Fans of Dune, in regards to the books and even the David Lynch version, gush about it in their circle but in the grand scheme of things, Dune isn’t as recognizable of an IP as people want it to be and it’s a shame that it isn’t. Frank Herbert’s novel is unbelievably dense that’s packed with themes of politics, religion, man and the natural world and the ideas of customs snd traditions in the structure of an epic science-fiction tale. The problem with Dune is that it’s more in the vein of a 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner or even with something recent like an Ad Astra. It’s definitely has it’s fair share of spectacle, but its approach is much more methodical and more ponderous with its world and characters, which is why Dune feels distinct to a variety of other science-fiction properties. Dune isn’t a Star Wars, but what is is a very adult and much bigger scale of what science-fiction movies have the potential of being. The struggling factor with this incarnation of Dune really comes from the director, and for the record: Denis Villeneuve has yet to make an incompetent film. The man takes a story and makes it masterfully executed, especially in the realm of science-fiction, but the downside to his films is that there hasn’t been a rush of excitement when his movies get released. Nobody came out in droves to see Prisoners or Sicario, which are all incredible motion pictures. Arrival is the only film of Villeneuve’s that would be classified as a hit, considering the budget and the awards it received, but after the colossal and financial disaster that was Blade Runner 2049, it was an odd choice to continue with a reboot of Dune with him as the attached director. It raised the question as to how successful Dune would be, based on now large the lore is, but when COVID-19, it was clear that it would kill the franchise potential when you also consider that Dune is also on HBO max. And with a movie on the scale of Dune, it’s the type of film that should be primarily seen on the biggest screen possible. Aside from the certain circumstances that are’t in Dune’s favor, damn this special. Dune is full of grand, awe and majesty surrounding the set pieces, narrative scope and jaw dropping world building. With Denis Villeneuve at the helm, it pushes the advancement of sci-fi storytelling by going so big that it almost feels overwhelming. Dune should be now be the classification of what a modern epic is. From Zimmer’s haunting and operatic score, the terrific performances from the cast and monumental visuals, Dune is everything it was meant to be.
Based on Frank Herbert’s legendary novel and instead of cramming the whole book into one movie (a poke at David Lynch’s version of Dune) Denis Villeneuve’s take on the novel is split it into two movies, with this first part covering the first half of it, and with the first part of Dune, we’re focused on Paul Atreides and the rest of his family, of the noble House Atreides, who are on the brink of war for control of the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, between the native Fremen people and the enemy invaders, the former rulers of Arrakis, the House Harkonnen.
Dune is the kind of impact that the original Star Wars and even The Fellowship of the Ring had, in the sense that we had never seen anything like it before. We’re captivated by all the wonder, the construction of each individual character and the mythology that’s very digestible for newcomers who aren’t familiar with this story. Despite seeing gorgeous and stunning studio movies in the past, Dune is on a completely different degree. The narrative, sound design and pristine visuals transport yourself in this world and and make you lost within it. This is a movie that’s meant to be seen with an audience on the biggest screen possible and with every frame of Dune, you feel the heat in the air, the sand on the boots of our characters and the smoke from the engines. Its visceral at its absolute finest but the scope of Dune is so otherworldly that it feels larger than life. Scenes that take place in bedrooms, dining rooms or scenes of political discourse all carry epic weight, which was a big aspect of Herbert’s novel. Despite it being more of a set up for the sequel, this first Dune movie carries an unforgettable and titanic sense of weight that embarks on what makes this narrative so impactful and really just how large all the other pieces feel. Serving as the films cinematographer, Greig Fraser has such an alluring way of capturing this universe and it speaks volumes to how Denis Villeneuve works with his cinematographers.
Denis Villeneuve just might have solidified himself as the best filmmaker in the business. His movies aren’t making Avengers: Endgame kind of money, but from a quality perspective, he knows how to deliver the goods. Scenes play so magnificently, to the exhilarating battles, scenes of political discussion and the scenes of profound character growth. He can make something for mainstream but appease to a more art house type of fan. It also proves how much appreciation he has for the genre science-fiction and its unquestionably that has laid so much new and fresh ground work for movies to come. Villeneuve has the best intentions on delivering the perfect movie experience, and his visions and sensibilities with this movie are truly a gift and if the sequel that if the sequel is anywhere near the quality of this movie, we could be looking at next The Godfather of all science-fiction
The performances are all top notch and what’s even more unique is that every actor his either worked with Denis Villeneuve in the past, or the actors have worked with each other and various projects. Having that play as a factor, it enhances the dynamics with each character and it boosts their creativity. Timothée Chalamet works tremendously as a lead, Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson are outstanding, Josh Brolin crushes it and even Jason Momoa still carries his brute force and dose of charm. Even the actors that aren’t in it for much are incredible. Each character leaves a remarkable impression, especially from Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgård and Dave Bautista (who is continuing to improve himself as an actor in Hollywood). With an ensemble this large, every actor is developed gracefully, they sync up well with other characters and it still leaves us so much more for what’s bound to come.
It has to be Hans Zimmer’s year for several reasons. Not only is one of the best composers in the business, but has managed to create two of the most scores of the year with No Time to Die and Dune within the same month. What ever the Academy’s personal grudges are against Hans Zimmer, they need to recognize the skill this man has. The music in Dune is unique, magical, epic and wonderfully versatile. It captures the mood, atmosphere and speaks praise to how much talent he continues to throw at us. I mean…..he mad bag pipes cool in 2021.
Dune should easily please fans of the original source material but its goal is to also bring on fresh new faces and it does that in spades. It does end with an obvious “hey, stick around for part two,” but even that still leaves you with a desire to come back to this world and relish in it one more time. From the staggering performances, the god-like score from Hans Zimmer and truly entrancing visuals and set pieces, Dune is a film for the ages. Way to go, Mr. Villeneuve.
My grade for Dune: A
Zane's take at the Cinema's 