[Global Times Special Correspondent Dong Ming] The Hollywood science fiction epic "Dune 2" directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and others will be released nationwide on March 8. Spectacular exotic scenery, majestic war scenes, wonderful alien crea

[Global Times Special Correspondent Dong Ming] The Hollywood science fiction epic " Dune 2" directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and others will be released nationwide on March 8. Spectacular exotic scenery, majestic war scenes, wonderful alien creatures, and revelations about political power, civilization and religion, this blockbuster adapted from the science fiction classic has gained high reputation and box office since its release in many places around the world. At the same time, it also officially kicked off this year’s science fiction movies.

It is difficult to "break out"

html " Dune " 2003 years ago, despite the unfavorable market prospects and the pressure of the epidemic, still gained a high reputation and a profitable box office, plus 10 Oscar nominations and 6 Oscars The award gave the producer Warner enough confidence to invest in the second part, and director Villeneuve could finally continue to bring Frank Herbert's masterpiece to the big screen, while letting the majority of movie fans breathe a sigh of relief. Villeneuve's directing ability has been recognized, and in the eyes of many science fiction fans, only he can successfully adapt "Dune".

"Dune 2" poster

According to statistics from the boxofficmojo website, after "Dune 2" was released in North America on March 1, its first weekend box office reached 82.5 million U.S. dollars, and the global box office reached 178 million, far exceeding industry and market expectations. As of March 7, the local box office of "Dune 2" has reached 97.96 million U.S. dollars. In less than a week, it has become the North American box office champion in 2024 and is about to break the previous film's score (100 million). The global box office of "Dune 2" has now exceeded 200 million US dollars. According to this trend, it is likely to exceed the 430 million of "Dune". There will be no suspense about the production of the third part.

"Dune 2" was released in China on the 8th, with a first-day screening rate of 17.4%. Many science fiction fans said they would go to watch the movie, and it would be best to go to the IMAX show to experience the audio-visual shock brought by the super-large screen. However, since the film is 166 minutes long and you need to have watched the previous film to understand the plot of "Dune 2", it will be difficult for the film to "break out". If it can exceed the box office of the first film in China of 210 million yuan, it will be considered a success. success.

"Shocking spectacle"

The outstanding results of "Dune 2" can be attributed to the high standard and influence of the original work itself, director Villeneuve's ability to create a science fiction epic, as well as Chalamet, Zendaya, etc. The actors’ performances and box office appeal. The plot of "Dune 2" generally continues the first one, but it adds an adaptation that "advances with the times" based on Herbert's novel: in the previous work, the Atreides family was almost completely wiped out by the emperor and the Harkonnen family. Young Paul and his mother escaped with the help of the Freemen. With bravery and wit, Paul gradually became the hero who controlled the giant sandworm, the savior in the eyes of the local indigenous Freeman tribe, and also won the heart of the female warrior Qini. At the same time, the emperor and the Harkonnen family also came to Arrakis, the planet that monopolizes "spice", and all forces launched a decisive battle for survival and power...

Under the lens of Villeneuve, the film presents a majestic and solemn uniqueness The aesthetics, as well as the highly symbolic architecture and costumes, coupled with Hans Zimmer's score, create a cosmic epic feel, which can be said to perfectly present the world described by Herbert. However, limited by the length, the film has made some choices in plot, characters and scenes, which makes it difficult for viewers who have not read the original work to grasp the rhythm and details of the plot.

"Dune 2" received almost unanimous praise after its release in Europe and the United States. The Rotten Tomatoes website scored 94% freshness and 95% audience popcorn index. The Metacritic website, which collects European and American mainstream media, also scored a high 79. "The New York Times" praised the film for "creating a shocking spectacle", and the "Screen Rant" website commented that "Villeneuve has expanded and deepened the world view of Herbert's original work to an epic scale, and it is also a film about A Shakespearean Tragedy of Power and Corruption.” "Variety" praised "Every shot of Villeneuve is like a painting, and every design contains the civilizational inheritance of human history."

However, CNN pointed out that the film still has problems: "It has fallen into the political whirlpool of the original work, the story development is uneven, and the ending is very sudden."The Washington Post also felt that "some carefully constructed content has become repetitive and monotonous", the Irish Times pointed out that "the narrative is too thin", and the Hollywood Reporter sharply criticized the film "in its depiction of the Freemen. There has always been a lingering superficiality, treating them simply as indigenous people fighting for freedom, which does not truly reflect the original author's deep meaning."

In France, "Dune 2" will be released ahead of schedule to February 28. The French love sci-fi movies and their affinity for Villeneuve, a French-speaking director from Quebec, Canada, and Chalamet, a French-American actor. Coupled with the appearance of French actress Léa Seydoux, they gave this film a super high score of 4.2 stars from the media and 4.5 stars from the audience (out of 5 stars). "Le Parisien" praised the film as "big and beautiful, the director has successfully placed all his bets, and it is even better than the first film."

"Hard Science Fiction" and "Soft Science Fiction"

In fact, compared with "hard science fiction" themes such as space travel, artificial intelligence, cyberbrains, and time travel, "Dune" itself is a "soft science fiction" that is more social. , in Villeneuve's movie version, there is no emphasis on showing high-tech elements. Instead, "unsophisticated" operations such as fighting with daggers and taming sandworms are used at every turn, making people accustomed to the "two-way foil" of " three-body " The audience felt it was too "pediatric".

Many of the plot settings in the film are reminiscent of classical Shakespeare works such as "The Revenge of the Prince" and classic post-colonial movies such as "Lawrence of Arabia". It seems as if you are watching a political and religious historical story full of palace battles, which is not as scientific as the imagination. The director's other work "Arrival" also shows that the audience and mainstream media are still very receptive to such themes, and science fiction or fantasy is more of just a "shell".

Of course, the reason why science fiction works continue to flourish lies in its diversification and expansion. The popularity of the "Dune" series is ultimately a good thing for other science fiction movies. There will be many science fiction films to meet the audience in the next major schedules of this year. For example, "Godzilla vs. Kong 2", released at the end of March, is a monster movie, but it also has a lot of science fiction elements; Zack Snyder "Moon Rebels 2: The Branded" will be released online on April 19.

Another film "A Quiet Place: Invasion Day" will take the audience into the days when alien monsters who are afraid of noise first invade the earth. "Mickey 17" by famous Korean director Bong Joon-ho tells the story of a clone who performs a dangerous mission. A science fiction story in which a human body survives and returns to base, only to find that it has been replaced. In addition, there is a new chapter of the classic science fiction IP "Alien: Romulus". As for superhero movies such as "Deadpool 3" and "Venom 3", although they are not science fiction themes in the traditional sense, today's movie fans have Enjoy them as sci-fi action blockbusters.