What was the last film you watched?

[T42]

Dune...
Yes, it's a two-parter, knowledge which I came to late. I'm not sure I'll bother with the second, it's a bit of a nerd-tickler. Unless it's a musical.

Sandworms singing "Feed me, Seymour!"  I'd go to that.

[Kim]

Need to get 24hr party people watched before I cancel prime in a few days...

I wouldn't bother.  I slept through most of that in the uni cinema when I was a PSO.

[mrcharly-YHT]

HEAT

Not finished it in one sitting (gosh what a long film, nearly 3 hours). Huge cast, including a very young Natalie Portman.

Enjoying it. Great performances from most, although some phone it in (Henry Rollins for one, although he doesn't really have much to work with).

Finished film last night.

That was good. Couldn't guess the ending until the last 30s. Producers note, that is how you make a film.

[L CC]

I'll probably watch 2021 Dune on TV at some point (haven't been to the cinema in years) but TBH I think it looks like a misfire, overall. Lynch's version was a bonkers mess, but it was a gorgeous looking bonkers mess with some spot-on casting. This one…hmm. Kyle MacLachlan seems a far better fit as Paul than Mr Chalamet. Rebecca Ferguson's too young to be his mum.

I'd disagree. Yeah, I'm a bit nerdy fan but the boy actually looks like a boy- that scrawny too tall for his bulk early teens thing.
The casting is at least as good in this one as Lynch's, I'd say better (no Sting, for a start). Lots of what was described upthread as missing would fit much better in a part 2.

I liked it a lot.

[StuAff]

 

[Paul]

I took the boys (12 & 14) to see Dune last night not really knowing how it would go down with them (or me for that matter), but it got a thumbs up all round. Not 10/10, but they both enjoyed it.

I thought it was a little slow in parts, but everything else worked well.

… I always never really understood in an age where people can zip between the stars in giant spaceships why they fight battle hand-to-hand with knives. I'm sure there's a reason, but I doubt it's a very good one.

Could it be because of the shields? Maybe projectiles wouldn’t penetrate?

[T42]

Nah, it's because even in books you get more mileage out of a sword/knife fight than phasers at 5 paces.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I took the boys (12 & 14) to see Dune last night not really knowing how it would go down with them (or me for that matter), but it got a thumbs up all round. Not 10/10, but they both enjoyed it.

I thought it was a little slow in parts, but everything else worked well.

… I always never really understood in an age where people can zip between the stars in giant spaceships why they fight battle hand-to-hand with knives. I'm sure there's a reason, but I doubt it's a very good one.

Could it be because of the shields? Maybe projectiles wouldn’t penetrate?

In the books there are guns - just slow projectiles with poison usually.

The personal shields block anything moving fast. A quick arrow would be stopped, so would a fast-swung club.

Extensive use is made of poison gas and slow-projectile guns.

Lasers interact with the shields causing huge explosions; this is used as a trap in some circumstances, to force the attackers to turn their shields off.

The slow projectile guns make them easier to dodge, so it is realistic to close distance to 'knife fighting' ranges. I'd rather have a spear . . .

[redshift]

(small snip)
The slow projectile guns make them easier to dodge, so it is realistic to close distance to 'knife fighting' ranges. I'd rather have a spear . . .

(click to show/hide)

There's a nice bit where the Atreides form line with lances (Hoplite doru, really) but as the Sardaukar drop in behind them using suspensors, it's a bit of a moot point.

Actually, that reminded me of the Eben-Emael battle.  Classic two-pronged attack on fixed defences, with elite air assault troops.

[andrewc]

https://variety.com/2021/film/news/dune-part-2-sequel-1235094974/


Part 2 looks to be on the cards.

[T42]

Dune Industries Inc^® produced enough sequels to keep them going until 2040.  Herbert lost me at n°2.

[Jakob]

Dune: Closer to the book than I expected. Awesome set/production design. A bit slow. A bit too much Zimmer. 8/10.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Unlikely I'll get to see this in the cinema.

Nerd facting. I've just remembered that the fremen don't use suspensors or shields (same tech) because they attract worms (and drive them to a frenzy). So the use of lasers as a booby trap is a particularly fremen tactic that works for them when fighting off-worlders.

The only city is behind a range of mountains called the Shield wall. The only place on Arrakis where worms can't go.

[andrewc]

Unlikely I'll get to see this in the cinema.

Nerd facting. I've just remembered that the fremen don't use suspensors or shields (same tech) because they attract worms (and drive them to a frenzy). So the use of lasers as a booby trap is a particularly fremen tactic that works for them when fighting off-worlders.

The only city is behind a range of mountains called the Shield wall. The only place on Arrakis where worms can't go.

Also the regular sandstorms generate static charges which will short out a shield.  I don't think the shield/lasgun effect is mentioned in the film, but in the book it's Duncan Idaho or Gurney Halleck who leaves one as a booby trap. 

[ian]

I took the boys (12 & 14) to see Dune last night not really knowing how it would go down with them (or me for that matter), but it got a thumbs up all round. Not 10/10, but they both enjoyed it.

I thought it was a little slow in parts, but everything else worked well.

