Start with the trailer.

Like Bel, I consider the Dune book series to be in my top 10 all-time. There’s no possible spoilers for a book like that. Sort of how like everyone know King Kong is supposed to die at the end. The books cover an astounding level of complexity in terms of morals, and what it means to be human. The links to AI (which is from 1965!), religion, mortality, and destiny all come together in an amazing piece.

I think most people are familiar with the David Lynch version, what with Sting in a jockstrap and all. That movie really freaked me out when I was younger, which I guess is the point of all Lynch films. There are a few too many liberties taken here, so that when you read the books it seems quite odd. Netflix has a documentary on Jorodowsky’s Dune. It really seems like a massive acid trip, rather than the B-class movie that Lynch ended up with.

In 2003 there was a Sci-Fi miniseries that covered the first 3 books in the series. That was really well done, and you get to see a young James McAvoy too. It didn’t include the inner monologues, which was a nice change, and it kept the storyline clean rather than disturbing.

What interests me most about this interpretation is the director Denis Villeneuve. He makes incredibly movies and surrounds himself with an amazing team. I’m one of those weirdos who appreciates lighting, color choice, and can identify a director of photography. You look at something like Zach Snyder and his penchant for drawn out set pieces that are more like paintings, or the more signature quick dialogue cuts from Tarantino. You get to appreciate their methods and interpretations.

If you watch the trailer more than once, you’ll notice that most of it is filmed in contrast. It’s practically a black and white film. There are close ups of people’s faces as they live through a moment, or ponder a thought. There’s something about his approach to detail that really brings it to another level.

Really looking forward to it.