There's now an official trailer for Dune (embedded) and the movie is coming in October. You may recognize many faces as there are some well-known (and maybe not so well-known) actors.

You may be aware of the book titled Dune written by Frank Herbert (or you may not), but it is only the first in a series. I have Dune and at least one (some where) and at least one of the related books, but I've only read Dune. This movie centers on the first half of the first book. There was a previous movie that adapted the book. Patrick Stewart had a part in it, but it seems it wasn't received well. There have been other adaptations of the book.

You may also be aware of some video game adaptations. Dune 2 was among the first strategy games I played around 1995. It was popular among my friends, so I played it and really enjoyed it. It evolved into Command & Conquer, which was also a great strategy game in those days. Since then, there has been at least one attempt to bring that Dune game back. That game was titled Dune 2000 and I've hardly touched it.

Legendary is behind this and they're one of my favorite movie studios. They created the modern Godzilla and Kong movies, which I think were fantastic. They have other titles I really enjoyed as well.

It looks like it's coming to HBO Max. Let me know what you think about this and if you plan on watching it. Let me know if you've read Dune or other books in the series. Also, let me know if you've played any of the games and what you thought of it (or them).

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/23/2021 at 06:37pm

I've read Dune a couple times, and seen various adaptations, so this feels like a theater must-watch. This isn't a new story, so I'm guessing the studio went all-in on the visuals and score (and it seems like it based on the trailers). I'm hoping this is a spectacle worthy of the big screen :)

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 07/23/2021 at 07:30pm

I can't wait for this. It is directed by Denis Villeneuve. He directed both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, which imho, are some great sci-fi movies.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 07/23/2021 at 08:37pm

I think this looks great! From something I read, it seems that the people working on it are good at adaptations. As I said, I read that this will only cover half of the book. I hope they decide to make a sequel to cover the other half. I imagine if it's received well then they might do it. I don't really have an idea of what "half of the book" will look like, though. I am excited to see Legendary in the credits, but I'm also excited to see at least a few of the actors I recognize.

I've only read Dune once. I've probably only seen the movie w/ Patrick Stewart and Sting once, maybe twice, but I think I pretty much liked it. I have it on VHS. I think the quote of "he who controls the spice, controls Dune" is popular. At least, I remember when it was for me. Really, IMO that's the whole of Dune, that's the basic synopsis.

I thought it was funny that Paul "had a dream about a girl." I was thinking, "me, too!!!!! It looks like Paul has become a man." LOL But that dream makes him more relatable for me. Seriously.

jaelte wrote on 08/04/2021 at 03:59am

Oh, a movie? For some reason (probably the fact that it's HBO) I thought that this would be a series. Either way, I'm definitely planning to watch it.

jdodson   Admin wrote on 08/04/2021 at 06:50pm

Me too.

Like Adam, this seems like a theater must see.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 08/04/2021 at 09:04pm

I like watching things in my own comfortable and private environment, so I'll most likely not go to the theater.

BTW, Jon, I sent you a private message days ago, still waiting for a reply. :)

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/21/2021 at 09:35pm

Was anyone else hoping to see Dave Bautista jump into a wormā€™s mouth like he did in Guardians of the Galaxy? I'm also curious why house Ordos wasn't involved. I think they did well with the story focusing just on houses Atreidies and Harkonnen, so I can understand that house Ordos would have only complicated the plot. It was good enough without them, yet I was expecting a plot more like the Dune 2 game where the Emperor sends all three houses to Arakkis to see who can control the planet. Even though I've seen both movies and have read the book, I guess I'm still more familiar with the game. Also, no one said the famous "he who controls Dune controls spice,...." quote. I enjoyed it though. I think they will create a part two, especially since this is "part one." I was really impressed with the cast list. There are some very recognizable names from very recent movies and it was great seeing them together. I enjoyed the 1984 movie, too. I also enjoyed the cast in that one with a few recognizable names.

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/22/2021 at 01:02am

Greg, did you watch it at home or the theater?

