This will probably become more beloved than Dune for being a bigger, more action driven film. Personally I prefer the first film by a long shot, but there's a lot to like here. I loved Paul's new journey for this installment as it doesn't develop in the way you'd expect based on the ending of the first film. The themes of colonialism, false prophecies and religion reach a level of depth that cannot be found in other sci-fi/fantasy contemporaries like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars; this film certainly made me understand why this story is taken so seriously as a piece of literature. Despite the source material being so old, there's still something new and refreshing about it. You don't often see major Hollywood productions calling out religion as a manipulative force helping the people in power. On top of that this brilliantly subverts the concept of the hero's journey we've become accustomed to by everything that was in one way or another inspired by Dune. The acting is pretty great, Timothée does a great job at playing the transition Paul goes through. Despite his boyish looks I was sold on his performance as the leader of the Fremen. Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem are also scene stealers. The visuals are once again mindblowing, in terms of set/costume design, cinematography and CGI this is as close to perfection as you could get to right now. The vision and scope of this movie are truly unmatched, which leads to some breathtaking sequences that I'll remember for a while (sandworm ride; the black/white arena fight; knife fight during the third act).
However, for all the praise I have for Dune: Part 2, I think Denis is being uncharacteristically sloppy with this film. First of all, Bautista and Butler feel like they're ripped from a different franchise altogether. Their over the top, cartoonish performances are more suited for something like Mad Max than the nuanced world of Dune. The bigger cracks start to appear when you look at the writing. The brief moments where the movie pokes fun at religious zealots through Javier Bardem's character, while funny, probably won't age very well. Like the first movie, it has a tendency to rely too much on exposition and handholding, a problem which might be worse here. I feel like a lot of the subtlety is lost in order to make the movie more normie proof, and that's quite annoying for a movie with artistic ambitions like this one. For example, there's this scene where Léa Seydoux seduces Austin Butler's character, and everything you need to know as a viewer is communicated through Butler's performance. Cut to the next scene, where Seydoux is all but looking at the camera saying "he's a psychopath, he's violent, he wants power, etc.". I just feel like compared to Villeneuve's precise work on Blade Runner 2049, he's consciously dumbing it down here. It's understandable and somewhat excusable for a complex story like Dune, but he occasionally takes it too far for my liking. Then there's the love story subplot between Chani and Paul, which almost entirely misses the mark for me. It feels rushed, there's no chemistry between the actors and some of the lines are painfully cheesy. Because of that, the emotional gutpunch their story eventually reaches during the third act did little for me. Finally, I'm a little dissatisfied with the use of sound. I loved the otherworldly score Zimmer came up with for the first Dune, however this film is so ridiculously bombastic and low-end heavy that it starts to feel like a parody of his work with Christopher Nolan. For the final action beat of the film Villeneuve cuts out the film's score, and it becomes all the more satisfying for it.
Overall, I recommend this film, however maybe temper those expectations if you're expecting a masterpiece. There's a lot to admire, but it's flawed.
6.5/10
Best show this year, fanboys need to stop crying
Dune Part 2 is visually spectacular. The picture is stunning. Ignoring the worn-out tropes, the problem with the film is the lack of emotional attachment to characters. The scope is too big for its runtime which leads to underdeveloped players. The movie is so impressive, yet hollow.
What the f...?
I really loved that episode! Ethan Peck played that role fascinatingly good. What a blast this second season is.
Star Trek Discovery Season 3 Recap
1% - Enjoying the story
14% - Really throwing the crew diversity in our faces to the point of wrecking the story.
18% - Watching Tilly battle her lack of self-esteem.
22% - Michael decides to whisper for no apparent reason.
45% - Watching wild mood swings that border on clinical personality disorders.
I missed an action TV show like this since banshee
Ok someone has to say it, the goofy dancing, the serious faces, the music ... those title credits are the best of every episode ... I love them!
An amazing episode, with stories and threads that will likely make much more sense later on. Suspense, mystery, and emotion, all masterfully woven together.
Remember that scene from the Half-Blood Prince when Harry forces Dumbledore to drink that cursed liquid to get to the locket? And after every glassful Dumbledore screams "Please stop!" and "Kill me!" to which Harry keeps replying "Just one more, just one more!"?
Yeah. That's how it feels just watching each new Chibnall episode knowing Davies is on the horizon.
What a travesty.
I had high hopes for this season... key operating word being, "had". I was hoping this season would be better but it's somehow gotten even worse than last season. I truly feel sorry for Jodie Whittaker, it really feels like the writers are setting her up to fail.
