Is Dune the “Star Wars” many of us want?

[PolymerSkywalker]

Seems to me that Dune may be pulling some of the Star Wars fan base that have been less than thrilled with the direction of Disney Star Wars. Does Dune finally give the disenchanted fans what they wanted and fill the void that Star Wars has left?

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

I don't think so at all. And I say that as a huge Dune fan (and a star wars fan). The story and themes of Dune is radically different than SW. SW is fun space opera. Dune is all about environmentalism and religion (and other themes, but those are the two most obvious,m especially in the films). Dune has plenty of fans, but I don't think the franchise is generating new fans because they are disappointed in SW.

 

[leiaorgana]

Both have Oscar Isaac and that’s all that I care about

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

Both have Oscar Isaac and that’s all that I care about

Umm, well, a friendly suggestion ... stop watching Dune Part One after about forty minutes. For you, only disappointment follows that, lol

 

[jade1]

only disappointment follows that, lol

Hmm maybe it is the new Star Wars.

 

[leiaorgana]

Umm, well, a friendly suggestion ... stop watching Dune Part One after about forty minutes. For you, only disappointment follows that, lol

I’m not sure “disappointed” is the word I’d use for that particular scene with Mr Isaac haha

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

I’m not sure “disappointed” is the word I’d use for that particular scene with Mr Isaac haha

lol, go watch Ex Machina. You can watch him work out sans shirt. And as a bonus, he does it in front of general Hux lol

 

[Scootin'By]

Completely agree, the new Dune was a huge letdown. I'll still watch Part 2, just to see, but I don't have high hopes. So yeah, not a replacement for Star Wars.

I think that Star Wars fans are turning to Disney+ to get their fix from the multitude of shows coming out.

 

[BrianL]

Dune is one of those things that I want to like...but I just don't. I ahve not watched the new movie, but previous projects just weren't that good. Even the book it...I mean, it has a lot of big, great ideas, but, it's just...kinda dull. I don't know what it is exactly. I would say that Dune wishes is was Star Wars!

 

[Skywalker3]

Not interested in Dune at all. No plans to watch any of it. DD watched for Timothy Chalamet, not sure if she liked it or plans to watch more

 

[Jennasis]

Dune, the book, was a huge sleeping pill. I used it to help me fall asleep on an overseas trip where the massive time difference was messing up my sleep pattern.

The original movie was hilariously silly with a great cast.

The new movie was torture. Slow as molasses and the whispered dialog was maddening. Thank God I had read the book so I knew what was being said. I had to translate it for my husband. It was beautiful to look at though.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

Wow, couldn't disagree more about the book. I don't find it slow at all. But I admit it is dense. I don't mean long. Just that it has a lot (and mean really a lot) of high minded concepts and allegories. If you're looking for an action adventure story, it is not that kind of page turner (even though it has plenty of both in key moments). That's why I say its not comparable at all to SW (which is space opera). Really great science fiction makes you think and introduces interesting ideas. It doesn;t just jump from one scene to the next. Sometimes that style can result in some slow reading (looking at you Theodore Sturgeon!). But that's not Dune. Or at least not the first four books in the series (if you're talking about Herbert's final two books in the series, I might be inclined to agree)

 

[soniam]

Dune is much older than Star Wars and was actually an influence on George Lucas. I loved the new movie and actually kind of liked the original. Just because they are both sort of science fiction doesn’t mean they are remotely the same. There are probably more vociferous critics of Dune than Star Wars, larger numbers for SW though. There’s room to like or dislike both. I still like Star Wars, even the new stuff.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Seems to me that Dune may be pulling some of the Star Wars fan base that have been less than thrilled with the direction of Disney Star Wars. Does Dune finally give the disenchanted fans what they wanted and fill the void that Star Wars has left?

No. The movies are completely and totally different. Star Wars is centered around a dysfunctional family. Dune is centered around a turf war and gang violence.

Denis Villeneuve is a fine auteur. He does an excellent job with his movies.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

Dune is much older than Star Wars and was actually an influence on George Lucas.

Also a big influence on George RR Martin for the Game of Thrones fans out there

 

[fatmanatee]

I couldn't get into the book when I tried awhile ago. Might give it a go again with this movie out but didn't really get the sense that it would catch on like the original SW.

