The Dark Shape

Absolutely not. The opening title card even says Dune: Part One. I think if they'd saved it for the end (like in It: Chapter One) audiences might have revolted at the cut to black.

I'm... genuinely perplexed by people saying it flies by. I nearly fell asleep a number of times, and @Amorphous (yes I'm throwing you under the bus here!) said to me afterward he almost did the same.

These are good points. I’ll lead with the fact Arrival was my favorite film of 2016 and I loved Blade Runner 2049. Slow isn’t generally an issue for me… …if it’s engaging, and that was my problem with Dune. I never cared. Villains wander in for a scene or two, seemingly to set up another movie. Paul is an unengaging cypher. Major characters just vanish. @Amorphous and I spent time after the screening puzzling out whether one of the stars died or just disappeared to pop back up in the sequel. It’s all world-building with very little in the way of character. For me, at least!

Joker started getting slammed once it hit North America. Reviews in Venice were fantastic. I think that's one of the things that's concerning people.

I think the trouble is that reviews coming out of a festival are usually very positive, sorta like reviews coming out of a big Hollywood premiere. So you're looking at them on a scale. When those reviews are a little more mixed (and Dune's reviews aren't bad), it portends worse reviews down the line as more people see it outside of the favorable setting.

This isn't a crack on Dune, but Interstellar is much much much much much more audience friendly than Dune.

Oh no no, I get that. He has a dream along those lines (so much of this movie’s running time is dreams of future events). But in THIS movie, as a character, he’s the dull center-piece.

YES. It is like the Treebeard scenes! BR2049 is slow but it has really solid characters at its core. Paul in this movie is Luke Skywalker’s boring broody little brother.

98% of Zendaya’s screentime is visions from the next Dune.

I know it’s not Dune’s fault since the novel has been strip-mined by so many things but a ponderous slow 160 minute setup movie going on and on about The One does not make for a great time at the ol cinema. It’s very pretty though.

This got very light applause for a movie that screened at Venice and had people cheering when it started.

😕😕😴

Spoilers? I feel like you can either: - Have Diana be fascinated by Anne Boleyn, to the point of having visions and communicating with her; or - Make repeated points about pheasants being pretty things doomed to their fate, with Diana comparing herself to them on multiple occasions and a major beat point of the movie being whether William will kill during a pheasant hunt; …but doing both in the same movie is awfully silly.

If you’re awake watch Letterboxd for reactions in around three hours. The first Dune press/industry screening started ten minutes ago. I’m seeing it in two and a half hours but my opinion will almost certainly be wrong. It usually is.

To essentially make this the Venice Film Festival thread I can see Spencer AND Dune tomorrow or I can see The Power of the Dog, but it's an either/or situation...