Lies. I read it for the first time less than a year ago and still found it a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read.

 

My issues with Dune mostly stemmed from the fact that I couldn't get past the Fremen mirage, for lack of a better term. The "noble barbarian" tends to be a trope in both actual history-telling as well as fiction which I find hard to digest: Dune was no exception. I didn't really like the book (I've just read Dune, nothing that came after) and I don't think I'll enjoy the movie.

Edit: As the link puts it, Fremen are a class A exhibit of the sort of thinking which leads to the following quote: “Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And weak men create hard times.” The thinking behind the quote is flawed, and unfortunately it leads to my disbelief getting unsuspended.

 

Different tastes I suppose. I read it a few years ago, and it was...alright. It wasn't a bad read, but I definitely didn't understand why its viewed so highly.

 

That's exactly what they're doing. Along with the two movies, there's going to be an HBO companion series. Dune: The Sisterhood will also be directed and executive produced by Denis Villeneuve and will focus on the Bene Gesserit.

 

So... 20 books for grabs and they went with a separate "woke" idea? *sigh*

I can understand not wanting to tread over ground that's been done unsuccessfully. I could even understand going with the prequels; it's Game of Thrones in Space, except all the seasons have already been written so the producers don't have that excuse to fuck things up in the later ones.

I cringe at some of the possible plots they might have hashed out with an order of female-only kung-fu mentalists focused on a breeding program.

 

@Heather_Sinclair

I only know Dune from Wikipedia, but aren't Bene Gesserit on a quest to create the uber-male? This is bound to be accused of *spins wheel* internalized misogyny.

 

Maybe, maybe not. I mean, they were a pretty important part of the universe historically and politically speaking, so it's not like they're just randomly picking some miniscule background element to focus on for the sake of "woke-ness" or "SJW fever" or whatever the hell you want to call it. Frankly, I think people have gotten a little oversensitive about the "woke" influence in entertainment media.

Sure, it ruined the Star Wars sequels, but I've seen a growing number of things since then that people have screamed "SJW propaganda!" at when the accusation doesn't really seem to be justified (Star Trek: Lower Decks, for example, where the race/gender of the main characters is never even mentioned in the show as an issue - not even a single cheap "Ugh, men!" joke, or "You didn't think a woman could do it, huh?" cliche - but youtube is still full of furious reviews decrying it as "SJW trash"). If a person can't watch anything female or non-white focused without getting angry over its irl political agenda (real or imagined), then they've become just as unhinged as the people who scream "racism!" or "sexism!" at anything that features a white and/or male focus.

 

You're speaking of the KumquatHaagandaaz (he who can create a number of dishes and have them all finished at the same time) I believe. Yes, that's their breeding program. But the grand plan of that program is that the male is under the control of the female BGs. But his mom jumps the gun and blows their plans up.

True, they are important to the overall story, but so are the Mentats, Bene Tleilax, Spacing Guild, et al. Eventually just about everyone gets their own major plot in the books or even their own book overall... even the AIs when all was said and done. So why the BGs? Why not focus on what made the series great in the first place? The material is already there.

As far as overreacting: you're acting like this was a phase and Hollywood has already moved on; why don't I? It hasn't, so I haven't. For instance, ave you seen the changes in the Academy Award rules just this last week?

I don't don a tinfoil hat and scream obscenities all day on the interwebs, but I do note when I think things like this are done for reasons other than improvement to a movie or plot.

 

A little too early to pass judgement on it.

Sure it could end up being fempower fanservice, or it could end up being a great story. The BG are definitely the most interesting and the most recognizable group (after House Atreides/Harkonen obv) of the major organizations that appear in Dune. Also, barring the choice to turn Arrival into a 'cancer movie' in the last 5 minutes of the film, Villeneuve has definitely earned my trust as high concept storyteller.

 

Just to clarify, I was more venting my annoyance at a trend I've been seeing, not necessarily accusing you of overreacting. I'm also well aware that Hollywood is far from over this particular phase. I just think you (among others) are jumping to conclusions about the motives and politics of the show/movies before any of them have even come out. It's totally understandable, what with how hard they've been pushing "woke" media the last few years, but just because it's common now doesn't mean it's universal. That was basically supposed to be my point: Give it a chance to pleasantly surprise you (or not, as the case may be). Just don't knock it 'till we've had a chance to try it.

 

HBO is actually pretty good these days so I have some faith. It's not like we're seeing Hulu or Netflix adapt it

 

So apparently, there was a specific reason for going with Eclipse. Jodorowsky wanted Pink Floyd to score his failed adaptation.

Although still an egregious musical choice for the trailer, the hyper-awareness of the franchise's history at least lets me know they're putting a lot of love into the film.

 

I'd be much more annoyed by the Academy thing if it wasn't such a big joke already.

More annoyed that people fall for it.

 

I'd understand hating on Pink Floyd in the trailer if this was a Rolling Stones biopic. I barely even recognized it as anything other than standard epic adventure film dramatic choir.

 

I'm not a fan of the Pink Floyd in the trailer either, if only because it's a pretty inferior mix to the original song.

 

Pure Snobbery Sir! (I say, pretending I don't agree with you 100%)

 

I love Pink Floyd and will drunkenly fight anyone to the contrary

 

Pretty much this. I'm all for things being "woke" if the end product is actually good. I only get annoyed when someone produces a crappy movie and then tries to defend it's terribleness by saying "but look how woke we are, we put a black person in the background vaguely implied that one of our characters is gay!"

 

Much, much worse is when they start equating disliking their movie with being a racist/sexist. They're still doing it to Star Wars fans who have the temerity to point out that the sequels were terribly written and executed. Apparently, because I think Rey Palpatine is a boring Mary-Sue, I must hate all women. And since I think just about every other character in those movies was either drastically underdeveloped (Finn, Poe, Hux, etc.) or butchered beyond recognition (Luke), that means I'm a "Toxic Fan".

These days you can make a movie that's complete shit, but if you throw in a few "woke" themes, you can just accuse anyone who points out the flaws in your work of being the scum of the Earth. And most entertainment media will slavishly parrot that line until all the critics are silenced or marginalized.

 

The two following books in the Dune series deconstruct the idea it self.

Further, the Freeman aren't barbarians as you portray them.