Directed by Denis Villenueve; Screenplay By Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, & Eric Roth; Starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.
Based on (the first half of) Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel of the same name, Dune follows a brilliant and gifted young man named Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), who was born into a great destiny beyond his understanding. He must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
This is the second big screen adaptation of the novel following the 1984 version directed by David Lynch, which was famously one of many movies that ended up getting ruined by studio interference. Lynch himself had such a miserable experience on it, that he has since disowned it from his filmography. Unlike most cinematic reboots/remakes (like West Side Story coming in December), Dune is a property people feel actually deserves a second chance given that its previous go-around was a complete failure. So therefore, the people behind this iteration have nowhere to go but up. When Denis Villenueve came on board, he agreed to be at the helm only if he could adapt the novel into two movies as he felt the story and the world it’s set in were way too complex to adapt into one film. He even wanted to make both parts back-to-back similar to how Peter Jackson was able to make the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in one production, but Warner Brothers only allowed Villenueve to make the first part. The second part will only be made if this movie proves to be successful.
I’m not familiar with the source material of Dune at all. I’ve never read the original novel, I have not seen David Lynch’s version, nor have I seen the miniseries adaptation from 2000. As for my thoughts on this iteration, Denis Villenueve has crafted such a stunningly bold science fiction epic. Everything about the scope on display is so imaginative. From Patrice Vermette’s production design to Jacqueline West & Robert Morgan’s costumes to Greig Fraser’s cinematography to the visual effects. Not to mention that the sound work and the musical score by Hans Zimmer are both also firing on all cylinders.
Dune may have a huge star-studded cast, but most of them don’t have a whole lot to do in the film. I don’t know if any of their characters have a lot more to do in the second half of the original novel, but if they do, then their talents hopefully shouldn’t feel wasted in the end. With that being said, I’m sure everyone involved was just excited enough to be a part of such an ambitious project like this. As the main character of Paul Atreides, Timothée Chalamet gives a very strong performance, once again proving why he is one of the most exciting actors of his generation. Rebecca Ferguson as his mother, Lady Jessica, may come across as reserved, but her performance is very effective. I thought both she and Chalamet had great chemistry together, making their onscreen relationship the heart and soul of this movie.
Overall, Dune may be a bit of a slow burn, but it still very wisely takes time to tell its story. I highly recommend seeing this movie in a theater on the biggest screen you can find (which is pretty much how Denis Villenueve wants everyone to experience it). I hope Dune ends up being a commercial success so we could get a sequel that’ll cover the second half of the story. I know I’d be intrigued to see it.
Rating: 4/5
Based on (the first half of) Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel of the same name, Dune follows a brilliant and gifted young man named Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), who was born into a great destiny beyond his understanding. He must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
This is the second big screen adaptation of the novel following the 1984 version directed by David Lynch, which was famously one of many movies that ended up getting ruined by studio interference. Lynch himself had such a miserable experience on it, that he has since disowned it from his filmography. Unlike most cinematic reboots/remakes (like West Side Story coming in December), Dune is a property people feel actually deserves a second chance given that its previous go-around was a complete failure. So therefore, the people behind this iteration have nowhere to go but up. When Denis Villenueve came on board, he agreed to be at the helm only if he could adapt the novel into two movies as he felt the story and the world it’s set in were way too complex to adapt into one film. He even wanted to make both parts back-to-back similar to how Peter Jackson was able to make the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in one production, but Warner Brothers only allowed Villenueve to make the first part. The second part will only be made if this movie proves to be successful.
I’m not familiar with the source material of Dune at all. I’ve never read the original novel, I have not seen David Lynch’s version, nor have I seen the miniseries adaptation from 2000. As for my thoughts on this iteration, Denis Villenueve has crafted such a stunningly bold science fiction epic. Everything about the scope on display is so imaginative. From Patrice Vermette’s production design to Jacqueline West & Robert Morgan’s costumes to Greig Fraser’s cinematography to the visual effects. Not to mention that the sound work and the musical score by Hans Zimmer are both also firing on all cylinders.
Dune may have a huge star-studded cast, but most of them don’t have a whole lot to do in the film. I don’t know if any of their characters have a lot more to do in the second half of the original novel, but if they do, then their talents hopefully shouldn’t feel wasted in the end. With that being said, I’m sure everyone involved was just excited enough to be a part of such an ambitious project like this. As the main character of Paul Atreides, Timothée Chalamet gives a very strong performance, once again proving why he is one of the most exciting actors of his generation. Rebecca Ferguson as his mother, Lady Jessica, may come across as reserved, but her performance is very effective. I thought both she and Chalamet had great chemistry together, making their onscreen relationship the heart and soul of this movie.
Overall, Dune may be a bit of a slow burn, but it still very wisely takes time to tell its story. I highly recommend seeing this movie in a theater on the biggest screen you can find (which is pretty much how Denis Villenueve wants everyone to experience it). I hope Dune ends up being a commercial success so we could get a sequel that’ll cover the second half of the story. I know I’d be intrigued to see it.
Rating: 4/5