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yaxomoxay

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“The immediately appealing thing about Paul was the fact that in a story of such detail and scale and world-building, the protagonist is on an anti-hero’s-journey of sorts,” Chalamet said.
In other words, he’s not dreaming of adventure. He’s resisting it. Afraid of it.

“He thinks he’s going to be sort of a young general studying his father and his leadership of a fighting force before he comes of age, hopefully a decade later, or something like that.”

Well...

he and his family kinda end up being dictators...
 

D.T.

macrumors G4
Sep 15, 2011
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Some great info and very new photos here:


It looks fantastic, some incredible casting, I have a LOT of faith in Villeneuve.
 
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Huntn

macrumors Core
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May 5, 2008
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Dune Messiah spoiler
Well...

he and his family kinda end up being dictators...
This story has been around for a long time, so I’ll avoid spoiler tags. I referred to it in my last post, Paul Atredies tried to control his revolution, his followers, but it felt to me he was trapped, by the religious aspects, by his sister, that were required to defeat the enemies of his family. And he could not control the movement without destroying it until he bows out at the end of Dune Messiah.
 

th0masp

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Mar 16, 2015
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Hmm, have to confess those early pictures look a bit underwhelming to me. Motorbike outfits unsuccessfully masquerading as stillsuits and starter-outfit video game armor. Stark contrast to the opulent and very custom looking designs the Lynch movie bombards you with in every frame.

What's the etiquette regarding spoilers for a 1965 novel btw? :)
 

Grey Area

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Hmm, have to confess those early pictures look a bit underwhelming to me. Motorbike outfits unsuccessfully masquerading as stillsuits and starter-outfit video game armor. Stark contrast to the opulent and very custom looking designs the Lynch movie bombards you with in every frame.

Agreed - the looks was something the Lynch movie got right, it really felt like a future that was very distant, different and old. Those images from the new movie look a bit uninspired. That being said, we don't get to see much yet on those pics, the actors are great, and Villeneuve's movies so far have shown plenty of style, so I will remain optimistic.
 

rhett7660

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Jan 9, 2008
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Sunny, Southern California
Hmm, have to confess those early pictures look a bit underwhelming to me. Motorbike outfits unsuccessfully masquerading as stillsuits and starter-outfit video game armor. Stark contrast to the opulent and very custom looking designs the Lynch movie bombards you with in every frame.

What's the etiquette regarding spoilers for a 1965 novel btw? :)

To soon... way too soon! :D:D

While I had issues with the book and the movie, didn't see the TV series, I am still interested in seeing this one when it drops. I think we will get a better feel for what we are in for when the first trailer drops! I hope...
 
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th0masp

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Wouldn't be surprised if the trailer dropped this week. Hopefully a proper trailer, not some teaser teasing another teaser that is all logos and title cards and a few seconds of footage you can barely make out. :)
 

yaxomoxay

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To soon... way too soon! :D:D

While I had issues with the book and the movie, didn't see the TV series, I am still interested in seeing this one when it drops. I think we will get a better feel for what we are in for when the first trailer drops! I hope...

The two TV series were actually pretty good. Children of Dune is a great adaptation.
 
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yaxomoxay

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For some reason, either timing or I didn't have the channel at the time, I just never saw them. Will have to see if I can track them down now that I have a little more "free" time on my hands! :cool: :D

Let me know what you think of them. Dune is a good adaptation of the first book, but you can see that it's somewhat low budget. Children of Dune on the other hand is an incredibly good adaptation of book II and III... with an incredible soundtrack (check it out on youtube or Apple music).
 

rhett7660

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Let me know what you think of them. Dune is a good adaptation of the first book, but you can see that it's somewhat low budget. Children of Dune on the other hand is an incredibly good adaptation of book II and III... with an incredible soundtrack (check it out on youtube or Apple music).

I haven't brought myself to read any of the other books in the series. I know there has been talk from quite a few folks on it, I finished book one and was left under whelmed by it. But I will definitely check out what you mentioned though!!!
 

yaxomoxay

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I haven't brought myself to read any of the other books in the series. I know there has been talk from quite a few folks on it, I finished book one and was left under whelmed by it. But I will definitely check out what you mentioned though!!!

