Dune, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is the long awaited adaptation of Frank Herbert's seminal 1965 sci-fi novel. It stars Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Zendaya and Jason Momoa and is about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy.
Having no knowledge of the world of Dune, since I haven't read the book or watched David Lynch's 1984 adaptation, I was really intrigued to see the insane amount of hype that the film generated right the way through from it being announced, upon release of its trailers and debut at film festivals.
Watching this in the cinema has been one of my favourite theatre experiences in a long time, a film that draws you into a different world entirely. Yes, Dune has elements that won't be for everyone and it remains to be seen whether I love it quite as much upon re-watch at home without a massive screen and expensive sound system. However, it is also one of the most unique and hypnotic cinematic epics in recent years, and I wanted to share some thoughts about why I admire it so much.
This article does not spoil the plot of Dune.
The Next Sci-Fi Epic
When you think about sci-fi and fantasy epics of recent years that captured the attention of audiences around the world, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and Star Wars are the three most popular examples. Each of these adaptations (or in the case of Star Wars, original property) were unlike anything people had seen before, wrapping you up in their vast and exotic worlds, rich characters and sweeping adventures. An early reaction to Dune compared the experience to audiences in 1977 watching Star Wars for the first time, and I can see why. Dune sweeps you up into the planet of Arrakis, and every frame of the movie draws you into its beautiful, dangerous and alien world.
Though Dune comes at an inherent disadvantage of coming after Star Wars – which itself drew inspiration from Frank Herbert’s novel – the production design, cinematography, music, sound, acting, editing, directing comes together to make a film unlike anything that has come before. If Dune Part 2 delivers a satisfying conclusion to the story, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be regarded as a modern science-fiction classic.
An interesting discussion I have read about is the idea of high fantasy movies/shows not being for everyone, and indeed that they shouldn’t be made as such. Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones found their success because they managed to present a compelling, deep, complicated lore but married it to an accessibility for general audiences (there were lots of action sequences and vibrant characters to latch onto). And even those stories, for all their popular appeal, won’t be for everyone. Not everyone wants to keep up with masses of complicated names or, in the case of Lord of the Rings, watch a lot of epic walking.
In the same way, and perhaps even more so, Dune will not be for everyone. And that’s fine. Director Denis Villeneuve’s most comparable movie is Blade Runner 2049- an introspective, slow and beautiful blockbuster that’s more about themes and mood than plot- and that film underperformed terribly at the box office despite the brand name. Dune also has the added challenge of adapting a novel with a complex mythology (with lots of confusing names like Bene Gesserit, Muad'Dib... and Paul and Jessica), which was definitely a lot of exposition to take in for a non-book reader like me.
Mythology and Politics
A big part of the draw for the film is in its sci-fi setting: the strange ships, holograms, shields, weapons and giant space worms. It clearly inspired much of what people love about properties like Star Wars, Star Trek and even Mad Max. But, then there’s the other parts of Dune – the politics and mythology- that are exactly what a post-Game of Thrones world is craving. Game of Thrones enraptured audiences because of the gripping saga of the Starks and the Lannisters and the Targaryens all vying for the throne. The Starks are held back by their honour, while the Lannisters struggle to trust one another because of their cunning schemes. In Dune, House Atreides has parallels with House Stark and their tragic honour, as well as their rivalry with other more morally dubious factions like House Harkonnen. The might of the Emperor in Dune clearly also inspired the same concept in Star Wars; the battle between the underdog rebels and the Empire in the original trilogy is one of the elements that made George Lucas’ story so enduring.
Paired with that is the mysticism of Dune, akin to the Force in Star Wars or magic in Lord of the Rings/Game of Thrones. The blend and contrast between the grittiness of the dunes of Arrakis, and the ambiguous beauty of Paul’s various dreams is stunning and hypnotic, pairing together the cinematography (and Zendaya’s beautiful face) with Zimmer’s ethereal music. Though the idea of chosen ones and prophecies is a well-worn staple of sci-fi/fantasy epics, Dune uniquely weaves in its premonitions into the plot with little explanation. It truly feels as though the line between reality and dream is blurred, just as it is for Paul.
