Ha! I like the simplicity of Goss’s comment. Yeah, a little harsh, especially when you seem to be elevating Avatar above it, which is hard to justify when comparing the two sequels. That said, I understand this essay isn’t really about comparing the two movies; it’s more about the murder-suicide pact we’re in with late-stage capitalism. I agree we’re in trouble in that regard, and that Dune is reflecting this sad state of affairs, both overtly and inadvertently, but also, in a way, every Hollywood movie is doing that, well at least the inadvertent part. They’re all using beautiful, popular people with varying degrees of talent (always some talent to be fair), who we kind of wanna be, to star in films, so we’ll come see them! Poor Things was a work of art that I thought was pretty great, my favorite of the Oscar contenders, but it’s guilty of the same crime. The stars are held in a place above the rest of us: the silver screen, where dreams are made into coherent narratives, and then in various media forms being fabulous. It is gross but also old news. What to do? Can we be in capitalism but not if it? We gotta be, right? Are the Dune movies or the Avatars in it but not of it? Can they somehow be both, in and if Capitalism, yet also offering something beyond it? Yes!! Because they are stories, and stories can be transcendent, and also, the truth is often a paradox. Now then Guy, this is a long comment, I suppose. But still, I can’t come close to touching upon all the things you covered in your erudite, flustered, and beautifully written critique of Dune 2 and the thoughts it made you think. But maybe I’ll give it some more thought and write down a full-fledged response to continue the conversation. It should be said: I agree with much of your thesis, but damn! Can’t we just enjoy the occasional blockbuster film that doesn’t suck? PS - “Spice” is way better a name than “unobtanium.” I’ll leave it there. Thanks for sharing dude!
Thanks for the thoughtful response Adam. I didn’t think I was that harsh, at least didn’t intend to be. Almost the opposite. It was a perfectly fun film and I enjoyed it. But it is a surreal experience watching a major blockbuster that’s more of a grandiose prophecy of what’s to come. It simply displays our perverse ineptitude of creating anything for the collective good, it shows that humanity is just a bunch of junkies so addicted and psychotic that we’ll travel
To other universes to obtain more, and it ennobles the desert people we presumably
Are
Supposed to hate in real life….and this movie experience is a reflection of all that… it’s far more interesting than just an obvious installment of the culture industry like Top Gun, where it’s just blatant US military propaganda, it’s almost a metaphysical reversal of all of that, and shows how disenfranchised and full of despair we as a people really are
I agree with you in essence, once again. I think yes, as is often the case with seemingly fantastical stories, Dune is reflecting issues within our society, deep-seeded ones. By making the desert people the ones with whom the audience relates and roots for, it's a way to chip away at some of our societal biases, aka the propaganda of a long-time imperialist nation such as the US. That said, I'm always thrilled to see a film, read a book, etc. that offers a vision of a path not to destruction, but to the construction of a harmonious future. But of course, in that process, you gotta have conflict, cuz that's how a story is generated. I mean Star Wars always has the Jedis, the warriors of light, win out over the dark side, right? There are sci-fi happy endings out there, but there's still gonna be plenty to criticize, such as, the totally capitalist selling of all things Star Wars. But the story shines through. That's just NOT the Dune story, which ultimately is a smarter, more nuanced and darker take on the "chosen one" tale, and in that way, more realistic, as far as human behavior goes. Still, these are only two examples. I'm all for another tale being told that finds a way to inspire the connective, consciousness-raising possibilities of the human experience in the cosmos. Can we think of any?
Ha! I like the simplicity of Goss’s comment. Yeah, a little harsh, especially when you seem to be elevating Avatar above it, which is hard to justify when comparing the two sequels. That said, I understand this essay isn’t really about comparing the two movies; it’s more about the murder-suicide pact we’re in with late-stage capitalism. I agree we’re in trouble in that regard, and that Dune is reflecting this sad state of affairs, both overtly and inadvertently, but also, in a way, every Hollywood movie is doing that, well at least the inadvertent part. They’re all using beautiful, popular people with varying degrees of talent (always some talent to be fair), who we kind of wanna be, to star in films, so we’ll come see them! Poor Things was a work of art that I thought was pretty great, my favorite of the Oscar contenders, but it’s guilty of the same crime. The stars are held in a place above the rest of us: the silver screen, where dreams are made into coherent narratives, and then in various media forms being fabulous. It is gross but also old news. What to do? Can we be in capitalism but not if it? We gotta be, right? Are the Dune movies or the Avatars in it but not of it? Can they somehow be both, in and if Capitalism, yet also offering something beyond it? Yes!! Because they are stories, and stories can be transcendent, and also, the truth is often a paradox. Now then Guy, this is a long comment, I suppose. But still, I can’t come close to touching upon all the things you covered in your erudite, flustered, and beautifully written critique of Dune 2 and the thoughts it made you think. But maybe I’ll give it some more thought and write down a full-fledged response to continue the conversation. It should be said: I agree with much of your thesis, but damn! Can’t we just enjoy the occasional blockbuster film that doesn’t suck? PS - “Spice” is way better a name than “unobtanium.” I’ll leave it there. Thanks for sharing dude!
Thanks for the thoughtful response Adam. I didn’t think I was that harsh, at least didn’t intend to be. Almost the opposite. It was a perfectly fun film and I enjoyed it. But it is a surreal experience watching a major blockbuster that’s more of a grandiose prophecy of what’s to come. It simply displays our perverse ineptitude of creating anything for the collective good, it shows that humanity is just a bunch of junkies so addicted and psychotic that we’ll travel
To other universes to obtain more, and it ennobles the desert people we presumably
Are
Supposed to hate in real life….and this movie experience is a reflection of all that… it’s far more interesting than just an obvious installment of the culture industry like Top Gun, where it’s just blatant US military propaganda, it’s almost a metaphysical reversal of all of that, and shows how disenfranchised and full of despair we as a people really are
I agree with you in essence, once again. I think yes, as is often the case with seemingly fantastical stories, Dune is reflecting issues within our society, deep-seeded ones. By making the desert people the ones with whom the audience relates and roots for, it's a way to chip away at some of our societal biases, aka the propaganda of a long-time imperialist nation such as the US. That said, I'm always thrilled to see a film, read a book, etc. that offers a vision of a path not to destruction, but to the construction of a harmonious future. But of course, in that process, you gotta have conflict, cuz that's how a story is generated. I mean Star Wars always has the Jedis, the warriors of light, win out over the dark side, right? There are sci-fi happy endings out there, but there's still gonna be plenty to criticize, such as, the totally capitalist selling of all things Star Wars. But the story shines through. That's just NOT the Dune story, which ultimately is a smarter, more nuanced and darker take on the "chosen one" tale, and in that way, more realistic, as far as human behavior goes. Still, these are only two examples. I'm all for another tale being told that finds a way to inspire the connective, consciousness-raising possibilities of the human experience in the cosmos. Can we think of any?
Little harsh on Dune2