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Reviews
Foundation (2021)
Not the Foundation.
This is a decent sci-fi series. But it is definitely not Isaac Asimov's Foundation.
It is a nice story, with interesting characters. Strong actors and very nicely produced. But in my view the original story was a lot better. I wish they had made the characters of the original a little less two dimensional but without sacrificing the main storyline. As it is now, the storyline is so different from the original that it is difficult to believe it was based on the original.
Dune (2021)
Very little soul in this movie.
Lets first get a few positives out of the way. Loved the special effects; creative design of clothing, vehicles, buildings, etc. Especially loved the ornithopters! But that's more or less it.
Comparing David Lynch's Dune with this is an easy win for Lynch's Dune. But why?
First and foremost, movies are stories, and the actors are pivotal in conveying that story. Pretty much all character in Dune have a rich back-stories, and spades of depth and soul. In David Lynch's Dune that soul can be felt in pretty much all the characters. In Villeneuve's Dune, very few characters have that same level of soul. Most notably: Leto, Paul, Jessica, Duncan, Liet, the Baron and Piter. (Feyd, the Emperor, Nefud and Irulan were simply missing in this version.)
The actors that played these parts were either not properly directed, didn't have the required insight in the character. Didn't get the creative freedom. Or for whatever reason they didn't manage to bring their character to life for me.
I don't mind if an actor gives his own interpretation, or if the story deviates, but it has to be believable and done with respect the character's core. Stilgar was a good example of this. He was one of the character I did appreciate, even though his story deviates. But you could sense that he understood and inhabited the character. With Stilgar I never doubted whom I was looking at. Unfortunately he was one of the very few characters that managed to impress me so.
The storytelling also seemed a lot stronger in Lynch's Dune. I am no expert in how one tells a story on a screen, but it seemed to me that the pivotal points of the story were a lot clearer in Lynch's Dune. There seemed to be more space for acting and story, while oddly he used less time. In Villeneuve's Dune, most interactions felt rushed; character is often conveyed when nothing is said. It's the expressions that communicate what is not said, the inner life, the soul. In Villeneuve's Dune, there is a lot of dialog and action, but there seemed to be very little time for true acting.
I don´t quite understand, other movies by Villeneuve like Incendies and Arrival are some of my favorite movies ever. Also liked Blade Runner 2049. They have none of the problems this Dune has.
For me Lynch's Dune will remain the true Dune.