ANATOLY IVANOV / PROSE / 2024-05-22

DO YOU LIKE TO WATCH OTHERS DIE IN THE SAND DUNES?

by Anatoly IVANOV

CINEMA / POLITICS / RELIGION / SOCIETY / ESSAYS

Dune — the book, the films… especially the latest ones — are about violence as the only virtue.

On a real planet with a real war in a real Europe, killing and maiming real people as you read this, dismembering civilians and mercenaries alike in the most horrific ways… People go watch the glorification of death and suffering, marvel at its masterful capture with… ahem… rehoused Soviet lenses (actually, the Zeiss stolen from the Germans in another war, but I digress). “A grand spectacle” of mostly slashing, puncturing, poisoning, purging and burning humans on a huge IMAX screen with 12-channel surround sound.

Oh, and no pity to animals either. Babies or grown up.

Add religious stupor, infinite vengeance, women as incubators and not a single bit of science or rationality — and you get an overview of our current mass culture interests and depth.

How many of you liked it?

Oh, wait. I forgot. They do have “atomics”. Fascinating, like in our times.

What do you say? There’s the Fallout series about that, with as much blood and cognizance?

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