A Beautiful Blockbuster
In this age of grey, corporate, uninspired blockbusters, Denis Villeneuve has consistently come out with gems like Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 and Dune: intellectual blockbusters that have a strong sense of identity and unparalleled production value. From the instantly iconic spaceship designs (the 'thopters are amazing!), resonating sound design, frame-worthy cinematography, beautiful costumes and sets, Dune is a pristine movie, confident in its identity. The sheer scope of the far-flung, exotic world of Arrakis joins the ranks of imaginative blockbuster universes such as Avatar, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, with remnants of the majesty, grandeur and spirit of classic epics like Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur.
I found that the editing and flow could be a little disjointed at times, especially from the perspective of someone unfamiliar with the books, but luckily the ambience and production value carries you through the more elusive parts of the adaptation. Despite the amount of exposition the story requires, this is definitely a ‘mood’ movie: one of those films that can carry you through on vibes alone. (The film is also thematically rich, courtesy of the novel I imagine, with a fascinating exploration of destiny, colonialization, religion and exploitation.)
In the words of another recent exposition-heavy, intellectual blockbuster – ‘don’t try to understand it, feel it’. And in the words of this very movie – ‘life isn’t a riddle to be solved, but an experience to be lived’. In some ways, that does mean that it's a film that is easier to admire than it is to love, but that will very much be down to personal taste.
Of course, this review would not be complete without a special shout-out to the man, the myth, the legend: Hans Zimmer. He delivers one of his best scores- an insane accomplishment- with a soundtrack that is ethereal, dangerous, alien and epic all at once. It is going to be playing on loop in my house for years to come and I'm calling an Academy Award win now. There were times when the visuals and music and acting and directing, everything just came together like an orchestra playing a symphony, and it was unlike anything I had ever see on the big screen.
Casting And Characters
Dune is a perfectly cast movie. Stand-outs for me were Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac (adding yet another brilliant sci-fi property to his resume after Ex Machina and Star Wars), Jason Momoa and Rebecca Ferguson, all of whom bring so much gravitas to each minute of their screen time.
The other supporting characters are serviced to varying degrees of success; some come and go far too quickly, and others' fate remains to be seen for Part Two. Again, I do wonder if the memorability of these minor supporting characters would be stronger if I were familiar with the book, but the script does a decent enough job giving general audiences enough information about where each character fit in.
Part Ones, and Pacing
My one critique of the film is its pacing and elements of its storytelling. As a fan of movies like Blade Runner 2049 and Ex Machina and Arrival, I have absolutely no problem with a cerebral, thoughtful story. In fact, it is something that sets Dune apart from other blockbusters of the last decade, which have increasingly been adopting a frenetic pace to keep attention-span lacking audiences happy. For the majority of Dune's runtime, the story crescendos and then calms in a compelling way, however there were segments that felt quite slow, especially towards the middle, when it felt like there was little to grasp onto plot or character-wise. Perhaps that’s a side-effect of my unfamiliarity of the source material, with the meaning behind some scenes left unclear, and therefore feeling disjointed or irrelevant.
That brings me onto the idea of ‘Part Ones’. It’s perfectly valid to view Dune as an uncomplete and even dissatisfying story. There are multiple threads left unanswered, to be picked up within a sequel. Recent ‘part ones’ like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or Infinity War at least had the solid promise of a part two, and previous films to build upon. The knowledge of Dune being a part one, meanwhile, had not been widely spread, and purposefully kept out of marketing materials too. The slight exclamation from the audience at the end of my screening as if to say 'that's the ending?!' was almost comical.
Personally, I view the experience similarly to The Fellowship of the Ring’s open ending within its own saga. However, I did feel as though the movie could have ended on a stronger note, as the pacing builds to a peak that is never really reached (and includes a hand-to-hand fight scene that leaves a little to be desired). Much of my opinion of the pacing of this movie will depend on how Dune Part 2- recently confirmed to be in development! - continues and ties together the story. If it does so in a satisfying way, this duology (when viewed together) could be one of the greatest sci-fi/fantasy epics of recent years.
Thank you for reading my article - I would really recommend watching Dune in the cinema if you can. Even if the plot isn't for you, the film-making is worth it alone. I'm so excited for part two, and have started to read the novel to get a clearer understanding of the plot and characters. Villeneuve is definitely one of my favourite directors working today, and I can't wait to see how he continues this saga.
I do not own any of the images used in this post.