Scratch a futurist, and you will find a sci-fi fan. I do not know a futurist who has not read science fiction. The reason is obvious: fiction becomes fact.
As a Boomer sci-fi fan I started with the great mid-century giants in the field:
Heinlein to Asimov to Herbert. That was the foundational underpinning of my love of good sci-fi.
“Stranger in a Strange Land” / “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
The original “Foundation” trilogy plus a couple of prequels and sequels by Isaac Asimov
The original Dune trilogy: “Dune”, “Dune Messiah” and “The Children of Dune” by Frank Herbert.
Then, later on, I read Douglas Adams, William Gibson, Philip K. Dick, and Robert J. Sawyer, all great sci-fi writers. There are a few dozen others out there that have shaped and defined the literary genre.
The problem I have had with sci-fi films is that they are rarely close to the depth of concept that readers find in great sci-fi novels. Why does the movie industry think that all aliens want to kill humans or that they all look like slimy, scaly lizards?
Some of the greatest sci-fi films have been Hollywood-developed franchises. Star Wars came into being as movies and then became books. Star Trek was created for television, then for theaters, and finally, into books.
Rarely has a top-ranking sci-fi novel become a great film. “Dune “ was the first time I experienced a movie replicating a source book's greatness, but Dune 2 surpassed it in that regard.
One of the great benefits of sci-fi novels is they force readers to create entire imaginary worlds in their minds because the stories are usually somewhere other than Earth and, of course, some time in the future. That is the deep reading experience, to dwell in someone’s other world/universe/cosmos for the duration of the read. How often have you heard someone – or yourself- say that they don’t want to see the movie after reading the book because it can’t match the imagination and the world envisioned during the read? Conversely, why read a book after seeing the film, particularly when many of us feel so time-constrained?
“Dune 2” blows that up. It is true to the book, and the visuals are as good as anything I imagined when I first read the trilogy.
“Dune” is the “set-up” film for the two that follow. [Yes, there will be a Dune 3, though the year and month have yet to be announced as Dune 2 is still in first run.]
“Dune” and “Dune 2” cover the novel “Dune”. Dune 3 will cover “Dune Messiah” and “The Children of Dune”. That is all that is planned at this time. Of course, great box office success usually means prequels and sequels, so there may be more, but director Denis Villeneuve is only interested in doing three movies.
I want to address now how much Villeneuve has not only been deeply true to the Dune saga, but is creating masterpieces that will live forever. I was very excited when I heard that Villeneuve was going to be the director for the Dune trilogy. The reason is that Dune is a huge vision of a desert planet, gigantic worms, and multi-generational planning for environmental change at the planetary level. Huge visuals are in my mind, and now they are on-screen. The long history of trying to bring “Dune” to the screen is one of failure, so a director who directs big movies was called for.
Prior to seeing “Dune,” twice so far, I had felt that two of the most beautiful visual movies of the last 10 years were “Blade Runner 2049” followed by “Arrival.” Both are big concept movies of the first order. Directed by? Denis Villeneuve! So when I learned that he was going to direct the trilogy, I was thrilled. Right person, right subject. [I would now say that, visually, the three most beautiful movies of the last eight years are, in order, “Dune 2”, “Blade Runner 2049” and “Dune”.
The double underscore is that Hans Zimmer is the composer of the soundtrack for “Dune 2”. He also did the soundtracks for “Dune” and “Blade Runner 2049” in collaboration with Villeneuve. Zimmer has one of the greatest bodies of work for soundtracks of anyone alive: all of the three movies listed above, plus “Interstellar”, “Gladiator”, “Inception”, “Top Gun: Maverick” “Rain Man” “The Dark Knight” “The Dark Knight Rises” “No Time to Die” and four “Kung Fu Pandas” for a partial list. Zimmer is known for big, symphonic, and anthemic soundtracks. Villeneuve and Zimmer; the perfect collaboration for the “Dune” trilogy.
I have a degree in Art History. I love going to art museums. I admire great visual achievements. These are the sensibilities that made me think about the beauty of this film. In the darkened theater, with Zimmer’s soundtrack booming out of the speakers and with planetary scale visuals on the screen, I was struck by the straightforward fact that if someone had not read any of the Dune books and could not hear the dialogue, they would witness a stand-alone artistic masterpiece of sight and sound. It is that beautiful.
Steven Spielberg saw “Dune 2” and then told Villeneuve:
“You have made one of the most brilliant science fiction films I have ever seen!”
Christopher Nolen told Villeneuve that “Dune 2” reminded him of his favorite Star Wars film “The Emperor Strikes Back” and that “Dune 2” was at that level.
It’s not just your humble futurist that is raving about the film.
If you are one of the millions who have read and reread “Dune” and you hold it in high regard, you will love this film. A multi-generational book becomes a multi-generational film.
Herbert wrote a masterpiece. Villeneuve directed a masterpiece.
I may see you at the theater, as it is quite easy to think about seeing it a second time there and then finally again when it hits streaming.
Go buy a ticket!
Please share this with others.
Spielberg complements Villeneuve
A great tribute to the film by a knowledgeable film connoisseur
Of course I agree Jean!
Really liked the sound affects when the worm was coming... both movies were exceptionally