I love - it’s interesting to see how so many things have build from its foundations.
Urgh I CAN’T wait! Like literally I don’t want to wait anymore please!
I got tickets for opening night IMAX and the next night at Alamo Drafthouse in one of their smallest theaters. Want to experience the film in 2 different ways. Did that with Pt 1 and it was one of the best movie going experiences I’ve ever had.
DUNC
I get so many memories looking at those reels. After film school I worked in a 65/70mm lab. It’s was an amazing experience. Those reels are so heavy it’s crazy!!
Nice logo on the film. Is that a sticker, or exposed directly on the beginning of the reel?
Just a sticker. You wouldn’t see it if it was exposed to the film without light shining trough it. The first few feet of film has nothing exposed to it. Since the operator needs to grab that directly to loop it trough the projector. https://youtu.be/_uFyp1WS1Fw
