"Dune," originally written in the 1960s, is a masterpiece of science fiction literature known for its intricate and complex storylines. However, like all classic works, it faces the common challenge of being revered and emulated by generations of modern novels and films, making audiences well-versed in its narrative structures. Contemporary literary and cinematic works based on classic frameworks often add surprises, twists, and unexpected plots to cater to modern tastes. As a result, the threshold for surprise in plots has increased, making it difficult to bring fresh excitement to audiences when revisiting or remaking classic works. Additionally, classic works often suffer from an issue where the values expressed by the author at the time of writing are now vastly different from modern societal values. Therefore, when modern audiences revisit or remake classic works, outdated values remain a central controversy.
The grand and conceptually complex storyline of "Dune" has presented numerous challenges for its film adaptation. Furthermore, in the age of short videos, where shorter dramas have a broader audience appeal, and videos are ideally kept to 15-20 seconds, it is challenging to please well-informed audiences with long films. The key to keeping audiences seated in the cinema for hours is portraying captivating villains in "Dune: Part Two."
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Villain Factions
"Dune: Part Two" features several villains, primarily divided into three major factions: House Harkonnen, Bene Gesserit, and Padishah Emperor.
Unlike villains in other films, the villains in "Dune" are primarily characterized by their "oddities." The members of House Harkonnen face hormonal issues, resulting in male-pattern baldness. The hairless, pallid appearance of House Harkonnen and their entourage is a departure from the original setting and was specially designed for visual effect in the film. In the original work, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen's nephew, Feyd-Rautha, is described as having "black hair," a "round face, and a dark, brooding eye color."
The bald, pallid appearance of House Harkonnen and their entourage sets them apart entirely from other races in the Dune universe. Unlike the Bene Gesserit, who are scheming, or the fierce and combative Fremen of the desert tribes, or other noble members who are racially similar to ordinary humans on Earth and thus possess human emotions and desires, the ruthless House Harkonnen, with their appearance deviating from humanity, especially with their bloodless and pallid skin, easily evoke traits of morbidity and cold-bloodedness.
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Members of the Bene Gesserit prefer to cover their faces with veils. From the members of the Bene Gesserit shown in the film, the more veiled and thicker the veil covering their faces, the more secrets they hide.
In casting villains, Denis Villeneuve prefers actors with strong personal characteristics and a "sci-fi" look. Villains with solid personal characteristics strongly contrast with the seemingly ordinary protagonists, such as Jared Leto's portrayal of Niander Wallace in "Blade Runner 2049," who is blind but has a pair of grey eyes. This character design gives the impression that he can perceive everything without relying on his eyes, creating a deterrent effect.
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Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the first member of House Harkonnen to appear in the film, is obese and enjoys soaking in black nutrient fluid, resembling a fat worm, which is physiologically discomforting. The third prominent member of House Harkonnen to appear in "Dune: Part Two" is Feyd-Rautha. Physically smaller than Baron Vladimir, Feyd-Rautha becomes the true leader of House Harkonnen, indicating his extraordinary abilities in other aspects. Although Austin Butler was chosen to play Feyd-Rautha, his appearance in the film is far from the conventional standards of beauty, resembling more of a naturally brutal and combative character. Feyd-Rautha's most prominent feature is his high brow ridge, causing shadows to form under his eyes and enhancing the character's intimidation.
Feyd-Rautha also contributes to the film's only vividly sensual scene involving House Harkonnen. Baron Vladimir Harkonnen's sensual characteristics are demonstrated in his enjoyment of trampling his followers, whom he then cruelly kills and discards in a corner of the room. In contrast, after Feyd-Rautha meets Lady Margot Fenring of the Bene Gesserit, the two engage in a test on the edge of desire and death.
