FilmSnobReviews

Title: Dune
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hrs 35 mins

What It Is: Paul Atreides faces down his destiny when his family is tasked with overseeing the Spice-rich planet of Arrakis. Being spice-rich challenges from the previous purveyours as well as the flora and fauna will arise sending the Atreides the scramble for answers. All through out Paul must figure out if this is truly his destiny or not.

What We Think: Denis Villeneuve is one of my favorite directors working today. I recall him mentioning in one of his interviews that he wants his style to stand as much on its own as possible and not take too much from his inspirations (Spielberg, Coppola, Kubrick, Truffaut, etc), and I feel like he has completely accomplished that feat. Prisoners is one of my all-time favorites (love that film to death), and his recent ventures into the sci-fi genre have been terrific, with both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 demonstrating that he is quite possibly the greatest filmmaker of our modern time. And now, after a long wait, his adaptation of Dune has finally arrived.

Villeneuve has expressed his love for the genre-defining novel time and time again, and it’s clear that Dune was something his career had been building up towards for a long time, and it’s something that I can clearly see as his passion project. Well, if the incredible films Villeneuve has made over the past decade are any indicators, Dune is indeed made out of a pure passion for storytelling and cinema – almost as if this was the film he was destined to make, and it shows. Villeneuve himself said that the scope of Dune is something not meant to be seen on a streaming service at home. If you’re hesitant about going back to the movies – this is the sole reason to do so. I cannot stress enough the importance of going to see this film in a theater.

Dune is a sprawling, imaginative, and deeply pensive science fiction film that is massive in scale – the very definition of breathtaking. Now, it might be easy to heap praise upon this film, because there is so much that it does well, but believe me when I say that it is absolutely masterful, both in adaptation and in the genre. Having read the original novel mere months before seeing the film, there is a clear love and respect for Frank Herbert’s vision here. The art department does a flawless job in bringing the world of Dune to life, one that isn’t as futuristic as one would expect – from rustic bookcases to cold and impassive architecture, the sets are as believable as they are surprisingly realistic. The same goes for the costume design, adhering to the medieval aesthetic of the Atreides wardrobe, incorporating the Middle Eastern feel of the Fremen’s tunics, the metallic soldier-like armor of the Harkonnens… simply immaculate.

But the looks don’t stop there. I previously mentioned the massive scale of Dune – and in no better way is it conveyed than through its cinematography. Villeneuve and his DP Greig Fraiser really bring out the colors, shapes, and sizes of the visuals (Fraser was the DP on Rogue One, a film that specialized in capturing massive Star Wars ships), with every shot feeling like it was ripped from the mind of Herbert himself. The setting suns on Arrakis and everything having to do with the beautiful, harsh landscape of the desert are standout moments of those same visuals (another one being the dimly lit and intense ‘Gom Jabbar’ scene near the beginning of the film). Dune is a film that is extremely pleasing to look at to put it lightly, but it’s also awe-inspiring to look at as well. One of the most important scenes in the film showcases a sandworm attack – which produced a sheer, gargantuan feeling of amazement which made me quietly utter… “wow”. The visual effects are seamless to the point where they become completely indistinguishable from what’s actually real, and Dune is the first film to blur that line for me (even so while viewing it in IMAX). The visuals of Dune are truly, truly, outstanding.

And with those visuals comes an incredible auditory experience (one that is propelled into the stratosphere when seen in a theater). Both in sound design and in its score, the film is vividly tense and creative. ‘The Voice’, an ability in the film that a few characters possess (made to command/entrance its target), was so effective in its execution and design to where it felt like it was washing over me as well. Every piece of machinery, the vibrations in the sand, the sounds of futuristic technology – they are so integral to the film’s audiovisual experience… as well as Hans Zimmer’s score. A score which, sounds like nothing we’ve ever heard from him. He clearly wanted to distance himself from his old style, as well as a western orchestra. This results in one of his most unorthodox and compelling scores to date, with a blend of primitive instruments, soaring war anthems, and rumbles of distorted strings and sounds. Some people might call it weird, I prefer to call it brilliant. What’s more is that Zimmer was so inspired in his process (he was also deeply affected by the original novel) that he made two more full albums, something I look very forward to listening!

To start concluding things – everything is tied together with the performances. Chalamet’s stoic Paul, Ferguson’s emotive Jessica, Issac’s righteous Leto, Momoa’s charming and fierce Duncan, Skarsgård’s sinister Baron… everyone in the cast is the pure embodiment of their own character. Particular standouts for me are Rebecca Ferguson and Stellan Skarsgård – Ferguson portrays one of the most compelling characters in the book beautifully, with some scenes requiring her to shove down emotions that are clawing towards the surface, and somewhere she has to do the exact opposite – where Skarsgård is disturbingly menacing and has such a presence in the film as the main villain, a comparison I would happily make with Hopkin’s presence in Silence of the Lambs; most effective, and certainly not limited to how much time he’s on-screen. Jason Momoa’s Duncan offers a comedic side to the mostly dark and dramatic story, as well as Josh Brolin’s Gurney – the humor in Dune is distanced, but there’s enough of it to achieve a healthy balance. Finally, Timothée Chalamet is the perfect choice for Paul. As Villeneuve said, there’s a deep intelligence within his eyes that is integral to Paul’s silent but calculating nature – a mold that will be shaped into something much more profound in Part 2.

Which, speaking of Part 2, there is no doubt in my mind that it will become a reality (why there would be any hesitancy is beyond me). When adapting a novel as massive as Dune, which contains a gargantuan amount of lore and story, it’s absolutely necessary to divide it into two parts. What Villeneuve’s Dune does so well is make it accessible to general audiences (who may even haven’t read the book) – this is not a flashy, bombastic sci-fi action/adventure movie, rather a slower-paced, dramatic, and artistically captivating film. There might be a bit much to digest on a first watch if this is your first time venturing into this world, but if you’re familiar with the book and its characters, Dune is an incredible adaptation. Were there some integral scenes from the book that didn’t make the final cut? Perhaps. But, I’d like to look at this adaptation as something that both respects the themes of Herbert’s story, while also breathing new life into its artistic direction and mesmerizingly masterful concepts – which it does marvelously well.

Our Grade: A+; Villeneuve has done it once again, and I feel like it’s the most gratifying film he’s ever made. The unbelievable amount of passion and expertise behind and in front of the camera makes Dune an instant behemoth of pure cinematic magic, the passion project we needed to see – both for audiences and filmmakers alike. And there’s no reason why you shouldn’t put down this review and go watch this one on the biggest screen possible… because it is, truly, one of the best theatrical experiences you will ever have.