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/22/2021 at 01:04am

Home. I'll only go the theater if something isn't streaming.

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/22/2021 at 01:49am

Do you think it would be better in the theater?

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/22/2021 at 02:24am

"Better" is subjective. However, New Rockstars recently said The Eternals would be best viewed in an IMAX theater.

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/23/2021 at 12:28am

I just watched this. So good. I want to see it in the theater. All that being said, I donā€™t see how this will make its budget back. I donā€™t see it as a popcorn flick that people will flock to.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/23/2021 at 01:27am

That's a disappointing assessment. If it doesn't make it's budget back, I doubt part two will come. I think fans of Dune will like and appreciate it. I don't remember how closely it follows the book. It's been a very long time since I've read it. I seem to recall seeing before it's release that it would closely follow the book, that whoever was working on it is really good at adaptation. Do you remember the book? Do you know how well it was adapted? Thanks for the comments and opinion! :)

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/23/2021 at 03:58am

I never read the book. šŸ¤£

Dune fans have aged. Not sure any kids read dune anymore. Do they?

Overall it is very good sci-fi, but I would argue not as accessible as say a Star Wars or a Star Trek. It fits in well with Villeneuveā€™s previous sci-fi work (Arrival and Blade Runner 2049). Which I love, but the general audience did not.

Going back to the fans being older, I think the audience of this film will skew older. Given that movies have an older audience have not been doing well during the pandemic, I donā€™t see how this will make its money back.

I think it makes $30 million opening weekend. HBO max probably ate into a good portion of the money it would have made. If it wasnā€™t on HBO max and there was not a pandemic, I think it would have brought in $50 million opening weekend. Given the $165 million budget (that is not counting marketing money spent), I donā€™t see how they will make the money back domestically.

šŸ¤žthat there is a sequel though, because I want to see more.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/23/2021 at 05:03am

Your opinion is more valuable to me since you never read the book. I read it some time around my high school graduation in '98. I have other books by Frank Herbert, but I haven't read them. I think I saw the 1984 movie some time after. I still have the VHS, but no way to play it.

Funny that you mention Star Trek as I'm watching Discovery now (I'm loving it). I think you're right in that Star Wars and Star Trek are both more accessible and much more popular. There's a lot more of them than there is of Dune.

I think your assessment regarding the pandemic and HBO Max is perhaps accurate. If it didn't premier on HBO Max I believe I would have gone to the theater to see it. I haven't looked into it so I don't know how streaming affects profits. This is a new world of entertainment for us. It may take some time to iron out all the kinks. Scarlett Johannsson recently settled her lawsuit with Disney and I think it is an eye opener. I'd like to believe other studios have learned or are learning from this. Still, I love streaming although I think it could lead to the death of the theater, eventually. I could be wrong, though. I'm sure the same things were said with the advent of things like laser discs, BetaMax, VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray yet it still remains. The pandemic hit the entertainment industry hard and it will be nice to see it recover, if or when we make it out of this.

I'm glad, like me, you also want to see part two.

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/24/2021 at 12:27am

This article says it will end up with what about what I said it would, and that is a good thing:

https://www.slashfilm.com/641214/dune-lands-best-opening-for-hbo-max-day-and-date-release-what-does-this-mean-for-part-2/

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/24/2021 at 12:38am

Very optimistic news! Thank you for sharing!

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/24/2021 at 07:23pm

Looks like it is going to bring in $40.1 million. Beat my projection.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/24/2021 at 09:48pm

Wow! I wonder how they discern profits from HBO Max, since it's not something that requires an individual payment.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/25/2021 at 11:25pm

Oh, I just learned something I don't think I knew before. The reason there are so many similarities between Dune and Star Wars is because George Lucas took inspiration from Dune. Yes, that means Dune came first.

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/26/2021 at 06:20pm
Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/26/2021 at 07:48pm

YES!!!! This means this is the most successful adaptation of Dune yet. I watched some videos about Dune in general last one (YouTube: Looper). It was very interesting, but it seems like it was a big failure, except for the book(s). Thanks for sharing this great news! I heard that these two movies are the first two in a trilogy. Supposedly the third will be based on Children of Dune.

