I am surprised by the sheer viciousness of most of the _355_ reviews
from supposedly professional critics. Cinema doesn't exist in a
vacuum; the only way to evaluate a film is to compare, place it
in the proper context, continuum. I don't watch that many "action"
films, or films in theaters at all, these days. The last one was
_Dune_, having skipped _France_ because I haven't gotten a booster
shot yet. (I also just saw _Slack Bay_ on DVD and have had enough
Dumont for a while, Lea Seydoux notwithstanding.) So, the logical
recourse is to pit the seemingly widely acclaimed _Dune_ against
the much criticized (but beloved by audience) _355_. This is
going to be fun!

Dialogue:

_355_: "We can do it the easy way, or we can do it the hard way."
(A line singled out for its "cliche" writing.)
_Dune_: "Kill them all!" (The "payoff" in a 5-minute scene, which
seems to last a lifetime, where Baron Harkonnen's advisors
slowly walk up and update him on the attack on the Astreides.
I literally had to pick my jaw up from the floor at the
brain-dead writing, which is mercifully not in the book.
Advantage: _355_

Hand-to-hand combat:

_355_: Chastain and Kruger in vicious hand-to-hand combat using frozen
fish! Granted this is not as well shot or choreographed as
in _Ava_, which does take after the _Bourne_ series. Then
again, the critics didn't jump up and down on the _Ava_
bandwagon with joy when *that* was released, so what the hell
is their excuse? _355_ is PG-13 by the way.
_Dune_: Duncan Idaho's messy death match with Sardaukar, where he
seems to come back from the dead at least twice like Freddy Kruger,
while Paul screams and moans like his teenage girlfriend.
Jason Mamoa was magnificent in "Game of Thrones", so you really
expect something better. In the book, Herbert described the
scene with his trademark understatement:
"Paul had one last glimpse of Idaho standing against a swarm of
Harkonnen uniforms -- his jerking, controlled staggers, the
black goat hair with a red blossom of death in it."

The climatic attack by Paul's worm-mounted legions was
disposed of with a couple sentences too, and will certainly
be another ponderous special effect borefest in _Dune Part 2_:
"But the figures leaping from the worm backs were men, and the
blades flashing in that ominous yellow light were a thing the
Sardaukar had been trained to face. They threw themselves into
combat. And it was man to man on the plains of Arrakeen while
a picked Sardaukar bodyguard pressed the emperor back into the
ship, sealed the door on him, and prepared to die at the door
as part of his shield."
Advantage: _355_

Gunplay:
_355_: Chastain's long chase of Kruger into the subway is actually
exciting. The film is produced by Chastain's Freckles company,
and doesn't have a James-Bond-like budget that allows for
flattening half of the city of Venice.
_Dune_: Gurney Halleck, supposed to be House Astreides' genius weapon
master, leads a dense pack of foot soldiers at an even trot
straight at the attackers; they are blown apart by projectile
weapons. Herbert didn't write that either. "Infantry 101"
clearly isn't director Villeneuve's favorite bedtime read.
Advantage: _355_

Explosions:

_355_: Only a couple of small but semi-smart fireworks, one improvised
by Kruger, the other a flash-grenade kicked back into the
terrorists. Oh, there is also the shape-charge that breaks
through to a hotel suite from above.
_Dune_: With so many big, dumb explosions, it is shocking Villeneuve
can't fit in the one smart blast in the book. The Harkonnens
are strafing the desert randomly to catch Astreides soldiers
on the run. So Idaho sets up a camouflaged shield; when a
lasgun hits the shield it sets off a nuclear explosion. The
scene would visually illustrate why people don't use lasers or
beam weapons in the _Dune_ universe.
Advantage: _355_

Rotten Tomatoes score:

_355_: 24%?!
_Dune_: 83%

Conclusion: the professional critics don't know what they are doing.

But of course we know that already. Some critics even complain about
Penelope Cruz's cowering mother role. That's the role she herself
requested -- she did not want to be in fight scenes. If you get paid
to do reviews, is doing some homework too much to ask?

The main pleasure of _355_ is to see the two lead actresses evolve.
Kruger was a fashion model and a classic European beauty who has
transformed herself (slowly) into a powerful actress. Chastain is a
stunning beauty too, especially in person, but that is the last thing
you think of with this once-in-a-generation talent. When you see her
character pushes her way to the restroom after hearing her partner's
death, full of rage and grief and vengeful intent, yet managing to fight
back tears, you know you are in a Jessica Chastain film, and no one
else could ever be cast in that role. She was described as a
"children's crusade" CIA member in _Zero Dark Thirty_; years later
her face has grown ever more interesting -- has so many more stories
to tell with its lines and creases -- as she takes on another CIA
role. She should have been Lady Jessica in _Dune_. _355_ is far
from a perfect film, but it is an essential showcase for its
actresses, especially Chastain.