[Schilkeman]

When I was coming up in “nerd” circles, the Mt. Rushmore of nerdom, as presented to me, was Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Dune. I think three things happened. One, LotR got the greatest genre film adaptation of all time, wildly popularizing the series and fantasy in general. Two, Harry Potter happened, and three, the dum-dums caught on to all the fun we were having and decided to make comic book movies. Dune kind of got lost in the shuffle, and as always, sci-fi, however soft, is more difficult for normies. It’s not a coincidence that the most successful Star Trek movie was that Abrams abomination.

I don’t think Villeneuve’s rather aseptic films will do much to leave a larger legacy for the property, not that that matters to me. I have spoken elsewhere about my disdain for the “fed” mentality film-makers can sometimes have for books, but the books are still there, as thought-provoking and immersive as they ever were.