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/26/2021 at 11:27pm

I am sure they are hoping there is more than just two films. I read about an HBO Max series. Not sure what happened to that.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/26/2021 at 11:52pm

From what I saw yesterday, the 1984 movie was a big failure (although I enjoyed it). Then there was a series for Children of Dune, which I didn't watch and I don't really have much interest in doing so. If this is a trilogy, then I'll look forward to seeing all of it and it'd be cool to cover Children of Dune, since I'm mostly unfamiliar with it. I hope they bring in more well known actors to match this first movie.

jdodson   Admin wrote on 10/29/2021 at 04:40am

I watched Dune a few nights ago.

I saw it at an RPX theater with a good sound system and a big screen. Dune is an epic movie and I bet most people will love it in the theater. That said, itā€™s a longer film and Iā€™d have enjoyed it more watching it at home. Iā€™ve really enjoyed watching these more epic films at home as some of these films really donā€™t seem to require seeing them with other people. Some films are so magnetic, with a lot of energy and watching them with the audience is really special. Dune is epic, but itā€™s not a movie where the audience is laughing or cheering or anything and frankly was a bit more contemplative of a film.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/29/2021 at 04:59am

Cool, Jon, thanks for sharing your thoughts! You clearly value an audience more than I do. I like watching at home in the privacy of my own room where I can eat, drink, or pause to go to the bathroom. Plus, I *really* hate waiting in line to buy a ticket wondering if there are going to be any seats (or good ones) left by the time I make it to the counter. That's currently my worry with Eternals. I'd like to go see it on opening night, but I'm afraid it's going to be too crowded. It might be better for me if I can see if I can buy my ticket online. I believe I can, but I'd have print it and I can't recall if it's cheaper or more expensive. I'll have to look into that again.

Will_Ball   Game Mod   Super Member wrote on 10/29/2021 at 06:28pm

Not going to lie, had to look up RPX. Still not sure what it is, other than probably a higher ticket price.

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/29/2021 at 07:44pm

I was going to ask what RPX was, I've never heard of it before, but I also live on the opposite coast, so there's probably much over there I'm unfamiliar with.

Some time ago I looked to see if I could pre-order movie tickets online and I can. I looked it up again last night and found an issue that holds me back from doing just that, a "convenience fee." I think my theater is only open during show times and I don't know if I can actually physically go there and buy a ticket early. Plus, even if I did get one, I think I'd still have to wait in line to give the person a the counter my ticket. So, unless I want to pay more than a dollar more for "convenience," I'm going to have to do the inconvenient thing of waiting in line. I could avoid waiting in line by showing up early enough, but I'm not sure how much earlier I need to be there. Ugh, I'm ready to let theaters become a relic of the past.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 10/29/2021 at 09:52pm

After watching Dune at home (I have a pretty good TV and decent sound bar), I have to say watching Dune in the theater was a *much* better experience. 5 seconds into the movie at the theater, I was already blown away. I think seeing Dune a second time also increased my appreciation for it.

(RPX is basically Regal Cinema's version of an IMAX theater. It's not quite IMAX, but it's bigger, sharper, and louder than a normal theater)

Azurephile   Super Member   Post Author wrote on 10/29/2021 at 10:12pm

Cool, Adam, thanks for the clarification! I figured the X meant it had to do with IMAX. I haven't experienced IMAX. My local theater is a Regal Cinema. I live in a rural area in Virginia.

I do like the huge screen and very loud sound, that certainly adds to the experience, but it's not really necessary for me. I will go see The Eternals, though, since it's not streaming. I expect to do so for the other Marvel movies, because I don't expect they'll be streaming right away.

jdodson   Admin wrote on 10/31/2021 at 04:05pm

Not sure why but the RPX screen looked like it had an oil slick all over it. I imagine there is some coating on it for 3D or something but it was very distracting. Also the rattling behind the seat.

That said, it was fun going with friends.

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