Craptastic storytelling/ supporting actors (The New Master) has made an avid Who fan not want to watch the show anymore. And the ignorant are going to say "because they made The Doctor a woman!" When it lies solely on the writers, directors, and producers not Jodie in the slightest.
3rd most likeable version of The Doctor (imo) yet the last 2 seasons are the most disliked seasons I've ever watched and I've watched every episode of the New Who at least 4x, these last two seasons are single watch only if that...
This is the most overrated movie I have ever seen. It is not a terrible movie but people giving this 9's and 10's must be in love with the smell of Timothee Chalamets farts.
Some of the dialogue in this movie is laughably bad which is a shame because the cast is extremely strong and capable.
There were pacing issues throughout the movie - the fight at the end seemed like it just kinda happened with no build up. There was no tension or payoff to the big battle, just a big fight with a bunch of decent looking CGI.
Austin Butlers character and the Harkinnen moments were the best parts of the movie. I enjoyed that arc.
The penultimate moment of Timothee vs Austin was super predictable, and executed in a dull and boring way. The outcome was also very obvious.
Great visuals, although I would not say "innovative" visuals. The Creator, released last year, for example, was far more visually appealing than Dune Part Two, on a lower budget.
Super mid movie, worth your money, and nice to look at (especially in IMAX) but giving this a 9 or 10 is wild
This was a hilarious episode. Especially the scene where Una, La’an, Uhura and Ortegas taught Spock to speak like a Vulcan. :smile:
It also had a lot of emotions and the acting was as always top notch from this cast.
Sadly it’s only 5 episodes left of the season. :confused:
omg now the computer has emotions too...
its an "organic" evolution says the machine :D
I hear nothing... put it on speakers... still nothing...
Kick Ass Meets DC Meets Tarantino - James Gunn Is A Genius - Peacemaker The Guy You Hate In Suicide Squad To The Guy You Want To Hug - First Three Episodes Were Unexpected Action Packed & Hilarious - Not What I Was Expecting At All But I Loved It Even In The Corny Moments - Colorful Characters And Got To Love Vigilante The Unwanted Sidekick
This Show Is Definitely Not Safe For Kids
Unlike the other review I actually watched it and understood it, and enjoyed it. Very different and something new, in a good way. Look forward to more.
Edit: After watching the whole season wow, just wow,. Haven't enjoyed a show so much in a long time. Hope to see a season 2.
watched 6 so far...bloody great...keep up the violence...Jack is back!
Always nice to have Tennant back as The Doctor, although the first special was not the strongest welcome back in terms of the story for this episode in particular but I'm sure there is a larger one for the next two. Catherine Tate as Donna was hilarious and felt like she never left the role or the world. Can definitely see that the Disney money has been used although think his tech with the screwdriver is way to much, not a fan of the shields that he created. But excited for next week to hopefully build on it!
Ah yes! Loved this episode. Awesome acting from Ethan Peck. This season is so good.
Me: "There's no way they can even come close to being as good as the last episode."
Also me: "OH MY GOD IT WAS EVEN BETTER"
The first part was a bit boring, overly focused on the Fremen world and how Paul and his mother were welcomed into the desert people. In the second part however, the pace was excessively hasty, at several moments you have the feeling that someone has pressed the fast forward button, and you find yourself out of breath at the end of the film. A real shame, because Dune part one was an authentic narrative masterpiece, and personally I had high expectations for part two. Of course, the photography is always amazing, and the acting is also excellent, but narratively the film was a disappointment. In the end it felt like I was watching the second episode of a TV series, waiting for part three (?).
Very rarely do I give sub-5 ratings, I tend to find some positives. This is a 2 and that's generous. The only good thing in his episode is the costume design (and some of the production design - they clearly ran out of budget when it came to the Sea Devil's machinery thing, so tacky).
The editing was the biggest offender (I suppose coupled with the direction), nothing flowed right. The fight scenes were laughably bad. I don't think there was a single shot where the attacker and defender were in the same frame, it always cut from one to the other as they attacked. So bad. And then there's the plot, or lack thereof. It's weird, the episode simultaneously felt like it had parts cut out of it but also was struggling to fill its runtime. I don't know how they managed that, but trust Chibnall to find a way, I guess. But yes, the threat was hilariously nonsensical (poles swapping would cause the ice to melt and flood everything? Both of those consequences are entirely wrong).