… I always never really understood in an age where people can zip between the stars in giant spaceships why they fight battle hand-to-hand with knives. I'm sure there's a reason, but I doubt it's a very good one.

Could it be because of the shields? Maybe projectiles wouldn’t penetrate?

In the books there are guns - just slow projectiles with poison usually.

The personal shields block anything moving fast. A quick arrow would be stopped, so would a fast-swung club.

Extensive use is made of poison gas and slow-projectile guns.

Lasers interact with the shields causing huge explosions; this is used as a trap in some circumstances, to force the attackers to turn their shields off.

The slow projectile guns make them easier to dodge, so it is realistic to close distance to 'knife fighting' ranges. I'd rather have a spear . . .

You've got a spaceship. Drop a rock on them from space. I believe it's the approved method.

[spesh]

Dune Industries Inc^® produced enough sequels to keep them going until 2040.  Herbert lost me at n°2.

The only sequels are Dune Messiah through to Chapterhouse Dune - the prequels and sequels perpetrated by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson do not exist. Like the Star Wars prequel trilogy*, they are just a mass hallucination.


* Though to be fair to Star Wars Episodes 1-3, they don't look that bad set against Episodes 7-9.

[Kim]

You've got a spaceship. Drop a rock on them from space. I believe it's the approved method.

Denizens of the Scary Devil Monastery will be familiar with the Orbital Anvil Delivery System, and the delta-v requirements for de-orbiting heavy objects.

Of course, if your spaceship isn't actually in orbit, but is merely hanging propulsively outside the atmosphere like a Death Star, you have no such problems.  (But keep an eye on that reactor, otherwise you might end up causing an ewok extinction event.)

[FifeingEejit]

Need to get 24hr party people watched before I cancel prime in a few days...

I wouldn't bother.  I slept through most of that in the uni cinema when I was a PSO.

Meh it was alright, but I was convinced I was watching Alan partridge.

I've also failed to cancel prime in time so trawled the "included with prime" section to make sure to get my 8 quid worth.

Sent from my BKL-L09 using Tapatalk

[pcolbeck]

… I always never really understood in an age where people can zip between the stars in giant spaceships why they fight battle hand-to-hand with knives. I'm sure there's a reason, but I doubt it's a very good one.

The tradition SF answer for knives and swords etc is precisely because they are zipping between the stars in giant spaceships. You really wouldn't want to punch a hole in the hull or damage some vital bit of machinery with a high kinetic energy projectile.

[Kim]

… I always never really understood in an age where people can zip between the stars in giant spaceships why they fight battle hand-to-hand with knives. I'm sure there's a reason, but I doubt it's a very good one.

The tradition SF answer for knives and swords etc is precisely because they are zipping between the stars in giant spaceships. You really wouldn't want to punch a hole in the hull or damage some vital bit of machinery with a high kinetic energy projectile.

Meanwhile, while high kinetic energy projectiles would be an eminently suitable way for spaceship A to attack spaceship B, this is frowned upon in favour of getting all the spaceships neatly lined up with minimal relative velocity, and then dogfighting with I-can't-believe-it's-not-laser-beams.

[mrcharly-YHT]

… I always never really understood in an age where people can zip between the stars in giant spaceships why they fight battle hand-to-hand with knives. I'm sure there's a reason, but I doubt it's a very good one.

The tradition SF answer for knives and swords etc is precisely because they are zipping between the stars in giant spaceships. You really wouldn't want to punch a hole in the hull or damage some vital bit of machinery with a high kinetic energy projectile.

Meanwhile, while high kinetic energy projectiles would be an eminently suitable way for spaceship A to attack spaceship B, this is frowned upon in favour of getting all the spaceships neatly lined up with minimal relative velocity, and then dogfighting with I-can't-believe-it's-not-laser-beams.

For a more refreshing read, try the bobverse books (although some parts of those really irritate me).

[Jaded]

Should this be split into a Dune:Nerd thread?

[Beardy]

Well I both really enjoyed that and at the same time felt a bit let down. It’s nearly 40 years since I read the books and in my minds eye I had the full story arc with the film covering perhaps the first 10 to 15 percent of the whole. That said, the original book is by far the best part of the story and I thought the film was very true to its source material. Bonus nerd points were earned for recognising direct quotes from the book.

Roll on Dune pt2

[T42]

Speaking of nerds: https://theconversation.com/dune-we-simulated-the-desert-planet-of-arrakis-to-see-if-humans-could-survive-there-170181

"3 weeks on a huge supercomputer".  That's going to look good on someone's budget.

[L CC]

Unlikely I'll get to see this in the cinema.

Nerd facting. I've just remembered that the fremen don't use suspensors or shields (same tech) because they attract worms (and drive them to a frenzy). So the use of lasers as a booby trap is a particularly fremen tactic that works for them when fighting off-worlders.

The only city is behind a range of mountains called the Shield wall. The only place on Arrakis where worms can't go.

Also the regular sandstorms generate static charges which will short out a shield.  I don't think the shield/lasgun effect is mentioned in the film, but in the book it's Duncan Idaho or Gurney Halleck who leaves one as a booby trap.

I thought Paul planted the booby trap shield to bring the worms through the shield wall of Arrakeen when they take it back from the Harkonnens?
We'll see that in Part II.