Dune

The Lynch movie was interfered with by DeLaurentis and co which resulted in Lynch's hating it so much he had his name removed and replaced with...some other name I forgot but which is obviously fake.

I liked the movie, though. I thought the coolest part was how the 'weirding way', which in the book is the method of fighting(among other things) via absolute body control as used by the Bene Gesserit, into the 'weirding modules' which were hand held weapons using sound as ammo.

The heartplugs were added for the movie if I remember right and I liked them fine. They were an obvious way for the Harkonnen's to control their people. The monster in the box was a Spacing Guild Navigator. These are beings who have such long term exposure at such high levels to melange that they have mutated into non-human creatures of almost pure mental abilities. These mental abilities are used to plot the path a highliner must use when they fold space. They don't fold space themselves but rather find the path needed to do so.

I've read the book twice but not in many years. I liked it quite a bit, though. I liked the detailed accounts of the worms and the sandtrout and all that. I also liked the passage that discusses a group of Fremen women and children destroying a larger group of Sardaukar, just as another exclamation point on the whole 'Fremen are badass' deal. Stilgar is cooler in the book, but in the movie he's Big Ed Hurley so that's also cool.

Inkdaub said:

The monster in the box was a Spacing Guild Navigator. These are beings who have such long term exposure at such high levels to melange that they have mutated into non-human creatures of almost pure mental abilities.

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This was actually a change from the original book - and it was carried over into the prequels written by Frank Herbert's son. I've just finished the book for about the fifth time, and the navigators looked just like normal people, but they wore contact lenses because their eyes were such deep blue as to be almost black. Like the Fremen blue in blue eyes, but way more so.

DUNE the novel is a big tapestry Sci-Fi epic that had immense appeal to fans in the mid-'60s, earning it the Nebula and Hugo awards. Future empire meets medieval swordplay for sound scientific reasons.

DUNE the movie had its visual moments and a couple of reasonable performances, but I thought it sucked in comparison with the novel.

I detested how the Sardaukar were reduced to marching martinets and the Fremen to stumbling bumbling extras charging across the desert sands...

...But this is an old argument, and there are old threads somewhere that pretty much discuss the subject to death. Enjoy the books! Forget trying to compare them with the movie/TV mini-series.

-Derek

I feel that Dune was ahead of its time.

I read the book about 15 years ago. I remember that it was a solid read, well written, and had great world building. I also remember that the characters had some emotional depth and that it was a pleasing "Epic" tale.

Just my two cents

Mel...

Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, and God Emperor of Dune are the four "must read" of the series in my opinion. You could also add Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune to that, but I think things resolve just fine in the first four books.

In my opinion, the material Brian Herbert has written is much weaker than that of his father.

JimmyB27 said:

This was actually a change from the original book - and it was carried over into the prequels written by Frank Herbert's son. I've just finished the book for about the fifth time, and the navigators looked just like normal people, but they wore contact lenses because their eyes were such deep blue as to be almost black. Like the Fremen blue in blue eyes, but way more so.

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You are right and I had totally forgotten this. It's interesting that Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson would use something from the movie like that. A stronger visual I suppose.

JimmyB27 said:

This was actually a change from the original book - and it was carried over into the prequels written by Frank Herbert's son. I've just finished the book for about the fifth time, and the navigators looked just like normal people, but they wore contact lenses because their eyes were such deep blue as to be almost black. Like the Fremen blue in blue eyes, but way more so.

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Funny how you can mis-remember some things.

I read the book a while ago and I could have sworn that the navigators where 'altered' mutated humans. I actually like that visual better.

I think I was corrupted by the first movie Dune. Saw the movie first, then read the book, so i guess the picture of the navigators just kinda stuck in my head.

either way, still loved the book.

The new movie miniseries from the sci-fi channel wasn't too bad. At first, I did not like it because of the acting.

For me, Dune lends itself to an epic, Shakespearean type of treatment, that is why I prefered the first movie version (I know, the special FX need to be taken with a grain of salt, but it was 1980, cut them some slack )

But I watched the newer Dune again and the second pass I didn't find it too bad.

I would love to see the second Dune, but cast with the first Dune actors. That would kick ass!!!

Mel....

From memory:

In DUNE the novel, the Guild seers were human and wore eye lenses, one got jostled towards the end (after the Fremen attack) and a lens fell out, revealing spice addict blue.

In DUNE MESSIAH the novel, wasn't the Guild navigator conspirator swimming in a tank?

Lynch's DUNE drew from both books and showed the big head thing in the mobile fish tank.

-Derek