I don't think it's necessarily a bad departure from source material to make the blindly devoted wife into an intelligent, self-thinking presence. Call me woke or whatever but I think it has a lot of interesting potential for a love interest to counter what otherwise becomes an absolute authoritarian autocrat.

I never understood the people who get upset that a film is not 1:1 with the source materials. The story on film doesn't have to, and in many cases shouldn't, be lock in step with a book almost 60 years it's senior. This medium is not just for the book reading audience. It's for casual film goers and cinemaphiles as much as it is for sci-fi nerds and the book lovers. Not to mention, the director and script writers are their own storytellers just as much as Herbert was. If you prefer the books, they absolutely still exist.

[–] Aetherial@nord.pub 1 points 1 month ago

FINALLY. Someone correctly lays out what interpretive art is and what its role in cinema is: to interpret. The masses act as if artistic license was never a thing.

[+] SarahValentine@lemmy.blahaj.zone -16 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I don't think it's necessarily a bad departure from source material to make the blindly devoted wife into an intelligent, self-thinking presence

Funny how your whole argument had to begin by putting words in my mouth so you could have one. And that's all the engagement this bait is getting out of me. Ta-ta.

[–] can@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago (2 children)

What is the glaring departure?

[–] zer0hour@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

in the book Chani is pretty much fully supportive and goes along with whatever Paul wants/needs to do, but in the movie she's very much not a believer and doesn't seem to trust him, especially by the end of the second movie

[–] SarahValentine@lemmy.blahaj.zone -2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Chani was devoted, but not blindly. She was not lacking in intelligence or any other qualities. As such, she wasn't stupid enough to threaten her peoples' chance at fulfilling both the prophecy and the promise of Kynes by openly questioning the mahdi who was delivering both to them. Denis's Chani is the way she is "because boss bitch strong woman don't need no man" no matter how pointless and contrary the behavior is for the situation, which is as much an insult to feminism as characterizing her as a brainless damsel.