As a fan of The Book (yes, the one and only Book; I'm that kind of fan) and having been thoroughly enamoured by Part 1, Dune: Part II frankly disappointed me.
- Cinematography was great.
- Soundtrack was great.
- Acting was...acceptable. A little overly dramatic, in my opinion, but it's a dramatic kind of narrative. It missed some potential subtlety in places, but on the whole the acting was fine.
- Plot & Characters...yeah...then there was the plot and characters...
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The Timeline: Makes no sense. Turning years into months does not allow sufficient suspension of disbelief for the events that transpire to be in any way believable. We're talking about the subversion of a culture of millions to believe in a messianic figure to the point they'll risk a plan that has been decades in the making. Months simply will not do.
Lady Jessica: Marginalised as a character even further from the weakness portrayed in Part I. I always read Jessica as strong and in control, even in the face of the uncertain situations she finds herself in (Pauls awakening, being forced into becoming Reverend Mother, being an outsider in an unfamiliar society, Alia's strangeness, etc.). Film Part I put her in a position of being too reactive and uncertain; emotional even. Part II went even further so as to remove any kind of her own agency; being influenced by the Fremen Reverend Mothers and/or Alia, buying into the Progenita Missionara to the exclusion of her own ties to the ideals of the Atreides/Paul, etc.
Chani: Relegated from supportive life partner, mother of Pauls child, priestess, friend to and confidant of Lady Jessica and a generally quite interesting character to "stroppy love interest".
Alia: Whilst not a critical character to the plot, per se, an interesting one nonetheless. I can understand her de facto removal, even if I don't like it (a bit of a Bombadil, if you will).
Thufir Hawatt & The Harkonnens: Some argue his role in the narrative is minor, but I disagree. He is critical to the representation of the Harkonnen ideology and identity. Dune II portrays the Harkonnens as little more than generic, barbaric bad guys with little in the way of subtlety or even intelligence, which couldn't be farther from their representation in the book. It's an insult to the audience to have them believe the Harkonnens even be considered as viable stewards of the universes single most valuable planet without some kind of evidence of how or why they became such a prominent House. Including Feyd Rautha's arena scene in the film, whilst barely touching on the manoeuvring that occurred around it and the relevance it has in the book ("plans within plans") was just a waste of run time. Compare the "just another duel" scene in the film to the book, in which Herbert outlines the Harkonnen use of addiction, drugs, poison and authority to highlight their mode of "corruption begets power" as a direct comparison to the Atreides mode of "loyalty breeds power". The way Thufir behaves with the Baron and Feyd lies in stark contrast to his faithful service to Duke Leto.
The Fremen: The book was as much an exploration of Fremen culture as it compares to that of the Great Houses as it was a story about two Houses fighting for control of the Spice. We get none of this in the film. Not their hospitality, death or marriage traditions, not their almost latent psychic connection as a result of their high-spice diet, not the trippy rave parties they have when a Reverend Mother transmutes the Water of Life, not the way they live in any way, really. All of which were important in guiding the the child Atreides, Paul into becoming the adult Fremen, Mua'dib. The how and why of the Fremen are instrumental to the "rise of the ubermensch" story that Paul experiences. Mention of what the spice means to their culture and how integral it is to their everyday life is entirely omitted, not to mention the vast wealth it affords them to literally buy The Guild's silence to conceal their plan for Arrakis. The Fremen are the sleeper faction of the book, a secret powerhouse that none but a few even suspect of having their level of training and sophistication, technologically, strategically and politically, but in the film are little more than a religious group that's bigger than expected.
The Guild: Entirely absent. Whilst also largely absent in the book in terms of characters or direct interaction, their presence is nonetheless so relevant to the narrative that they influence the actions of and are at least mentioned by every faction.
I could go on about further aspects that disappointed me and it surprises me to read so much praise for the film, both from those new to Dune and those that claim to be fans of the book and/or franchise. Right, now I've vented that, I'm off to go enjoy reading one of, if not the single best sci-fi novel I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
Re: Dune II
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