That guy at the library who said 'the movie was better' about Dune

Was browsing the sci-fi section at my local library in St. Paul last Tuesday, and some older guy just walks up and says out of nowhere that the 1984 Dune movie is better than the book. I asked him if he was joking, and he doubled down, said the book was 'too dense' and the movie had Sting in it. I wanted to argue but he had this smug look like he'd won something. Has anyone else run into someone with a truly baffling hot take like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

joel_young7d ago

Jumped into a conversation at my comic shop last year where this guy said the Lord of the Rings movies were better than the books because they cut out 'all the boring songs and poems.' I was just standing there with a copy of The Silmarillion in my hand, lol. Told him straight up that the songs are what make Middle-earth feel real to me, and he just shrugged and said he'd rather watch Legolas surf down stairs. Some people just want the fast version with less elves singing, I guess. That Dune guy sounds like he's in the same boat, just trying to get a rise out of fans.

shah.ben7d ago

@joel_young you hit it right on the head. It's the same pattern you see everywhere now, not just with books or movies. People want everything stripped down to just the action and the plot points, like they're speedrunning life or something. The songs and the slow parts in Tolkien are what build the world and give it weight, they make you feel like you're actually there. Take those out and you're just watching a highlight reel, which is fine if that's your thing, but don't act like it's the same experience. Same deal with all the discourse around Dune or even music these days, everyone wants the chorus and skips the verses. It's like nobody has the patience to let a story breathe anymore.