i figured out atj was going to be rebecca ferguson’s unborn kid within about two minutes and i was so proud of myself. 

okay, dune! saw dune at noon. let’s chat. 

this movie is epic in its scale, visually stunning, and the sound design is really something to marvel at. unfortunately, i am not a production designer, sound designer, or cinematographer. i’m a screenwriter, so story and character is what i care about. and i guess i just wasn’t that fulfilled. 

dune, the franchise, is a sci-fi epic that takes itself so seriously, and in all honesty, the grounded, realistic approach it takes to things like the bene gesserit and space travel is really cool. and then at times, it’s a little difficult to follow, because that same grounded style is unable to reconcile the insane worldbuilding needed for this story to make sense. 

i’m not the right person to talk about any of the religious allegories in this story; i will say that i don’t know if i totally understand what this story is going for, or if it’s going for anything. a movie like dune — or a book for that matter — does not need to be making some grand social statement, but if it’s not, the way it parallels real life religious conflict feels a little icky. would love to read more about that relationship tbh. 

in the end, i feel like i lose the scope of the story and characters within the scope of the visual landscape. i know in vague who chani, jessica, etc are, but i want more. can we elaborate on the emotional conflict jessica feels becoming a religious figurehead and in essence sacrificing her son? why does chani fall in love with paul in the first place? the only character i feel like i really understand is paul, but his emotional journey is undercut by a religious resurrection that leaves him unreadable to us, the audience (as fremen surrogates essentially). i just want more. 

the motivations of the forces of the galaxy are interesting — especially the bene gesserit, and the glimpses we get of it through florence pugh’s low-screen-time subplot — but again, i don’t think we get enough of them. in my mind, the relative scope of the story doesn’t align with the grand visuals and score to marry and create something thematically cohesive. this is kind of a small story centered around a few characters and one location, but there are all of these orbiting characters and ideas that lose focus and float around aimlessly.

i have to note that the language stuff in this is incredible. i am definitely going to look more into the language of the fremen and how it was developed, because it’s so well integrated into the script and story. in addition, the use of sign language between jessica and paul is a really nice touch; i feel like the linguistics of this world are a solid lens through which to view alliances and political machinations, and i applaud the movie for allowing that element to exist in full form without downplaying it. 

i think i like this movie? i know for certain i want to read the books, and i think i’ll get a lot out of them. but i guess i, personally, want more from this than i think it’s willing to give me. 

last thought: the sound of the thumpers in imax was so satisfying, idk why i love them so much.