Two Movies, Two Reviews
After I completely fired Netflix, I hit up HBO Max for a brief subscription to watch two movies that I have been waiting to see: Justice League the Snyder Cut and the new Dune movie. There are spoilers, so be warned.
Justice League the Snyder Cut: Overall, my impressions were very good. The backstory was well developed for all characters. I did not like that the Victor Stone character (Cyborg) hacked the university computer and changed his bud’s college grades for a class. We get a discussion in morality from his mom (who insists on being called Dr. Stone) on why a student can be held responsible for grades when their parent has recently passed away, justifying her son’s misdeeds. In the real world, young Victor would lose his scholarship, receive all F’s for classes and be expelled from school immediately. Instead, the dean just sits there and simmers. That was a break in disbelief. I can understand why the actor, Ray Fischer, who played Cyborg, was so upset that much of his story arc, nearly all of it, was wasted on the cutting room floor. That was a disservice to both him and the character.
The villains all have *motivation.* This is essential, and will come into discussion again in the next film. They all have to feel they are in the right; they all have to feel justified in what they do. They are their own heroes. A dumb guy with horns (Steppenwolf) here becomes a much more nuanced character than in the Joss Whedon version. I could feel a clear sense of foreboding with the scenes which introduced Darkseid.
A critical mistake in the original release is that Superman must never be portrayed as a villain. Ever. He is super not because of his powers but because he does the right thing.
I’m a little surprised that Batman, who always has a backup plan, did not consider sending the third mother box, the key to Darkseid’s domination of Earth, to the fifth dimension, home of very powerful beings such as Mxyzptlk, where it would be out of reach of the villain’s plans.
The plan to revive Superman from death comes from the ability of the mother box to be able to reassemble matter to previous forms. It comes from faith, as Batman says, that Superman is needed, not just for this crisis, but for the good of the world. The plan succeeds, but Superman has lost his memories and Cyborg’s body armor bugs out and attacks him. Lois saves the day by just approaching Superman as a delicate flower, placing her life at great risk. Superman’s memory eventually returns.
The mother box is blown away when Superman is revived and Steppenwolf boomboxes in to sweep it up. So now they have to try to get the mother boxes back before Darkseid can dominate the will of the entire planet, destroying it in the process.
The heroes fail. It is then that the Flash, in a great moment which is a nod to the Flashpoint Paradox, uses the speed force to run faster than light, going back through time in an incredible scene so he can give Cyborg the electrical energy needed to complete the sequence to separate the boxes from one another once more. I did not like the use of the Flash as comic relief in many instances, and it was good that he had a more pivotal role in this version.
We are reminded of the Flash of the future visiting Bruce in the Batcave with the message “Lois is the key,” referring to the events of the Injustice series.
Then Supes shows up and obliterates Steppenwolf in a series of attacks that made the entire 4 hours worthwhile. He was wearing the black costume, which I didn’t like, but aside from that the plot twist was very well planned and executed. As a bonus, Darkseid opens a boom tube to observe Steppenwolf’s progress just as Wonder Woman removes his head, sending it to land at Darkseid’s feet.
It’s a shame that it seems the movie storyline (at this time) will not be continued. Perhaps if Flashpoint Paradox does well, executives might take a chance on it.
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: I did not like Bladerunner 2049, and I was concerned that the new Dune might have fatal flaws. It does. Yes, there are incredible vistas and sweeping music. Yes, the scale of production was second to none. Yes, it somewhat follows the story despite changing the gender of Dr. Kynes, Imperial Planetologist and the judge of the change. For me, there were just too many glaring errors, too many immersion breaking inconsistencies to overlook.
Let’s start with Paul. He has this hair that hangs over his face like an anime character gone overboard. Paul is not an anime character. Don’t treat him like one. The director (Villeneuve) had Paul acting woodenly throughout, which is an understatement. Think Adam West but with less emotion and you get the gist. How goth do you want Paul to be? This irked me.
