After pandemic reasoned delays and a long wait Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is finally about to hit US theatres and it’s the best film of the year.
Find out why in our review below:
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who 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.
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Dune is one of the biggest science fiction novels of all time. It influenced big franchises like Star Wars and Game of Thrones. It also has been called impossible to adapt. After director David Lynch failed and the Jodorowsky’s Dune never saw the light of the day, the first three (out of six) books have been adapted as two TV mini series, but these never got big attention. Now one of the best filmmakers currently working has gotten his chance to adapt this sci-fi epic. And he succeeded!
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Gets It Right
One of the most anticipated films of this year was scheduled to release last year, but fell victim to the pandemic and therefore had to be delayed twice. The hype and excitement has been immense. I read the first two books, as soon as I got word that Denis Villeneuve will adapt it, and became an instant fan. The director of Arrival or Blade Runner 2049 took a different approach at the material as he split the book in two parts and Dune (Part 1) will only cover the first half of Herbert‘s book.
Starting off with the A-List ensemble cast: the lead character Paul Atreides is played by Timothée Chalamet, who according to Villeneuve was the only choice for the role. He is excellent, you fully buy his inner conflicts, his uncertainty, fears, but when it comes to action scenes he really makes a good figure; confident and cool.
He is supported by the likes of the fantastic Rebecca Ferguson, who plays Paul’s mother Jessica, who is training her son in the powers of the Benefit Gesserit, an old guild of powerful women, who are working for the different houses, but only to reach their own goals. Oscar Isaac plays the strong yet kind Duke Leto Atreides, starring alongside Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Stellan Skarsgård and more. The entire cast couldn’t be more perfectly casted, fully capturing the characters from the book. You really get a sense of how important that project was for Villeneuve as he handpicked a lot of the actors.
Villeneuve crafted a technical Marvel. The film just looks and sounds absolutely stunning. Greig Fraser‘s cinematography is magnificent and a feast for the eyes, along with the epic score by Hans Zimmer, who kinda reinvents himself as this score is nothing like we ever heard of him, the film is simply a science fiction Epos we haven’t seen since Villeneuve‘s Blade Runner 2049. Fully transporting audiences into this new world this film has the potential (if it gets the greenlight for sequel(s)) to be the next big adventure epic a la Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. A true cinematic experience.
The only minor thing that is holding the film down (for now) from a perfect 5/5, is that it heavenly relies on its potential sequel. It’s just one half of an epic story and to fully work, the film needs to get its sequel. Many big themes and plot points just get addressed, but readers of the novel know that they will be explored in the books second half. That just leaves you with this feeling that it’s not completely able to stand on its own, which it doesn’t have to, if the sequel gets green lit.
Dune finally gets the adaption it deserves. A two and a half hours epic, full of incredible visuals, an absorbing score and a brilliant cast. Simply put the best film of the year, with the potential to be a one of a kind sci-fi story, if Villeneuve gets to make the second half of the book, potentially even adapting the second book. The sequels must flow.
4.5/5
Dune is in theatres in a lot of territories and hits US theatres and HBO Max October 22, 2021.
The film is directed and co-written by Denis Villeneuve and stars: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Zendaya, Dave Bautista, Chang Chen, David Dastmalchian, Stephen McKinley-Henderson, Charlotte Rampling and Javier Bardem.
What do you guys think? Are you excited for Dune? Have you seen it already, if so how did you like it? Let’s discuss everything in the comments down below and on our Twitter.
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