I think Villeneuve maybe leaned too far in the sci fi futuristic aesthetic.
Yes, while a strength of his adaption is that he actually respects the books, I fully agree with you that the production design and especially the costumes look pretty bland. Another thing I consider a weakness is how the deeper lore is pushed into the background and instead action scenes are put in the focus, which is typical for movie adaptions of books in general, just think of LOTR.
I think it’s trying too hard to be Star Wars - 21st century edition. Villeneuve’s strength is that he can make the weird engaging and palatable while keeping that edge. There just wasn’t enough weirdness in the Dune movies to set it apart. The cinematography and production were great but overall felt underwhelmed. Even 2049 had enough interesting compelling weird elements. I understand he’s under immense pressure from the studio to do his thing so I can’t fault him either.
Yes, while a strength of his adaption is that he actually respects the books, I fully agree with you that the production design and especially the costumes look pretty bland. Another thing I consider a weakness is how the deeper lore is pushed into the background and instead action scenes are put in the focus, which is typical for movie adaptions of books in general, just think of LOTR.
I think it’s trying too hard to be Star Wars - 21st century edition. Villeneuve’s strength is that he can make the weird engaging and palatable while keeping that edge. There just wasn’t enough weirdness in the Dune movies to set it apart. The cinematography and production were great but overall felt underwhelmed. Even 2049 had enough interesting compelling weird elements. I understand he’s under immense pressure from the studio to do his thing so I can’t fault him either.