I watched this last night. As documentaries go about a doomed project, it was okay. Interesting in places with interesting characters and a decent story. As for failed projects, I am sure there are many. but why did this failure merit a documentary, the reason of course it was connected to Dune.
In literature there are few SciFi books that invoke depth of feelings and reverence that Dune does, when Scifi fans first read this book, it becomes an event and a book you never forget. It's epochal in scale, it not only creates a universe but a world which even now seems possible and could actually exist. Although that book and its follow ups have great set pieces of a desert planet, giant worms, guild highliners, great characters, battles, spirituality, and other ideas that make your head zing. Ultimately the book is about human beings and their loyalties, their loves, hates, but ultimately the books are about power and power is the crux of it. If an adaptation focuses to much on the world Herbert created and forget that,the project wont work.
I first read the books when I was 15. again when I was 30 and recently I listened to the audiobooks. Each time I noticed something new in the tales and it was like visiting the saga for the first time. I didn't mind the David Lynch effort. But it was to compressed, camp and lacked story in favour of spectacle. The TV series was better but ham in places, too cheap and it omitted too much detail, it lacked a gravitas and balance. If they are going to successfully put the saga to screen a HBO series like Game of thrones is the only way to go.
As to what I think Jodorowsky's Dune would have been like. I believe us Dune fans were saved from Jodorowky's "rape" of the story. From his creation of Duke Leto being castrated and Paul conceived by a drop of the dukes blood in some act of magic, to the end of "his" story, where the universe achieves cosmic consciousness from Paul's death. Then using his own son to star as Paul, which to me is more evidence of self indulgence. To spite the reverence some of the contributors say about what could have been, I shout "The emperor has no clothes" this film would have been complete and utter incomprehensible, unwatchable shyte. LSD or self indulgence do NOT make good films, so thank you Hollywood in your wisdom for not supporting this abortion of the original novel as it would have been absolute dribble. I give it a 7/10 for the way it provoked me.
In literature there are few SciFi books that invoke depth of feelings and reverence that Dune does, when Scifi fans first read this book, it becomes an event and a book you never forget. It's epochal in scale, it not only creates a universe but a world which even now seems possible and could actually exist. Although that book and its follow ups have great set pieces of a desert planet, giant worms, guild highliners, great characters, battles, spirituality, and other ideas that make your head zing. Ultimately the book is about human beings and their loyalties, their loves, hates, but ultimately the books are about power and power is the crux of it. If an adaptation focuses to much on the world Herbert created and forget that,the project wont work.
I first read the books when I was 15. again when I was 30 and recently I listened to the audiobooks. Each time I noticed something new in the tales and it was like visiting the saga for the first time. I didn't mind the David Lynch effort. But it was to compressed, camp and lacked story in favour of spectacle. The TV series was better but ham in places, too cheap and it omitted too much detail, it lacked a gravitas and balance. If they are going to successfully put the saga to screen a HBO series like Game of thrones is the only way to go.
As to what I think Jodorowsky's Dune would have been like. I believe us Dune fans were saved from Jodorowky's "rape" of the story. From his creation of Duke Leto being castrated and Paul conceived by a drop of the dukes blood in some act of magic, to the end of "his" story, where the universe achieves cosmic consciousness from Paul's death. Then using his own son to star as Paul, which to me is more evidence of self indulgence. To spite the reverence some of the contributors say about what could have been, I shout "The emperor has no clothes" this film would have been complete and utter incomprehensible, unwatchable shyte. LSD or self indulgence do NOT make good films, so thank you Hollywood in your wisdom for not supporting this abortion of the original novel as it would have been absolute dribble. I give it a 7/10 for the way it provoked me.