Why I saw Dune in Theaters
If you haven’t seen Dune minor spoilers ahead.
The first thing I want to say here is that I’m not big on Sci-fi. Yes, I have my personal favorites like Battlestar Galactica (2004), Starship Troopers, Star Trek Wrath of Khan, The Expanse, and the hit video game series Mass Effect. But it wasn’t easy trying to sell me on these things.
I have friends that are huge Sci-Fi fans, and they would have to break everything down for me just to get me to say “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” Even though the Expanse was the easiest to get me to watch (don’t ask me how), Dune took some convincing, well a lot of convincing if I’m being honest about it.
After a few hours of breaking down the themes and not spoiling the plot of Dune. My interest was piqued, I wanted to know more about this universe, more about Paul, Chani, and the Fremen. So, I did some digging into the universe and saw how excited people were and was calling it the “Lord of the Rings of Sci-Fi.” I told myself that it wouldn’t hurt but to try something new.
A few days later I went to the bookstore and saw that it was in stock, it was a special edition one. Where the cover is mostly gold and has a simple picture of the dunes and the moon in the background. Normally a book like that would go for almost seventy-five dollars even a hundred. But it was on sale for just twenty-five dollars, and I was happy about it.
So, I brought it and read it a few weeks later, because as a bookworm I have a list of things to read and it’s just growing every day, please don’t judge me. But once I read it, it had a slow burn, but what fantasy or sci-fi story doesn’t? But to make a long story short for another day, I was in love with it. The details, themes, plots, and characters. It was then I knew that I couldn’t wait for Dennis Villeneuve’s film adaptation.
When I glanced at the first trailer for the movie and saw how it caught my attention in the first few seconds. I knew I was in for a treat when it came out. The visuals, the music, the sense of the plot of what was going on. It was like, this movie was made for people like me. My interest went up even more and I wanted to read more of the material, but more on that later.
Fast forward a year later and just this past weekend (on the first day) I’m in the theaters with popcorn and drink in hand and watching what I can only describe as a work of art. The sounds, the visuals, even the music composed by the legendary Hans Zimmer made this wait worth it.
When I left, I was sitting in my car, and I realized the importance of the cinema. Everything I experienced there could not be experienced by simply sitting at home. With the global pandemic still taking the world by storm. Many movies were sent straight to streaming services like Disney+ and HBO Max. Robbing them of the opportunity to deliver similar experiences as Dune did. Even though one service charged extra where the other one didn’t. By doing so, they were potentially hurting future franchises.
To prove my point, I did a second watching on HBO Max with some friends, and even though I enjoyed it the second time around even more. I didn’t get the same experience as I did in the theaters. I didn’t feel the sound of the horn from one of Atreides’s ships, the chanting of the family name repeatedly, or the threatening deep voice of that of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Or the sense of danger going around as the night attack happen. I can go for days about the comparison but to sum it up nicely It just wasn’t the same, and it’s why I was convinced to go to the cinemas to see it in the first place.
For if I didn’t, I would’ve missed out on a great cinematic experience, with great visuals, sound effects, and an amazing well-paced story. The only thing I can hope for is that many others in the coming days and weeks go and see this masterpiece of a Sci-fi film, in hopes that we get a part two down the road. (At the time of this writing it was confirmed that part two is indeed coming!)
In the meantime, if you’re interested in the universe take some time to do some research on the internet, find a YouTuber, or a blogger that breaks this down to the grain, or do what I did and read the first book.
The Talks about Dune is far from over.
