Review: Dune (2021)

After a long production process, and multiple pandemic related delays, Dune has finally arrived in theaters and on HBOMax. Dune is Denis Villeneuve’s third foray into the genre of science fiction, following Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, both of which achieved multiple Academy Awards nominations and wins as well as critical acclaim. Like both of his previous entries, Dune is a deep and intricate story that truly explores what science fiction is at its best and Denis Villeneuve does what he does best to elevate the source material above and beyond what an audience come to expect from an adaptation of a book.

If someone is unfamiliar with Dune, or is just familiar with David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation, the book is the story of what happens when government and religion commingle and are pushed to the worst possible outcome. It’s a sizable book on its own with about 50 additional pages of appendices that are there to fully explain the relationships between the various families, the planets and the interplanetary politics that come into play. A hardcover copy, while an interesting read, is also an excellent blunt object for home defense in a pinch. David Lynch’s adaptation is an interesting approach, but the amount of cutting a director would have to do to squeeze a twenty-one-hour audiobook into a two-hour movie left audiences in a state of confusion.

All that is to say that the new movie is a part one of a two-part movie. It is understandable why the movie would not be advertised as such when past part ones like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One or The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part One have a kind of stigma attached to them. Usually, they are viewed as a cheap gimmick to attempt to double dip the viewer and get them to pay twice to see a complete movie. On top of that, the part one movies tend to be forgettable and the narrative taffy gets pulled to near its breaking point. This movie circumvents that to the point where the climax is an intimate fight between two people and not a giant set piece fight one would expect from big budget science fiction. At the end of the two-and-a-half-hour runtime, rather than feeling like time was wasted, it makes a person want to see where the story continues from this point.

Dune does not do this because the book is so long and there is so much world to build. Honestly, they probably could have done an entire miniseries about the show (they did in the early 2000s on SyFy and it surprisingly holds up well) without worrying about points in the story dragging. A good amount of this movie does not even take place on the desert planet Arrakis, it takes place on Caladan and one would not question why that happens. It plants the seeds about what happens in the next movie but not in a way that makes you wish that movie was on your screen instead of this movie.

As an audience, we are in for the ride of this movie because the cast is endearing and bringing their all to the material. Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac all bring their best to their roles as the Atredies royal family while Dave Bautista, Skellan Skaarsgard and Dave Dastmalchian fill out the cast as the villainous Harkonnens. Every actor in this movie is world class and adds gravitas to their role, regardless of how small.

The visual effects and the sound mixing of this movie are the biggest selling point to see it in theaters. When Paul or Lady Jessica use “the voice” to compel people to do their bidding, the sound is mixed in such a way that it adds an otherworldly effect to the dialogue, so it drives home the power it possesses. Hans Zimmer’s score does an excellent job driving home the epic nature of the story that the movie sets out to tell with a profound mix of drums and vocals that is among some of his best work. The worlds of Arrakis and Caladan are rendered beautifully with a seamless mix of practical effects and CGI with a unique visual style that will stay with the viewer long after they leave the theater.

The only criticism of it would come from the fact that after about the midpoint every action sequence has a feeling like it could be the last scene of the movie and the movie is unclear about where it wants to end. That said, once one reaches the true ending, it fits the movie.

The movie is worth the cost of admission to see opening weekend in a premium screen format like 4DX or IMAX or Dolby Cinema. If someone does not want to go out to see the movie in a theater, it is included with the HBOMax subscription.

Rating: 8.5/10