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Lea Seydoux, portraying Lady Margot Fenring, is not conventionally beautiful, but her perpetually half-open, bewildering eyes always suggest that she is hiding something. Seydoux often carries a sense of "knowing without revealing," a wise and charming quality that feels dangerous yet irresistibly intriguing. Therefore, when Lady Margot Fenring appears in the film, she seems to carry a mystery that begs to be explored, prompting audiences to uncover her secrets.
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Christopher Walken, portraying the Padishah Emperor, needs no further elaboration. His sharp gaze and science-fiction-like upright white hair seem to have been made for sci-fi movies.
Visual Effects
Visual effects are one of the highlights of "Dune: Part Two" and a signature of Denis Villeneuve's films. The visual effects of "Dune: Part Two" continues the technique of distinguishing scenes by overall color, with each group having its distinctive color characteristics: the Fremen, centered around the protagonist, are primarily yellow, reflecting the desert, with the Fremen having prominent blue eyes; strong black and white contrasts dominate the scenes of House Harkonnen. Therefore, whenever the scene transitions to House Harkonnen, the colors on the screen suddenly disappear, leaving only black and white, creating a strong visual impact. The artistic design of the House Harkonnen scenes even directly abandons transitional colors like grey, making the visual emotions more intense and direct. In their world, even the sun is black, and the white skin color contrasts sharply with the black clothing. House Harkonnen's world is monochromatic and devoid of color, just like their characters.
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Denis Villeneuve uses a scene where Feyd-Rautha is in an arena to reflect House Harkonnen's organizational structure similar to ancient Romans: the masses gather around their leader, participating in large-scale gatherings to enjoy killing foreigners. In the design of the scene, the living scenes of House Harkonnen and the arena combine rationalism, beastly architecture, and the aesthetics of insect body structures. The strictly symmetrical geometric architectural structures highlight this planet's order and high-intensity rule. In contrast, the rough architectural shell combined with insect-like anatomical structures further emphasizes the dehumanization of House Harkonnen. All these scenes are illuminated by harsh, shadowless lighting, leaving a deep impression with their exquisite black-and-white aesthetic scenes.
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In contrast, the abode of the Padishah Emperor is much more comfortable. One of the locations for the Padishah Emperor's home is inspired by the work of Italian architect Carlo Scarpa - the Brion Tomb. This tomb is a memorial joint burial site designed by Carlo Scarpa for Mr. and Mrs. Brion, including a corridor with Scarpa's iconic architectural symbols, an outdoor garden, a lotus pond, and a pavilion. The entire tomb is elegant and meditative, while Scarpa's iconic rectangular structures and double-ring symbols add a spiritual dimension to the architecture. Here, the princess meets with other members of the Bene Gesserit.
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The Padishah Emperor's residence in the desert draws inspiration from Rolex aesthetics. The precise internal structure of a Rolex, magnified hundreds of times, forms a shimmering, multi-layered, sharp yet luxurious scene full of symbols of power and luxury.
Villainy becomes "bad," and the extreme of "bad" tends to become flat, quickly becoming a villain for the sake of being a villain, losing the appeal of character development. Denis Villeneuve's ingenuity creates a complete image of the villains from various artistic perspectives, such as casting, makeup, art, set design, and sound, without departing from the original work. Villeneuve utilizes contrasts in scenes, while Hans Zimmer uses music to stir the heartbeat, gradually engulfing characters and emotions in vividly colorful and exquisite scenes on the cinema's widescreen, ultimately captivating the audience's visual senses. This is why "Dune: Part Two" must be enjoyed in well-equipped cinemas.
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Personal aesthetic characteristics are a double-edged sword - they can become a director's iconic symbol, leaving a lasting legacy; they can also make a director's work appear too homogeneous, leaving audiences bored. In science fiction films, Denis Villeneuve's aesthetic pursuit is a sense of "grandeur," which goes beyond surface colors and compositions, captivating audiences in a moment of complete absorption and awe in the cinema. This sense of grandeur helps audiences rediscover the satisfaction of watching films with undivided attention in cinemas, a rare and precious experience.
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