Understandable. I think that God Emperor of Dune (Book IV) is by far the best among all.
 

yaxomoxay

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I think you were one of the ones that read all of them correct? Would you say, you should read all of them or can you skip a book or two?

Yes, I've read all of them,
Of the Frank Herbert books, I wouldn't skip any.
Of the Brian Herbert & Kevin J Anderson books, I'd skip Paul of Dune and Winds of Dune.
 
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th0masp

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The last two of Frank's books are somewhat optional in my opinion. It's quite the change from books 1-4 (which do wrap up the Atreides story nicely).
My understanding is that these two books were supposed to be parts 1 and 2 of a trilogy set in that new timeline and with the new cast and that he never got around to writing part 3. They're still good reads in my opinion and do expand the universe, but they do feel like a tie-in to the main story.

Based on excerpts I read I'd skip all of Brian's books entirely. :)
 
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yaxomoxay

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Based on excerpts I read I'd skip all of Brian's books entirely. :)

compared to his father’s book, they are nothing.
However I must say that they do a really good job in feeling as the Dune Light version, and in describing quite a few adventures. In other words, I enjoyed them, with the exception of the two mid-original series books which are awful. Read them if you want some good sci fi based in the Duniverse.
 

Grey Area

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compared to his father’s book, they are nothing.
However I must say that they do a really good job in feeling as the Dune Light version, and in describing quite a few adventures. In other words, I enjoyed them, with the exception of the two mid-original series books which are awful. Read them if you want some good sci fi based in the Duniverse.

I enjoyed the three House-books while I read them, though I must admit I do not remember much about them, which may be saying something.

The Butlerian Jihad on the other hand I remember well as the single worst book I have ever read. Maybe in part it is my own imagination that is to blame - somehow the original books had left me with the impression that the Butlerian Jihad had been a more "subtle" event without clear Good and Evil, a war between luddite fundamentalists and decadent modern tech lovers. And then Brian Herbert comes along with a war against muaharharing robot-overlords who whip human slaves. It felt so crude and immature, like something written by an eight-year old. I have since refused to read anything else Brian Herbert has written. I won't even buy the otherwise very nice Folio Society edition of Dune, because it has an afterword by Brian Herbert.

Phew, sorry, rant over. :D
 
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th0masp

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Maybe in part it is my own imagination that is to blame - somehow the original books had left me with the impression that the Butlerian Jihad had been a more "subtle" event without clear Good and Evil, a war between luddite fundamentalists and decadent modern tech lovers.

Exactly what I was thinking when I read an excerpt from that very book. It read like some really bad fan fiction on a simpleton's blog somewhere. I also checked out an excerpt for one of the house books - Atreides if memory serves - and it was another case of fleshing out a byline from the original novel in a juvenile way. Something about the backstory of Gurney and how he got his scar.
I almost got a facial scar myself from facepalming. ;)

There's tons of little snippets of worldbuilding buried in Dune, I shudder to think just how many of these bits were picked up and mangled in an attempt to create more ... 'content' for the 'franchise'.

At any rate it's different authors and a noticeably different style so it's bound to be an awkward fit even in the best of cases. These excerpts were released alongside the books, they are probably available somewhere still to check out for yourselves.
 
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Huntn

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I only have the first 2 books to gage, the first was most excellent, the second, while an extension of first was good, had all of the first book’s elements, and very significant events but felt stifled and almost depressing in comparison, written like a tragic chapter of a multi-part book.

In tone, the first book was a big exciting adventure, while the second was a relatively depressing reality of what Paul Atreides had accomplished including his decision to
to end his own life
although that is not a certainty.

I’m debating if I want to continue the series with Children of Dune.
 

yaxomoxay

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I only have the first 2 books to gage, the first was most excellent, the second, while an extension of first was good, had all of the first book’s elements, and very significant events but felt stifled and almost depressing in comparison, written like a tragic chapter of a multi-part book.

In tone, the first book was a big exciting adventure, while the second was a relatively depressing reality of what Paul Atreides had accomplished including his decision to
to end his own life
although that is not a certainty.

