Thursday, April 24, 2008

Awesomely Bad Movies: 1984 Dune = Disaster

This time I’m going to talk about another movie that I still love to this day. I used to watch the movie over and over for the battle scenes. During my Senior year in high school, We read the book for English and although I knew the movie wasn’t the best quality movie ever I came to realize how terrible it really was. The movie I’m talking about is Dune, and a lot of sci-fi fans like it....hey, I’m one of you, but you have to admit that this movie is disaster, and by disaster, I mean that Carter has made a better script come of out his diaper. Without reading the book, you can probably get through the movie and say “Well, I think I know what that movie was about, but it’s freaking 4 hours and I’m not watching it again.” That is unless you’re a sci-fi geek. If you read the book then you sit there and say “Did I just waste 4 hours of my life on this piece of crap? I want those hours back…..thank you Dune for taking those hours away from me forever.” This was truly a book that didn’t translate well onto the screen at least in this version.


Normally when a book is adapted into movie form, they take things out and then fill in the plot so that you can get a movie that seems to flow through like it was never a book and if you’ve read the book you’re thinking…that was good, but I thought they would show this or I thought this was better in the book/movie. Case in point for missing things completely in the books…..the Harry Potter movies are pretty true to the books, but you can’t have everything in a 700 page book be put into a 2 ½ hour movie, which is why you’ll wonder why they don’t show more quidditch or it seems like Ron and Hermoine’s parts are getting smaller, even though in the books their more vital than ever.


The problem with Dune is that even in a 4 hour movie you could still never fit everything into it….and that’s understandable Frank Herbert’s book is an fully grown sci-fi book, with a lot of subplots, it’s what makes the book one of the best sci-fi books ever written, and why Herbert’s influence along with a few others have really founded our modern Sci-Fi/Fantasy Genre of books. Where you get into trouble is that original movie of Dune just adds a subplot that was in the book without the explanation. It’s like the writer’s are saying…oh wait the audience isn’t going to understand this point in the end if we don’t add a character, but rather than spend the time to develop the character so that you take the information as being important they just plop someone in the movie for 30 seconds and then they leave. Do the characters: Duncan, Liet Kynne, The Emperor, or any of the spacing guild play the roles in the movie like they do in the book. What about some key subplots like: Why do the Harkkonen’s hate the Atreides? Why is the Emperor so concerned that spice production on Arakkis is having problems? What are Sadukar troops and why would that be a big thing if the Emperor is sending them? Then the space guild…..ummm….wtf….they kind of show up in the movie sound like idiots, look like idiots, and then they leave. These guys are more powerful than the emperor…..they’re the ones that run the show….without them the whole empire doesn’t work.


This post is already longer than I wanted so next time I’m going to continue my Dune rant and post some things about the movie that just don’t make sense or in some cases I’ll explain things that I’ve mentioned in this post…because unlike the writers of the screen-play….I’m all about clarity and explanation for this post at least.

12 comments:

Karlene said...

LOVED the book. It is my all-time favorite in the world. Didn't care for the movie at all--except I had a crush on the guy who played Paul, who is now famous for being on Desperate Housewives.

Anonymous said...

The fancy the barbaric with two backs casinos? into this untested [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url] thrust and catch up online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also dissect our untrained [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] take at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and pick up realized folding convert !
another swaggerer [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino spiele[/url] finish across is www.ttittancasino.com , because german gamblers, inadvertence in unstinting online casino bonus.

Anonymous said...

christian singles dating kansas http://loveepicentre.com/ tango wire christian lesbian dating

Anonymous said...

downloads pva ebook http://audiobooksplanet.co.uk/Michele-Hilmes/m89051/ foxit software ebook reader [url=http://audiobooksplanet.co.uk/Enzo-Colotti/m35359/]ftp ebook picture password[/url] ebook i am regina

Anonymous said...

big chief scheduling software http://buyoem.co.uk/product-36625/MailStore-Server-5-2 best downloading software [url=http://buyoem.co.uk/de/product-37388/Ease-Audio-Converter-2-4]service department software[/url] medical billing software for an apple
[url=http://buyoem.co.uk/category-100-104/Software-Plugins]Software Plugins - Software Store[/url] computer forensics software investigation
[url=http://buyoem.co.uk/es/product-14813/PopChar-Mac][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/2.gif[/img][/url]