Oh and they couldn't even get the little things right? The phone ringing despite him using it for an outgoing call at the same time? For crying out loud, does no one check the script at all?!
WEAK PATHETIC POOR AND ULTIMATELY POINTLESS.
WHAT THE HELLA WAS ALL THAT ABOUT.
MY GOD THAT WAS PAINFUL AND SO MUCH BULL-CRAP.
PLEASE JODIE AND CHIN-BALLS JUST LEAVE ALREADY.
SINCE THEY BOTH HAVE COME INTO THIS ONCE ICONIC MUST SEE SHOW THEY HAVE RUN IT INTO THE WOKE GROUND AND BURIED IT ALIVE.
AS THANOS SAYS
"NO RESURRECTION'S THIS TIME".
CHIN-BALLS HAS JUST USED THIS SHOW AS HIS OWN PERSONAL CHEW TOY AND JODIE WELL SHE'S JUST A SECONDARY CHARACTER IN HER OWN SHOW WHO IS JUST COSPLAYING AT BEING THE DOCTOR.
NOTHING MAKES SENSE EVERTHING IS A MESS CHIN-BALLS INSISTS ON PISSING ALL OVER 58 YEARS OF CANON,
WHICH HAS MADE ME SO ANGRY. THIS ONCE BELOVED FRANCHISE HAS BECOME UNBEARABLE TO WATCH AND THANK THE HEAVENS THAT THIS IS THE YEAR THEY BOTH LEAVE NEVER TO RETURN.
AND I'M COUNTING EVERY SECOND TILL THIS LONG AWAITED MOMENT HAPPENS.
FINAL THOUGHT
CHIN-BALLS DOES NOT GIVE A FLYING FCUK ABOUT DOCTOR WHO,
IT'S RICH HISTORY/LEGACY ARE IT'S LOYAL FANS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FROM THE BEGINNING.
SEASON 13
2/10
Bring back the Legend
Which is Davis.
I'd say that in general this season had some of the best Jodie episodes for me, and Dan quickly became my favorite of her companions... but nothing changes the fact that there was just too much going on. Too many characters, too many plots to tie together. I shouldn't be very surprised by my disappointment... but I was surprised anyway, there was so much wasted potential.
In the end, there was zero pay-off with Swarm, Azure, and Passenger, they were gone in seconds and there was never any big revelation. Swarm loved to talk as if he was secretly someone tied to the Doctor's past (in the same vein as The Master or another past Time Lord), but was just someone going up against "Division" I guess? (I'm starting to think they're overestimating how interesting the "Division" plotline is.)
The Grand Serpent was absolutely of no consequence other than to bring back Kate Stewart I suppose, yet her interactions with the Doctor were small, and not really as fun as they could've been? And also... so... many... Sontarans. Why so much focus on the Sontarans and their plans, when they already had an entire episode about their conquest, and were defeated before? I don't know if it's because COVID affected the amount of episodes, but everything just fell flat as hell.
I hate being so negative - I really did enjoy these episodes more than the past couple of seasons and there were plenty of memorable moments, including great supporting characters. But it feels so frustrating that they didn't capitalize on all the buildup. I'm definitely looking to the Thirteenth Doctor's specials though - maybe we will see some of it come back and get a better resolution. All I hope is Jodie gets the sendoff she deserves, because even though I had plenty of issues with this era of Doctor Who, she's a great performer and wonderful Doctor.
I really like the way how they are showing the conflict. Some politics and tactics, followed by action and the close bond of the crew. All that high tech but you get the same feeling from the Free Navy as you would look at the pirates in Black Sails. Minutes later you see a conflict between family in a civil war like North&South. I hope the can do the rest of the story in a few years ( pull a Dexter ? ) because I simply need more.
Has anybody picked up on the timeline of the war? First we had a Pearl Harbor moment followed by the Battle Of Britain scenario, last episode they captured the Enigma machine and in this episode the Free Navy had their Midway.
Can't fault the visual appeal of the show but boy does the story draaaaaaaaag in this season, so much padding that doesn't advance the story at all.
'73 Yards' was a properly eerie and creepy episode, with some actual horror elements and gorgeous cinematography too. Really strong performance by Millie Gibson as well. Doctor Who inevitably faces some limits when tackling with horror themes, given the show's PG rating, but they definitely found the perfect balance here, delivering a legitimately haunting and at times quite unsettling story.
It's like Schindler's List, everyone will tell you how great it is, but who wants to watch it more than once.