Paul does have an emotional moment, after he and Jessica have escaped certain death from the Harkonnens, who plan to drop them in the desert to die. He yells at his mother while they are hiding in the tent, “It’s all your fault! You and the damned Bene Gesserit!” and pushes her away from him. Then not 15 seconds later he is back to numb, emotionless Paul.
There is a great moment in the film, and it made me go “Ah, that is the way to do it!” Duke Leto has a scene with Lady Jessica where he says, “You allowed Paul to be subjected to the Emperor’s truthsayer, nearly killing him in the process! Will you promise me to protect him, no matter what? I am speaking to the Bene Gesserit, not the mother.” Jessica does not answer the question, but diverts to a different topic. Best scene in the whole movie. Very powerful.
Another thing I very much liked was that the worms, when their mouth was opened, appeared from the front to be the irises of a great eye. The long teeth pointed down and inwards to a dark, narrow hole. That was a very nice touch.
Then there were the cow farting noises that the Atreides ships made when rising from the water on Caladan. The bagpipe with only one note when there are clearly several pipes that were playing. When Shadout Mapes sheathes a crysknife without blooding it first, a clear violation of Fremen culture and practice. Dr. Yueh becomes a sharpshooter somehow with a revolver from 20 yards away. Watering palm trees in the middle of the day instead of at night, to keep evaporation from stealing water, something which is supposed to be precious on Dune. The green house of plants which is supposed to be in a vault in the palace on Arrakis is somehow relocated to Dr. Kynes’ imperial hide out.
The biggest flaw however, is the total and complete lack of
motivation on the part of the Harkonnens. They are just bad guys being evil.
That’s it. Even Lynch’s Dune had the Baron with a motivation, as overblown as
he was. “The forms of Kanly… have been obeyed!” It is an incredible and glaring
oversight, from my eyes. As I think back on the antagonists from my novel in
just the first act, I can name the motivations for each and every one.
There is no depiction of the guild navigators, and the emperor is never seen either. I guess they must not be important to the plot. But the imperial decree signer is!
I hope to see the entire 5 hour extended cut of Dune when it comes out and perhaps Villeneuve will redeem himself. Until then, I’ll not hold my breath. No review of Dune, however, would be complete without a comparison with the miniseries. This comparison, however, MUST view the miniseries as a stage play. It will not work any other way.
The Baron Harkonnen is notoriously sinister in his machinations. “Those damned Atreides have been a pain in our backs for generations!” Beast Rabban is inept and incredibly thick headed, not comprehending the nuances of his uncle’s plans. He is not just an angry jerk. Feyd plots for personal power, but approves of his uncle’s schemes once the Baron gains his trust. Motivation.
Paul starts as somewhat naïve and spoiled son of a Duke, not
an element of subdued Vulcan stoicism. He demonstrates power before Reverend
Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam when he uses the voice on her, which I thought was a
great touch. Paul’s character arc is well developed, as he goes from
uninitiated minor political figure to force within the Fremen and acting Duke
to unwilling but fatally trapped kwisatz haderach as he tries to figure a way
to escape the certain doom of all humanity via the golden path. Alec Newman (as
Paul) shows off some real acting chops when he grieves Jamis’ death. “Jamis was
a friend of mine. And he showed me, that when you kill someone, you pay for it.”
Amazing. I still have a hard time believing Villeneuve skipped this entire scene.
As much as I hated William Hurt’s portrayal of Duke Leto which surpasses Shatner easily in his desire for self-aggrandizement, at least he was able to display some emotion which is lacking in the latest installment. The miniseries Liet Kynes is by far the very best portrayal of the role to date. Outperforming Max von Sidow is not an easy thing to do, but Karel Dobry really made him shine. It’s too bad for those Dune fans who have never seen the miniseries, for they are missing the best of all iterations on film, because it is all about the *story.*
As a bonus, I also got to rewatch the animated Flashpoint Paradox. It’s a great flick, and I look forward to the live version.
That is my two cents about these movies. I stand by my words, but am open to reconsidering other interpretations and ideas I may have missed. If you disagree… well then… “Suck it, Trebek. Ha ha ha ha!”
