PREVIEW TO REVIEW
Dune always struck me as more in line with Highlander and other such franchises than, say, Peter Jackson's franchises. And I never entirely got the appeal of Highlander. I was interested in Dune (2021), but originally planned to see it sometime in the distant future on DVD.
My motive to head to the theater was the surprising choice of Timothee Chalamet as Paul. It was so entirely counter to previous choices (see Kyle MacLachlan and Alec Newman) though closer to Newman than to MacLachlan. But it indicated a vision of the book that outweighed previous renditions--and a willingness to go outside the obvious to complete that vision. That is, Chalamet had already made a name for himself but not in sci-fi. The choice was governed by ability and persona, not by box office credentials (he has them now).
I am always fascinated by books made into films since the attempt is so fraught with issues (and complaints from diehard book fans, who can never be satisfied). It is also rare to be in a position to compare high caliber (well-financed) films of a single source against each other--other than Jane Austen and Agatha Christie (and Agatha Christie films usually indicate no more than token interest in the books themselves). That is, Peter Jackson's LOTR is fairly definitive, simply because, well, who else is going to put in the same time and energy and money and thought?
Dune attracts intensely invested investors. Unusually for books-become-movies, I was able to prepare by viewing two versions (theater and TV) that were highly applauded for their attempts (I also reread the book).
So what about Dune (2021)?
PRIOR REVIEWS:
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