The Most Hated Movie I Love

[mishalak]

I really like David Lynch's Dune. At times it seems like everyone else hates it and likes the Sci-Fi version better. For the life of me I can't figure out why. I wonder if that could be a meme. What movie do you defend when people start saying, "Oh that was the worse ever!"?

Comments

[dragon-smoke.livejournal.com]

Mishalak- I have always loved that version of Dune. We finally watched the SF Channel version last fall, and while it was good, I thought it dragged on way too long. And I just can't get past Sting and Kyle MacLachlan, not to mention Brad Dourif, Patrick Stewart and Virginia Madsen. They were awesome.

Spudicus- Thank goodness I am not the only one. Seriously, I think I saw Flash Gordon in the theater about seven times (probably a record beaten only by "Clash of the Titans"). After the first time, all I wanted was another glimpse of the little Hawk People Princess, because I SOOOOOO wanted to be her. And Prince Barin wasn't too bad either, though I was just ten years old. :-) It is funny you should mention that movie, because last Saturday I tore apart my garage looking for the soundtrack, and couldn't find it. *pout*

[dougs.livejournal.com]

It's true, the cast are extremely tasty. Sting and Kyle and Patrick and oooooohhh...

But everyone else is right. Bad film. Bad.

[dragon-smoke.livejournal.com]

Awwww. Now why do you say that?

I ask because honestly, I loved the film and saw it many times before FINALLY completing the novel.

[dougs.livejournal.com]

Because I loved the book and read it many times before FINALLY watching the film.

The film became bearable once I'd learnt to pretend that it never had anything remotely to do with the book. Perhaps he should have named it something else.

[dragon-smoke.livejournal.com]

That is what I was wondering. Mainly because it had been so long since I read the book before I saw the new adaptation, I couldn't complain or compliment too much, so I have always gone by the "where I was at the time I saw this" sort of review. Thanks. I am sure it would have been totally different for me if the book had been fresh in my head during the veiwing of either adaptation.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

I think that people who know and liked the book probably were wondering what the two had to do with each other.

Which is why I dislike the film so very much, I think.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I did see the film first, so that probably helps. However I really don't see the movie as being so utterly massively wrong. Probably because the first time I saw Dune I saw the 3.5 hour long Alan Smithee version, which included all the fricking cool stuff. From reducing bodies for their water to drowning little sandworms to make the water of life it was a sci-fi delight. I've seen that version available on DVD, though only in TV standard aspect since that's what it was cut for. I might get it anyway and then hack my disc player so I can watch it even though it is region 2.

Lynch totally changed things with the whole army based on a new technique thing, but on the other hand it looks very strange to have massive battles of nothing but knife fighting because of shields. But aside from that and the rain at the end everything else had the right feel, the right look, and the right attitude for the Imperium at the time of Shaddam IV.

That's why I didn't like the Sci-Fi version at all. It had the feel of a high school play. It felt like no one there really believed in what they were doing. They got lines literally right but none of the force of personality or spirit behind the lines.

So I feel like while Lynch's Dune works as a movie and not very well as an adaptation, the Sci-Fi Channel's doesn't work as either.