If You Have Read Dune

[Appa23]

I must ask you:

Spoiler

Is the book (series) as incredibly boring as the movie?

I have seen stories where fans are saying that this is the most faithful adaptation, which makes me glad that I avoided reading it as a teenager.

In the movie, Paul is a caricature of a moody Gen Z teen. The cinematography is beautiful, but everything else is bad. Sound levels are way off. Nonsensical gibberish about the McGuffin Spice, space witches, and a group called the Fremen that are supposed to be isolated and tribal, yet are surprisingly ethnically diverse in their genetic make up.

I did enjoy Jason Mamoa’s performance. When his is the highlight acting performance, that is a sign. I do feel like I need to see the 2nd movie, just to get some degree of closure and feel like I did not waste 2.5 hours for nothing. But it likely will be on a streaming service.

[Beebs52]

Spoiler

It's been forever since I read it, but don't remember it as particularly boring. It and Asimov's Foundation are similar, I think.
It was long...

[silverscreenselect]

The original Dune novel (which is currently #4 on the Amazon best seller list) is over 800 pages long. But that's in line with a number of fantasy and science fiction epics. Each novel in the Lord of the Rings trilogy was over 500 pages (Ironically, The Hobbit was a 200-page book but it was turned into a nine-hour trilogy as well). The Game of Thrones novels are 7-800 pages long as well. And it's not just fantasy and science fiction. War and Peace and Gone with the Wind are over 1,000 pages long.

These books were meant to be companions, much like soap operas or the long-form miniseries that many of them are turned into. Readers identify with the lives of the characters and the world the author created, including the details, and aren't in a hurry to binge it all in one night just to get to "the good stuff." That of course doesn't square with modern-day moviemaking, which frowns on anything longer than three hours for the simple reason that you can't have that many showings of a longer movie.

I've seen the current Dune and have recollections (but no desire revisit) the earlier version. My opinion pretty much concurs with what others expressed in this thread. I think the movie is for fans of the book who will enjoy putting a familiar face and actor name to the characters.

[Bob Juch]

Spoiler

It's been forever since I read it, but don't remember it as particularly boring. It and Asimov's Foundation are similar, I think.
It was long...

The Foundation miniseries on Apple TV+ was much better. I just didn't care about the Dune characters.

[jarnon]

I read the whole Dune series decades ago. Each novel is better than the next.

[earendel]

I read the whole Dune series decades ago. Each novel is better than the next.

I disagree. As a friend of mine once said, "Dune makes me believe in divine inspiration because how else could someone write something as epic as Dune and follow it up with a load of crap."

As for appa's question, the movie is a (reasonably) faithful adaptation of the book. The problem is, as with most adaptations, a lot has to be left out of the movie that are explained in the book. As a for-instance, the scene in which the Reverend Mother sticks Paul's hand in a box and tells him if he removes it he will be killed, is a test called, IIRC, the gom jabbar. The book explains in greater detail the purpose of the test.

[T_Bone0806]

Loved the first book. After that, not so much.

[Bob78164]

I read the whole Dune series decades ago. Each novel is better than the next.

I disagree. As a friend of mine once said, "Dune makes me believe in divine inspiration because how else could someone write something as epic as Dune and follow it up with a load of crap."

As for appa's question, the movie is a (reasonably) faithful adaptation of the book. The problem is, as with most adaptations, a lot has to be left out of the movie that are explained in the book. As a for-instance, the scene in which the Reverend Mother sticks Paul's hand in a box and tells him if he removes it he will be killed, is a test called, IIRC, the gom jabbar. The book explains in greater detail the purpose of the test.

I'm much closer to earendel's view of the books than to jarnon's. I gave up on trying to read the series after the third book.

I am looking forward to making time for the movie, though. --Bob

[jarnon]

I read the whole Dune series decades ago. Each novel is better than the next.

I disagree. As a friend of mine once said, "Dune makes me believe in divine inspiration because how else could someone write something as epic as Dune and follow it up with a load of crap."

Actually, I’m in complete agreement with you, your friend, T_Bone and Bob. Please read my post again.

[Bob78164]

I read the whole Dune series decades ago. Each novel is better than the next.

I disagree. As a friend of mine once said, "Dune makes me believe in divine inspiration because how else could someone write something as epic as Dune and follow it up with a load of crap."

Actually, I’m in complete agreement with you, your friend, T_Bone and Bob. Please read my post again.

Oops. Now I see what you did there. --Bob