Steven Spielberg, the acclaimed director behind countless Hollywood classics that include Jaws (1975), Jurassic Park (1993), and Raiders of the Lost Ark, has revealed his thoughts on Denis Villeneuve’s latest film, Dune: Part Two, stating that it is one of the “most brilliant science fiction films” that he’s ever seen. Spielberg, whose recent credits include executive producer on Paramount’s Halo series, also revealed his list of top directors, including George Lucas and James Cameron.
Spielberg told Villeneuve:
- “…you have made one of the most brilliant science-fiction films I’ve ever seen.”
- “… there are filmmakers who are the builders of worlds. It’s not a long list…and I deeply, fervently believe that you are one of its newest members.”
- “This is a desert-loving story, but for such a desert-loving film there is such a yearning for water in this movie. For all the sand you have in this film, it’s really about water.”
- “You film the desert to resemble an ocean, a sea. The sandworms were like sea serpents. And that scene surfing the sandworms is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Ever! But you made the desert look like a liquid.”
Spielberg’s list of top directors include:
- Georges Méliès
- Walt Disney
- Stanley Kubrick
- George Lucas
- Ray Harryhausen
- Federico Fellini
- Tim Burton
- Wes Anderson
- Peter Jackson
- James Cameron
- Christopher Nolan
- Ridley Scott
- Guillermo del Toro
Variety learned earlier this month that the sandworm scene took over six weeks to shoot:
The director goes full white-knuckle thrill ride in its sequel, orchestrating a glorious sandworm riding sequence that took 44 days to shoot. It was the most complex thing Villeneuve had ever attempted to do. It needed to feel edgy, dangerous, exciting and real. […] [Production designer Patrice] Vermette explains the sandworm was a 90-foot-long by 24-foot-wide set piece.
Discussion (9 replies)
Join Discussion →I don't know but it seems like most of the times I've watched a movie or television show that an actor or filmmaker I like has recommended I don't usually end up feeling the same way about it as they do. I very much respect Spielberg and have enjoyed a lot of his work, I also expect that I'll like this movie but these kinds of endorsements, for me, are not what usually what gives confidence to see it.
People who are very much into something will see that with a different eye and different criteria than the average layperson.
Spielberg may very well be right - it may be the best cinematography or directing or acting or whatever - but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a great movie to watch. (I don't know, haven't seen it yet)
Just like we look at PCs very much so differently than what gets mass marketed and is considered "successful" by retail standards.
I've enjoyed dune 2 very much. Will watch when it streams as well.
I thought the first one was meh. So I'm not exactly scrambling to see this. I'll eventually get around to it. I'm sure about one thing though: It will be much better than Rebel Moon 2 :D
I still haven't watched any of the new Dune films in part because my curmudgeonly old self refuses to embrace anything with some pop-star who only goes by one name (Zendaya) and someone who spells his name like a moron "Timothy (with two EE's)" but in part because I think they got the casting all wrong.
In order to make Dune work, you almost need the Atreides cast as hapless pale white "fish out of water" "British Nobility" types. While the overall execution of the 1984 David Lynch was pretty bad, the casting of Kyle MacLachlan and Jürgen Prochnow was pretty good.
Would have been even better if they had been cast with fairer hair. Tall, frail, wobbly, fair, aloof and out of touch nobility is what the story calls for. That's what makes it such a revelation when Paul learns of the Freemen culture and becomes the Muad'Dib.
It would have really given it more of a "Where Angels Fear to Tread" vibe.
To me this Timotheeyye, Short, dark, curly hair... It just doesn't fit the stereotype at all, and I think it weakens the film.
But yeah, also, the two of them, "Timotheeeyyyeeeyyyeeey" and "Zendaya" just come across as children to me, which makes it almost impossible to enjoy.
Taken from his IMDB page
"His name is properly pronounced Timo-TAY but he also accepts the English pronunciation Timothy, and nicknames Tim and Timmy. He chooses to go by Timothy because he doesn't like requiring all people to use the French version, as he finds that "pretentious" and "unrelatable"."
I think the 1984 Dune is a cinematic masterpiece and one of my all time favorite movies. Is it a good adaptation? I have no idea because I never read the books, and frankly have no intention to read them.
Some say the new movie is a much better adaptation, which I call BS on, since it is almost a scene-for scene recreation of the David Lynch version, only less epic and more boring. It just dragged out the first hour of the 1984 version to almost 2.5 hours without adding any significant information, background or context for anything. Which is quite a feat if I think about it.
In my eyes the 2021 movie failed to justify its own existence.
The movie is better in my eyes because they did more work to make it like the book and included more. But to each their own. :) the second movie left out some stuff that the original did as well, and I question that but I suppose it is what it is.
Though I do miss the sound based weapons.
I'm going to hell anyway, so I might as well have some fun with it....