Dune (2021)

I made a huge mistake. I should have read the book before I saw this. Because I might have liked the book. And if I had, I might have liked the movie. But coming into it fresh? That was a slog.

No disrespect intended to the franchise or its many fans. I just didn't dig the movie.

I saw the David Lynch one a few years ago and I remember I found that one confusing too, but I had assumed that was just Lynch being Lynch. It seemed sort of in his wheelhouse.

I mentioned this was a slog. In the movie's defense, so are all three Lord Of The Rings movies, and those are awesome. The thing is, as long and draining as those movies ultimately are, the iconic things I remember about them are beautiful. Gandalf in the Shire, Lothlorien, Galadriel, and the entire vista of Middle-Earth is gorgeous.

The most memorable things in this movie are gross. The floating, fat creepy guy, the spitting as a sign of respect, the sand-worms, and the unsettling blue eyes. And again, I see why Lynch was drawn to the story. But Lynch obviously truncated a lot of it, and while his movie was longish, I don't recall it being quite a chore to sit through. I may be misremembering it. Of course I also would argue Lynch's cast was better. Patrick Stewart, Kyle MacLachlan, Sting, Dean Stockwell, Max Von Sydow? Controversial opinion, but I stand by it.

I feel like I might be overly harsh to certain franchises that people reading my reviews may love. I'm letting Dune fans know, my negative reaction is due to unfamiliarity rather than the movie having done something wrong. If I had a little more context and background for what I just saw, my opinion might have been different. **1/2.