I enjoyed the special effects in the Dune 2021 movie, but the plot seemed overly serious and challenging to follow. For the strike-delayed second part, I’m hoping that Godzilla will join the mix. Who agrees with me that Godzilla v. a sandworm would spice things up?
(Side note: I would be willing to pay 15 Bidies to see the Barbie movie if Godzilla were included.)
Here’s an April 2023 effort by DALL-E to illustrate the concept:
For reference, a photograph of the real Godzilla:
What about the plot? Is my lack of imagination an obstacle to a successful career as a screenwriter? GPT-4 to the rescue! The prompt:
Write a story in the style of the novel Dune in which Godzilla arrives on Arrakis and fights the sandworms.
The script (note that ChatGPT was smart enough to realize that Godzilla must win at the end of the movie):
In the vast expanse of the desert planet Arrakis, where the great sandworms roamed, a new force would soon join the eternal dance of predator and prey. The Fremen, people of the desert, had long revered the sandworms, creatures that were essential to the production of the most precious substance in the universe: the spice melange. But as whispers spread among the sietches, they could hardly imagine what was about to happen on their sacred home.
As the suns set over the horizon, their path illuminated by the dust and sand of the desert, a storm approached. Fremen gathered in the caves and shelters, readying themselves for the fury of the winds. The sandworms, though, reveled in the chaos, emerging from the depths to feel the storm’s might.
Amidst the swirling sands, a great roar echoed, carried by the gales. It was a sound unlike any the Fremen had ever heard, a resonance that shook the very core of their being. The sandworms, too, sensed this new presence, and for the first time in their long history, they felt unease.
From within the storm, a titanic figure emerged: Godzilla. The King of the Monsters had found his way to Arrakis, and with each thunderous step, the desert trembled. Though not one to shy away from conflict, Godzilla’s primal instincts urged him to survey this new land.
As the storm settled, the Fremen cautiously emerged from their shelters. They spoke of the great beast that had appeared, their eyes wide with awe and fear. Muad’Dib, their leader and messiah, listened to their accounts and pondered the significance of this event.
Meanwhile, Godzilla continued to roam the desert, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. The sandworms, feeling the tremors of his steps, were drawn to the surface in search of the source. The air was thick with tension as these ancient creatures neared the mighty behemoth.
When the first sandworm burst forth from the sands, its colossal maw gaping wide, Godzilla turned to face it. His primal instincts ignited, and the beast within him awakened. As the sandworm lunged, Godzilla let loose a torrent of atomic breath, engulfing the creature in a searing inferno.
The Fremen, observing from afar, gasped in astonishment. They had never before witnessed a being capable of felling a sandworm so effortlessly. Muad’Dib, his mind racing with the implications, knew that this force had the potential to change the course of their history.
One by one, the sandworms emerged to challenge the intruder, and one by one, they fell to Godzilla’s might. The Fremen watched as their world was transformed, their reverence for the sandworms now tinged with uncertainty.
But even in the midst of this titanic struggle, the desert had more secrets to reveal. From deep beneath the sands, a new presence stirred. It was the Maker of the Makers, the worm that had birthed all other sandworms. It was ancient and powerful, and it sensed the threat Godzilla posed to its progeny.
As the behemoth and the Maker of the Makers clashed, the sands of Arrakis were sundered. The Fremen could only look on as the two titans battled for supremacy, each vying to prove their place atop the hierarchy of the desert.
The battle raged for days, their roars echoing across the dunes like thunder. The sands ran red with the blood of the combatants, and the very air seemed to tremble with the force of their strikes.
Eventually, the impossible happened. The Maker of the Makers, weakened and battered, fell before Godzilla.
Generation Z dune was torture compared to the edgy 1984 version. At least they’re finally covering more of the books. Maybe getting old makes 20 year olds look more clueless than they used to, but Kyle MacLachlan seemed to have a lot more going on upstairs. At least the mom was a lot easier on the eyes than she was in 1984.
Could Dune be improved if Godzilla joined? No!
Who agrees with me that Godzilla v. a sandworm would spice things up? Pavel.
What about the plot? Irrelevant.
Is my lack of imagination an obstacle to a successful career as a screenwriter? Yes!
I think Godzilla will be a great addition to all kinds of movie genres, as long as it is clear that the character is gender-neutral.
From wiki:
“In the original Japanese films, Godzilla and all the other monsters are referred to with gender-neutral pronouns equivalent to “it”,[56] while in the English dubbed versions, Godzilla is explicitly described as a male. In his book, Godzilla co-creator Tomoyuki Tanaka suggested that the monster was probably male.[57] In the 1998 film Godzilla, the monster is referred to as a male and is depicted laying eggs through parthenogenesis.[58][59] In the Legendary Godzilla films, Godzilla is referred to as a male.[60][61]”
Dune 2024 Part 2: get rid of the white colonizers.