Original title: "Dune 2": A science fiction epic built brick by brick
In fact, for director Denis Villeneuve (Denis Villeneuve), the China trip of the creator of "Dune 2" represents a more profound In a sense, the generation of his sci-fi film creation lineage and the infinite possibilities for the expansion of the Chinese film market. As the current banner-bearer of Hollywood movies, Villeneuve's works have always been full of self-transcendence. They not only combine artistic and commercial considerations in creation, but also reach the realm of human nature through the inquiry and questioning of philosophical speculation. The state of thinking. It can be said that "Dune 2" uses an image style that is loyal to the original work but has a unique authorial consciousness. In the characterization of the fanatical belief in heroism and the space opera-like audio-visual shock, it conveys the futuristic science fiction behind the film. Spiritual and ecological philosophical pursuits.
Character creation of anti-heroism
Romain Rolland once said: There is only one kind of heroism in the world, which is to still love life after seeing the truth of life. "Dune 2" is filled with a heroic complex of self-transcendence from the beginning of the story. Whether it is the male protagonist who gradually grows from Paul, Youso, and Muad'Dib to the savior Lissan al-Ghab who can control everything, or the female protagonist Qini who always maintains a clear anti-heroic obsession, these all present the individual Self-struggle and exile in the process of searching for faith. On the surface, the movie adopts a two-line narrative. On one side, Paul follows the daily life of the Fremen and gradually grows into a respected and loved sandworm knight; on the other side, Paul creates gods for himself countless times in dreams. Becoming an abomination and a bore to God. In fact, these two seemingly conflicting personality portrayals have formed a personalized character full of rebellion and contradiction. It is precisely this kind of growth of a heroic character with two sides that allows the audience to maintain a clear judgment on Paul's journey to the chosen one.
Although the film focuses more on the hero Paul's heroic revenge on how to become a god, the director also reveals from time to time that in the process of creating a god, the god disappears unknowingly. Because God has already become a puppet bound by the believers in the temple, and even a mirror full of greed, anger and ignorance. In order for the audience to experience the core of anti-heroism contained in the film, the heroine Qini's inner belief is like a bright moon under the water, and the change in attitude towards Paul also reflects the two completely different choices. For Qini, she fought for the Freeman people, for inner freedom and bravery, not for Paul who gradually became a god by promising her happiness.
Therefore, through the creation of the character of Qini, all the pretense of gods will be reduced to nothing. In short, the characterization of anti-heroism lifts off the false and hypocritical veil of God and exposes the ugly and dirty nature of human nature. Of course, this kind of anti-heroic criticism was the real intention of the original author Frank Herbert. Villeneuve gave Qini the ability to objectively, calmly and restrained independent thinking, and then finally let her embark on the journey of finding her way back to the world. A poetic journey of self.
A space opera-like audio-visual feast
There is no doubt that "Dune 2", as a science fiction epic, owes its success to director Villeneuve's creation of the ultimate audio-visual space opera. Such as Hans Zimmer's magnificent voice, the wasteland world of the alien kingdom, the emotionally tense camera transitions, and so on. However, the film is not limited to the appearance created by the grand audio-visual scene, but also attempts to embed the ideological recollection and purpose questioning beyond the heroic romance both inside and outside the camera. It is no exaggeration to say that since the creation of the "Dune" series in 1965, it has finally ushered in a big-screen work that falls within the audience's aesthetic acceptance.It is true that from the beginning of space opera in the 1940s, to its popularity in the 1970s, and to today's on-screen interpretation of science fiction space operas, Villeneuve's choice in the face of this science fiction genre is more direct, that is It fully follows the imagination presented in the original work, abandons complex scientific logic and technical considerations, and matches the construction of a science fiction worldview with audio-visual expression, thereby simplifying and interpreting the rich sense of history and the love and hatred of the alien world.
Specifically, the movie is full of scene creation with a large number of contrasting tones and sound language with prominent texture. The Jedi Prime, where the Harkonnen family is located, has a black and white tone from beginning to end, creating a strong visual impact with the Fremen's wasteland world filled with yellow sand. Why are the Harkonnens pale and hairless? Because the Harkonnen family has always been in a highly polluted environment. It is precisely because of being immersed in such an environmental background that it is better to create the image of the villain Fede as a bloodthirsty fascist executioner. Similarly, in the arena scene in which Feide appears, the director uses bipolar camera transitions and uses black and white reflections of long shots and close-ups of characters to focus on portraying his unpredictable and mysterious inner world, showing that he is chilling, cold and full of depression. Feeling atmosphere.
Additionally, the film’s sound delivery is exemplary. Hans Zimmer's score not only reflects the character's mood changes in different periods, but also provides multiple footnotes for the audience to understand the character's fateful choices. Like the background music of Paul taming the sandworm, the peak moment of Prince's Revenge can be more powerfully demonstrated and sublimated in the background music of "Only I Will Remain". In addition to music, the dialogue is also well-chosen. For example, the Bene Gesserit Sisters, Paul himself and his mother can all achieve the purpose of controlling the other party's consciousness by changing the frequency of speech. In short, the audio-visual language of the film vividly interprets the external form and internal texture of the space opera science fiction genre.
A circular interrogation of ecological philosophy
It is worth mentioning that the narrative expression of "Dune 2" is simple and clear compared to the first film. The revenge purpose of Paul and his mother integrated into the daily life of the Fremen has long been exhausted. Everyone knows. In other words, for most viewers, the story of "Dune 2" is not full of obscure scientific logical deductions like other hard science fiction. It does not require deep imagination as to why there is such a setting, nor does it require too much Speculate the character’s motivations for behavior. Perhaps, it is precisely because of this refreshing literary expression that the story gives way to the audio-visual. However, what we cannot forget is that this work not only incorporates Frank Herbert’s philosophy, but also flows with Villeneuve’s ecological ethics. It can be said that the film not only responds to the relationship between man and nature from the perspective of narrow ecological philosophy, but also expresses the concept of environmental protection in a broad sense by outlining the planetary environment. In short, "Dune 2" takes the core proposition of the relationship between man and nature that ecological philosophy focuses on, and provides the possibility for humans to think and question through vivid and realistic imaging techniques.
According to the perspective of Marxist ecological philosophy, humans and nature should build an organic and unified ecological community that is interdependent, mutually influencing and interactive. From this perspective, the reason why the Fremen and the sandworms can reach a tacit understanding of life lies precisely in their ability to handle the relationship between man, nature, and society. Faced with the huge world view setting in the story, the Fremen have always believed that the prophet Lisan al-Geb can lead the people to rebuild their home ecology. Therefore, they will rise up against the Harkonnen family's wanton profit-making behavior of grabbing spice resources. Of course, when Paul joined the Fremen, he also used his determination and courage to maintain the tranquility and balance of this land.
To be precise, the friendly relationship between man and nature is the prerequisite for achieving harmony and stability in the ecological system. The technological social form in the story also reflects the vigilance of the afterglow of ecological civilization. Why this judgment? We can see that the confrontation between the Harkonnen Legion and the Fremen almost always relied on cold weapons such as knives and swords to determine the outcome.It can be seen that the human industrial system in the future era is already on the verge of rupture, with discrete and lost technologies covering all major planets. Although the origin of this current situation is related to the Butlerian Jihad that lasted for two centuries, the ban on artificial intelligence reveals the huge ecological crisis behind human survival.
How to find your true self? Do you believe in destiny and consciously become the Messiah? Or do you hold on to your obsession and suddenly beat the big drum behind the times? The answer may lie in my future imagination. (Author: Han Guidong)