 

[HokieRaven5]

Also a big influence on George RR Martin for the Game of Thrones fans out there

Apparently he failed at influencing George to write faster…

 

[BrianL]

Dune is much older than Star Wars and was actually an influence on George Lucas. I loved the new movie and actually kind of liked the original. Just because they are both sort of science fiction doesn’t mean they are remotely the same. There are probably more vociferous critics of Dune than Star Wars, larger numbers for SW though. There’s room to like or dislike both. I still like Star Wars, even the new stuff.

Dune is a lot like Tolkien's work - insanely great and detailed world-buliding but with a slightly lacking narrative. Certainly Tolkien was a little mixed with this, but it can come off a little dry. I actually do think I want to give the new Dune movies a try, but I will wait until I can watch them back-to-back.

 

[Brian Noble]

I think of the two as different genres.

Dune is science fiction in the classical sense: Posit a world with different physics/science/engineering/biology, imagine the societal systems that would have evolved under that physics/science/engineering/biology, and explore the consequences. Some of the very best SF falls into this category. Foundation is probably the best non-Dune example (in its case, psychohistory), but a more recent example would be Scalzi's Old Man's War series (a universe with many sentient beings competing over a supposedly-fixed number of planets, plus human ability to engineer bodies and transform consciousness between them).

In Dune's case, the alternate world is based on the Spice. It both grants extended life and makes the best acid trip you've ever been on look like normal existence, and also just happens to be the specific key ingredient to allow interplanetary travel (the Guild Navigators) and super-human intelligence (the Mentats). Imagine what it means to be the political entity that controls production (in the books: Harkonnen, then (briefly) Atriedes, then Harkonnen/Corrino, then Fremen), vs. the oppressed political entity that happens to occupy the means of production (the Fremen) without (at first) the power to control it.

In contrast, I would categorize Star Wars as something a bit different--rather than exploring the societal implications of its universe, it focuses on the paths of (some very specific) individuals that are personally the key to the universe's existence.

Both have appeal to the other. Paul is an individual who is key to the universe's existence, but the story is really about the society that created him and the political and societal forces that underpinned his ascent to power. It wasn't really about him. Likewise, Star Wars has the Senate/Empire/First Order scaffolding, but it's an underdeveloped, muddled mess, and even there turns on one person (Palpatine) rather than societal forces.

One that might be in the middle: Ender's Game. This has a mix of both. On the "classic" front, what happens when humanity is faced with a truly alien species (or, maybe better, an organism) that it must understand the mind of, and then defeat? On the "Star Warsian" front, well, Ender is Just Different in the way that Anakin and Luke are.

 

[BrianL]

I think of the two as different genres.

Dune is science fiction in the classical sense: Posit a world with different physics/science/engineering/biology, imagine the societal systems that would have evolved under that physics/science/engineering/biology, and explore the consequences. Some of the very best SF falls into this category. Foundation is probably the best non-Dune example (in its case, psychohistory), but a more recent example would be Scalzi's Old Man's War series (a universe with many sentient beings competing over a supposedly-fixed number of planets, plus human ability to engineer bodies and transform consciousness between them).

In Dune's case, the alternate world is based on the Spice. It both grants extended life and makes the best acid trip you've ever been on look like normal existence, and also just happens to be the specific key ingredient to allow interplanetary travel (the Guild Navigators) and super-human intelligence (the Mentats). Imagine what it means to be the political entity that controls production (in the books: Harkonnen, then (briefly) Atriedes, then Harkonnen/Corrino, then Fremen), vs. the oppressed political entity that happens to occupy the means of production (the Fremen) without (at first) the power to control it.

In contrast, I would categorize Star Wars as something a bit different--rather than exploring the societal implications of its universe, it focuses on the paths of (some very specific) individuals that are personally the key to the universe's existence.

Both have appeal to the other. Paul is an individual who is key to the universe's existence, but the story is really about the society that created him and the political and societal forces that underpinned his ascent to power. It wasn't really about him. Likewise, Star Wars has the Senate/Empire/First Order scaffolding, but it's an underdeveloped, muddled mess, and even there turns on one person (Palpatine) rather than societal forces.

One that might be in the middle: Ender's Game. This has a mix of both. On the "classic" front, what happens when humanity is faced with a truly alien species (or, maybe better, an organism) that it must understand the mind of, and then defeat? On the "Star Warsian" front, well, Ender is Just Different in the way that Anakin and Luke are.

Star Wars is really more Fantasy than Science Fiction. People lump it in with SciFi becuase spaceships but that's not really appropriate. Some use the term "Science Fantasy" but Star Wars doesn't really have much science at all!