dune, denis villeneuve: three and three-quarters shattered crysknives
based on the novel by frank sherbet
some spoilers below; i've tried to keep it at the general level that won't actually spoil the viewing experience
the second dune film is recommended for fans of the books. this story is much more faithful to the central themes of the novel than its 1984 predecessor; the subject of the dangers of a charismatic leader is front and center. the film does rework certain central aspects of the plot, though, mainly the relationship between chani and paul (the passionate and steadfast partnership portrayed in the book becomes, here, more fraught and conflicted), and it also has a major change that comes to define the movie: in the book, herbert skips over paul's rise to power, portraying it as inevitable and then showing what comes of it; the film takes that rise to power as its principal subject.
the film is more varied in cinematography than part one, mostly because of its time on geidi prime: the harkonnens' planet is depicted in black and white, given a black sun with ominous rays; the action on that world is dramatized by the washed-out sunlight from that impossible star. arrakis becomes richer than it was in the subleached first film, awash in the cinnamon spice. the fight scenes are a special focus; the movie is basically an action pic, although the political thriller aspects exist as well. one thing the film does well is to capture fast-paced action and -- this is a particular strength -- to give each faction their own distinctive style of combat, each of which combines differently with the others'. (the use of personal shields takes a little suspension of disbelief, as -- like the first film -- they are not excessively concerned with being consistent about the speed at which weapons can penetrate shields.)
villeneuve seems to have been specially concerned with avoiding any overlap with the 1984 movie, perhaps sensing that to do so would trespass into the world of camp humor. the atmosphere of the film is instead mostly grim. fastidious as he is, there is one verbal overlap which sneaks in when paul attempts to ride a worm for the first time. i can't bring myself to spoil it, though. villeneuve does not bring in feyd and rabban.
overall, i'd recommend it; it's hardly destined to eclipse the book, but it's a respectable addition to the dune canon. i hope that this team will continue the series and treat us to the endless parade of duncan Idaho clones that awaits us there.
