In 1965, Frank Herbert published a novel called, “Dune.” The book is about a young man named, Paul Atreides born with special abilities including visons of the future, is destined to protect the universe’s priceless resource during an ongoing struggle between his royal family and a dictator who wants full control of it. Dune became a hit spawning sequels, prequels, video games and a 1984 film adaptation directed by David Lynch. The aforementioned film earned negative reception and bombed at the box office. Overtime, it became a cult classic as David’s most divisive work. The novel inspired many epic sci-fi franchises including “Star Trek,” “Star Wars,” “Halo,” “Gundam,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Matrix,” “Stargate” & “Mass Effect.”
Three Decades after David’s movie was released, Warner Bros or WB for short acquired the film/TV rights to produced the Dune series beginning with the first installment. Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049) signed on to direct. An ensemble cast led by Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Zendaya & Javier Bardem. Due to the length of the book, Denis split the film into two parts taking cues from the 2017-2019 two-parter adaptation of Stephen King’s “It.” Originally intended for a Thanksgiving release in 2020, the film was delayed for one year, due to COVID-19. As part of WB’s business plan releasing their batch of movies until 2021 is over, Dune eventually came out ten days before Halloween 2021.
“Dune: Part One” is out in theaters and streaming on HBO Max simultaneously. It received positive reviews from critics, movie goers and streamers alike. So far, the film is making money at the box office. A follow up is currently in development along with an spin-off titled, “Dune: The Sisterhood” slated to stream in the future on HBO Max.
This review contains no crucial SPOILERS. If you haven’t read the book or seen both David Lynch’s version and the new one, feel free to read my non-spoiler article. Is Dune worth the wait? In the words of Shang from “Mulan.” “Let’s get down to business.”
Positive & Negative Elements
Positive: The Main Cast such as Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Zendaya & Javier Bardem all did an excellent job for their respective performances.
Denis Villeneuve did a good job directing. He also co-produced and co-wrote the film.
Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, A Star Is Born 2018) co-wrote the script.
Action Sequences are decent. Knife fight scenes were awesome.
Cinematography contains breathtaking shots of an immersive world that takes you on a journey. I haven’t seen a grand scope detailed camera trickery in a non-superhero movie since “Interstellar.”
Prosthetic Makeup transformed Mr. Skarsgård into Vladimir. A sworn enemy of House Atresides.
Chemistry between Paul, his family and allies serve as the main highlight. His interaction with his close ones moves the story forward.
Costume Designs are authentic reflecting each character’s social class. They don’t look stupid like the Psychlos from “Battlefield Earth.”
Visual Effects are Class A bringing many aspects of the lore to life. Most notably, the sandworm. A massive improvement of the 1984 version. Sandworm’s massive than David Lynch’s version.
Hans Zimmer (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Interstellar) orchestrated the music.
One character said, “The greater good.” Reminds me of that one scene from “Hot Fuzz.” Another character said, “What’s in the box?” A possible reference to “Seven.”
Like the first “X-Men” movie, Part One heavily relies on worldbuilding establishing the lore. Spice plays a crucial role within the universe.
Primary Themes are Social Class, Destiny, Technology, Power, Control, Premonition & Adapting. Each one is handled maturely.
The Ending sets up part two.
Negative: If you’re new to Dune or not familiar with the franchise, you’re gonna be puzzled. Trust me, you’ll feel lost. I on the other hand did some research on the lore to help me understand what the heck’s going on Sometimes it’s hard to remember a character’s name.
Pacing can be a drab at times. If you haven’t read the book, you’ll be miserably bored.
The Final Verdict: A-
Despite a slow pace and confusing lore, I really enjoyed it. Definitely worth the wait. A significant improvement staying true to Frank Herbert’s vision. If you’re a big fan of science fiction like me, you’ll get a kick outta this. If you’re into complex sci-fi, this may not be your cup of tea. I hope Part Two doesn’t sink. Denis Villeneuve better not disappoint me. “Arrival” was letdown for me.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 