Anonymous said...

organic chemistry software education http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/product-36347/Bitvise-WinSSHD-5-2 math software cheap [url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/es/product-12196/MS-Money-Premium-2006]dvd clone software reviews[/url] google routing software
[url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/product-37198/Magic-Music-Editor-5-3]Magic Music Editor 5.3 - Software Store[/url] best freeware audio software
[url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/it/category-100-109/Antivirus-e-Securiti?page=4][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/3.gif[/img][/url]

Anonymous said...

techno making software http://buysoftwareonline.co.uk/de/product-35766/EMCO-Network-Malware-Cleaner-4-1 t shirt maker software [url=http://buysoftwareonline.co.uk/fr/product-14870/SpaceObServer-3-0]blocker software pop up blockers[/url] go text software
[url=http://buysoftwareonline.co.uk/product-36925/XLineSoft-ASPRunner-Professional-7-0]XLineSoft ASPRunner Professional 7.0 - Download OEM, Software Sale, OEM Software[/url] gps companion software
[url=http://buysoftwareonline.co.uk/fr/category-100-111/Outils-de-syst-me?page=2][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/4.gif[/img][/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/sinequan.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/7.jpg[/img][/url]
drug city pharmacy http://onlinemedistore.com/products/ed-discount-pack-2.htm lloyds pharmacy tens machine [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/gift-kamagra-jelly.htm]stop and shop pharmacy arlington ma[/url]
patient care plan form pharmacy school http://onlinemedistore.com/products/viagra-professional.htm surrey center pharmacy [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/luvox.htm]luvox[/url]
fruyh pharmacy http://onlinemedistore.com/products/lotensin.htm current events in pharmacy [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/flonase.htm]riverpoint pharmacy spokane[/url]
postgraduate pharmacy schools http://onlinemedistore.com/products/plendil.htm fruths pharmacy [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/flonase.htm]flonase[/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/aleve.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/9.jpg[/img][/url]
chapel hill pharmacy middletown http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/keftab.htm aseptic technique in pharmacy [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/catalogue/s.htm]ultram pharmacy on line[/url]
peru pharmacy online http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/prometrium.htm cvs pharmacy job application6345696422578018410 [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/zebeta.htm]zebeta[/url]
virginia certified pharmacy technicians http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/categories/gastrointestinal.htm pharmacy palmale [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/ampicillin.htm]postgraduate study at uppsala university of pharmacy[/url]
elephant pharmacy walnut creek http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/catalogue/m.htm heb pharmacy jobs [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/paroxetine.htm]paroxetine[/url]

Anonymous said...

dating christie mackenzie [url=http://freeinternetdating.info/matchmaking/croatia-matchmaking]croatia matchmaking[/url] 5th wheel uncencered naked dating
dating your watch http://freeinternetdating.info/socialnetwork/brunette-myspace-layouts girl in kenny chesney dating
free dating love site with [url=http://freeinternetdating.info/socialnetwork/browns-vs-steelers-myspace-coments]white trash dating[/url] dating in courtney

Anonymous said...

dating sites for people over 40 http://loveepicentre.com/ legitimate adult dating site
le chat dating [url=http://loveepicentre.com/taketour/]nazi dating site[/url] indian free muslim dating
dating hotline [url=http://loveepicentre.com/advice/]dating for 5 months[/url] dating dallas fortworth [url=http://loveepicentre.com/user/cherry/]cherry[/url] dating arab

Anonymous said...

mobile phone dating messages http://loveepicentre.com/success_stories/ christian dating michigan
dating traditions indian [url=http://loveepicentre.com/contact/]local disabled dating service[/url] who sandra lee dating
dancing with the stars dating ochocinco [url=http://loveepicentre.com/faq/]nebraska dating singles[/url] divorced mothers and dating issues [url=http://loveepicentre.com/user/Deadrules007/]Deadrules007[/url] nude black dating