I’m debating if I want to continue the series with Children of Dune.

I think you should, up to God Emperor of Dune they are certainly good books, so even if you find them less exciting than the first book they should still provide enough entertainment and quite a good read. Also, as I mentioned, God Emperor (Book IV) is my favorite in the series.
[automerge]1587129371[/automerge]
I enjoyed the three House-books while I read them, though I must admit I do not remember much about them, which may be saying something.

The Butlerian Jihad on the other hand I remember well as the single worst book I have ever read. Maybe in part it is my own imagination that is to blame - somehow the original books had left me with the impression that the Butlerian Jihad had been a more "subtle" event without clear Good and Evil, a war between luddite fundamentalists and decadent modern tech lovers. And then Brian Herbert comes along with a war against muaharharing robot-overlords who whip human slaves. It felt so crude and immature, like something written by an eight-year old. I have since refused to read anything else Brian Herbert has written. I won't even buy the otherwise very nice Folio Society edition of Dune, because it has an afterword by Brian Herbert.

Phew, sorry, rant over. :D

lol. I found the Butlerian Jihad trilogy entertaining, but I do agree that the first book is just a man v machine plot in the Duniverse. I think that Book II and Book III (Crusade and Corrin) get better as they provide a background for the characters and events that we loved in the original series.
As for BH, the various books he wrote with KJA - a good sci-fi author in his own right, and a nice person for what I can tell (I asked a few questions via email a few years ago, and he promptly replied with kindness - are clearly milking his father's legacy. He's now going around claiming that the new Dune is fantastic and true to his father's books... he will make millions out of the new movie, so it doesn't surprise me. Therefore, the expectations I had when I started reading the first trilogy (the House trilogy) was extremely low... just the idea that he found disks with the plot for the final book by Frank so he decided to write THREE prequels was suspicious at least. I am not saying that he's a bad person or anything, but if you are asking me if he's milking Frank's books: heck yeah. It's probably my low expectations that made me enjoy the book more than other fans. Do I regret reading the BH&KJA books? Absolutely not. I enjoyed reading them, I found some characters compelling, I found some plots intriguing. Most of them are what they are: a space adventure, with the added Dunesque element.
 
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th0masp

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Mar 16, 2015
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I only have the first 2 books to gage, the first was most excellent, the second, while an extension of first was good, had all of the first book’s elements, and very significant events but felt stifled and almost depressing in comparison, written like a tragic chapter of a multi-part book.

In tone, the first book was a big exciting adventure, while the second was a relatively depressing reality of what Paul Atreides had accomplished including his decision to
to end his own life
although that is not a certainty.

I’m debating if I want to continue the series with Children of Dune.

Well suffice to say if you are after the vibe from book one then you are not going to find that in the subsequent books.
By book four you will barely recognize that universe anymore.
 
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th0masp

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I didn't mean that in a bad way - it's just that the author is quite progressive and does not try to ride a successful formula for a while. When I read these book initially I was taken aback somewhat by that, too.

Without spoilering too much, over the course of the books the Atreides turn into something that Duke Leto would have fought against .
 

tbayrgs

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Jul 5, 2009
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As the first trailer dropped yesterday, I'm resurrecting this thread.

Dune is one of my favorite novels, read it a few times as well as books 2-4 when I was a teenager in the 80s. I find the 1984 movie awful and the Sci-Fi channel adaptations decent but am really looking forward to Denis Villeneuve's take, especially after that first trailer.

Pretty good Cast Q&A moderated by Stephen Colbert went up yesterday as well.

 
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yaxomoxay

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As the first trailer dropped yesterday, I'm resurrecting this thread.

Dune is one of my favorite novels, read it a few times as well as books 2-4 when I was a teenager in the 80s. I find the 1984 movie awful and the Sci-Fi channel adaptations decent but am really looking forward to Denis Villeneuve's take, especially after that first trailer.

Pretty good Cast Q&A moderated by Stephen Colbert went up yesterday as well.


It looks VERY intriguing. Not convinced about a couple of fight scenes in the trailer...
(I liked the 1984 movie, but it's not really a Dune movie.)
 
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