Dune Part 2 is an astonishing achievement in filmmaking that is ruined by the worst female love interest that has ever been put to screen. 1/
The cinematography and action proves you can lean hard on cgi and still do amazing things. The arena/fight scene on Gedi Prime with washed out b&w and casual brutality is one of the most disconcerting things I’ve ever seen; and effectively sets up the alpha bad guy 2/
Even more than Lynch’s film, the fremen were effectively depicted as superhuman t4liban as Herbert imagined they must have been keeping the soviets out of Afghanistan. Probably bc we’ve since gotten rolled post 9/11 trying the same thing. 3/
Every main character actor in Dune part 2 is 5 stars amazing in the film. Except Bautista who was atrocious and Zendaya who is the worst headlining actress in the world. 4/
Denis effectively shows the acid trip aspect of taking spice & how the instilled high functioning autism from it is Herbert’s proposed modern super power. & how it relates to Afghanistan poppies, how the major (real) world powers want them for opiates etc. 5/
Herbert predicted that poppy based drugs would cause young men to develop similar “super powers”. Look upon twitter today and you see the evidence. But all through Denis film (unlike the book) Chani is skeptical. Annoyingly so. 6/
Jeffro Johnson explains in his book “Appendix N” that Princess Leia in Star Wars fails the Darcy test when Luke first meets her. Darcy Test, named for the male love interest in Pride & Predjudice says something rude2the female love upon first meeting. Leia & Chani flip this. 7/
Darcy Test is important because, in a good romance story, the women in the audience must see male lead as desirable but needing to make amends. Chani instead upon meeting Paul decries his poor skill at sneaking thru the sand. 8/
Unlike Herbert’s book, Chani keeps insulting Paul & unlike “Pride & Predjudice” or “Empire Strikes Back” (with Han v Leia bc Luke got btfo); Paul never effectively tames the shrew or even tries. Message 2young men being “even autism Superman is longhoused, so u must take it”. 9/
Book Paul meditates2see the jihad he’s going2cause &fears doing it. He waffles on which path bc of this. In Denis film (thru a combination of needing to tell these thoughts to the audience & being unable to have a simple love interest prize 4 Paul to win) Chani nags him. 10/
She also nags Paul’s mom. Which modern women see as some great achievement; winning against the mother to take her place as alpha nag. So rather than the amazing book ending quote of mom saying to Chani “history will see us as wives”, we get the Chani pout ending. 11/
Mass battle near end of the film is 1of the best ever made. Final 1v1 knife fight at the end of film is the best knife fight since Friedkin’s “Hunted”. &Chani’s pout face ruins it all!
Film could have been monumental achievement 4Villeneuve but instead it’s a feminist flop. 12/12
Oh also she’s ugly af 13/12
Wow this film analysis thread really blew up. Check out Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”. It’s the sand of the summer!
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