“Dune” Review
With an incredible scale, “Dune” is one of the best films of the year and creates a definitive version of Frank Herbert’s classic novel.
Along with “No Time To Die” and “In The Heights,” one film I was looking forward to seeing in 2020 that was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic was “Dune.” Now, over a year later, the film has made it to theaters and it is a true spectacle. While the film has been simultaneously released in theaters and on HBOMax, this is easily one of 2021’s best films that needs to be experienced on the big screen, especially in IMAX with Dolby Atmos sound.
Based on the classic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, the film is set tens of thousands of years in the future where humanity has mastered space travel and the human race has become a universal monarchy with different houses controlling different planets. One of these houses, the house Atreides, consisting of Duke Leto (Oscar Issac), his concubine Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and their son Paul (Timothee Chalamet), have been entrusted with the desert planet Arrakis.
The most valuable planet in the universe, Arrakis, also called Dune, is where a valuable substance called “spice” is harvested. But when the Atreides family is betrayed and find themselves at war with their sworn enemies, the Harkonnens, Paul finds himself called to leadership when he begins to experience visions of the future.
It’s important to know that this film is only telling the first half of the book. In fact, the opening shows the title as “Dune: Part One.” While this might put some people off, the original story is anything but simple, so splitting up the story makes sense. It’s like adapting “It” into two films or “The Lord of the Rings” into a trilogy, anything less would be a disservice to the source material. Don’t believe me? Watch the 1984 version by David Lynch. By taking a 500 page book and condensing it to one film, it resulted in an uneventful, overstuffed mess.
Timothee Chalamet’s performance as Paul Atreides is the definitive portrayal of one of science fiction’s best characters.
One of the biggest problems with the fantasy and science fiction genres is exposition. When creating a new world, there has to be a lot of exposition given to show how this world works. But what makes “Dune” so engaging is that director Denis Villenueve understands how to build the world of the novel in a cinematic medium.
Unlike the 1984 film, which has moments dedicated to explanation that grind the film to a halt, Villenueve fluidly showcases the world by constantly mesmerising us with incredible visuals. When “Dune” has moments dedicated to showing the ecology of the planet or talking about groups of people, there’s always something fantastic happening on the screen.
From the technology to the sandworms, everything from Herbert’s novel is faithfully adapted and it looks fantastic. The film’s cinematography was done by Greig Fraser, who also did “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and his work makes you feel like you are in this environment with these people. Whenever there’s a massive spaceship, a giant sandworm or other marvels on screen, there’s always a person in the frame which gives the world a sense of scale.
The sound design is so intricate and immersive that seeing “Dune” in a theater is the only true way to enjoy it. Combined with mesmerising visuals and one of Hans Zimmer’s best scores, which is saying a lot, the film is a spectacle unlike any other film released this year.
Despite being a massive display of science fiction, everything about the world of “Dune” feels tangible. Dennis Villenueve was truly the best person to helm this film since his previous films, “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049,” have a large scale of science fiction blockbusters but have more of a personal touch.
Among the film’s strong ensemble cast is Jason Mamoa as the powerful warrior Duncan Idaho, one of the best supporting characters in “Dune.”
But the film’s cast is one of “Dune’s” best achievements because every single role is perfectly cast. Timothee Chalamet is an incredible Paul Atriedes because it’s clear that he has much to learn but there is a level of intrigue to him. It’s also helpful that they actually cast a younger actor, Chalamet being 25-years-old, to play Paul instead of a grown man like the 1984 film, which more accurately reflects the original story.
Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Issac are also compelling as Paul’s parents with Lady Jessica teaching Paul more mystical powers while Duke Leto tries to help Paul become a better leader. Also serving as mentors to Paul are the intelligent Thufir Hawat (Stephen Mickinley Henderson), the grim weapons master Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) and, my favorite supporting character from the book, swordsman Duncan Idaho (Jason Mamoa). Idaho was unfairly sidelined in the 1984 film and it’s incredible to see such a badass brought to life.
The villains of the film, Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and his brutal nephew Rabban (Dave Bautista) are also a lot of fun with the Baron conveying both intrigue and repulsion at the same time. Instead of being a laughingstock like the 1984 film, this Baron is a cold, calculating menace who will stop at nothing to take back Arrakis from the House Atreides.
Then there are the residents of Arrakis who belong to a mysterious tribe called the Fremen, who live in the desert, have spent centuries fighting outsiders and have adapted to the harsh climate. Among the characters native to Dune include ecologist Dr. Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), tribal leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and warrior Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun). Not only do they help the Atreides family grow accustomed to the planet but also play a major role when the family is betrayed and war breaks out.
While she was featured in a lot of the advertising, Chani (Zendaya) isn’t in the film that much but she still makes a big impact as a guiding spirit which leads Paul to his destiny as a leader. She frequently appears in his visions and Zendaya’s tough portrayal makes for a cool interpretation of the character.
While the film is easily one of the best experiences I've had at the movies, unfortunately the ending doesn’t completely satisfy because it’s meant to be a two-parter. If a sequel is made (Warner Bros. Pictures hasn’t announced one yet), I think that subsequent viewings with the second half will be even better. It’s just hard to completely love a story you know is incomplete, but “Dune” comes incredibly close. When the film was over, I was thinking two things: “That was amazing” and “I can’t wait for more.”
The two-and-a-half hour film is mostly well paced with a great balance of character and action but the film does start to drag in the last half hour. But, with all the problems I’ve had with the 1984 film, the fact that “Dune” was so good that I’m nitpicking it to prove I’m not being a fanboy means that the film is doing something right.
Hopefully a sequel is greenlit because, out of all the unnecessary sequels Hollywood makes, this is a film that deserves a continuation. “Dune” is everything that is amazing about cinema. It’s got a grand sense of spectacle, immerses you to a different world and creates a fantastic story you want to be a part of. If you’ve been looking for a reason to go to the movie theater, this is the film to watch.
