ag4@pucc-h (Angus Greiswald the fourth) (12/05/84)
> "Big Thud on Arrakis" > OK, everybody come on in and sit down at the table. The Christmas turkey is > here, and it's a nice big one: "Dune," ... another line of interest at the beginning of the article: > The story of a mammoth battle for liberation on the dust choked planet > Arrakis, "Dune" has been a science fiction cult favorite since its > publication in 1965. Cult favorite??? I think _Dune_ is a little more than a *cult* favorite (ok, a *lot* more than a cult favorite!). At least they didn't call it "sci-fi" (shudder) ... Anyway, here's the gist of what they say: (my additional comments in <>'s) David Lynch proves unwilling to develop the story dramatically and instead "dumps a load of text" on the viewer hoping they'll catch on. Apparently the Emperor's daughter <who is a somewhat important character towards the end of the book>, just shows up in the prologue to "dump" a bit of background info on the viewer and is never seen again. Even clumsier, though, is how they try to use Paul's thoughts to fill in details: picture Paul with eyebrows knitted thinking "Someone is trying to kill me. But who? And why? Does it have something to do with the spice?" <Weak, very weak!> Also, the noble duke comes off as being "handsome, square-jawed and about as charismatic as a side of lox." Sting, as Feyd, comes off as a "grinning psychopath" <which may be easy for Sting to portray, but not quite what the part calls for!>. The special effects are surprisingly tame, and Toto's soundtrack is "an ear-splitting nightmare." <end of gist> Here's to hoping they're dead wrong! BTW, to anyone who recently saw "Snakedance" (Dr. Who episode): don't you think the bozo who played the ruler's son (you know, the dude with the lipstick!) would make an excellant Feyd-Rautha (I think that's how you spell his name)? -- "Will you stand by me against the cold night, or are you afraid of the Ice?" Jeff Lewis {decvax|ucbvax|allegra|seismo|harpo|teklabs|ihnp4}!pur-ee!lewie