Dune Part Two … Can’t wait

It’s no secret that Dune is one of my favourite books, ever.

I’m old enough that I was old enough to watch the 1984 film when it was first released and was horribly disappointed.

The 2021 release of Part One of Denis Villeneuve’s version I also found disappointing…at first.  While not nearly the same campy disaster as the 1984 version, it did mess with the book quite a lot.

I was also disappointed by the casting of Paul Atriedes…but honestly, I think just about any actor would fail to live up to a reader’s expectations for that role.  I also remember being disappointed by the casting of Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, but I quickly became accustomed to Viggo Mortenson in the role…and now I can’t imagine anyone else.

Just as a side note, I think the casting of the rest of the major characters in Lord of the Rings was pitch perfect.  So it is possible to get it spot on right.

I did end up watching Dune Part One a few times, and gradually began to notice that the changes weren’t structural.  The story remained true to the major movements of the book.  And I actually liked some of the changes, including casting Liet-Kynes as a woman.

Duncan Idaho remains a problem for me.  Well, not so much for Part Two, as he won’t appear.

But Jason Momoa was simply wrong.  He doesn’t have epicanthic folds, which Idaho has in the book, and despite his ethnic heritage, Momoa still comes across as too Caucasian for the role of Idaho. And far too easy going for a warrior of such reputation.

I’m not sure how the Momoa version of Idaho could have ever impressed the Fremen the way Idaho did in the book.

In the end, I came to enjoy the first part of the full story very much despite these minor niggles.  And I am very much looking forward to Part Two, which releases in November.

If you’ve yet to catch up with the trailers, which are causing all sorts of stir among fans, check them out here and here.  Part Two dropped only a couple of days ago, and there are YouTube videos breaking down every second of the trailer, analysing what might be in store for viewers.

There may yet be a third official trailer by the time this post goes live.

Enjoy.

Cam.