Directed by Denis Villeneuve and based on the novel by Frank Herbert, Dune follows the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), 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, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Dune is one of the most influential novels of all time, having greatly impacted and inspired the genre of sci-fi in more ways than anyone could ever imagine. Some of the most major sci-fi franchises in the world practically owe everything to Dune, including the biggest one that took the most influence from it, Star Wars. There have been attempts to adapt the original story, with the most infamous being the 1984 film by David Lynch that was both a critical and commercial failure. Though to be fair it wasn’t entirely David Lynch’s fault and the novel itself is a rather tough one to adapt, especially with just how big it is.
It took 37 years for us to get a new adaptation, delivered to us by one of the most masterful directors of our current generation, Denis Villeneuve. And what he delivered was not only the first part of a fantastic adaptation we were promised, but literal cinematic perfection. I haven’t been this enchanted with a fantasy film since the first time I saw The Fellowship of the Ring.
I felt so absorbed into the world and its characters, and was completely in love with all of it. There’s a lot to unpack with this film especially since it is based on a complex story and has many characters and factions to keep track of. I can’t go into everything due to spoilers but I will sum up what I can.
The cast is absolutely spectacular, featuring many famous faces playing characters that stand out in their own ways and deliver very committed performances. Certain characters don’t get as much development as others, but we will definitely see them explored in the next installment.
Starting off, Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides was absolutely phenomenal. His character has so much riding on his shoulders, has numerous abilities that can be a gift or potentially be a curse, and has an unknown destiny ahead of him. He has begun a great journey that will change him in many ways and takes on a great responsibility that could not only determine the fate of the planet Arrakis but also the universe.
Chalamet had a lot to do with this role and he played it excellently, showing great emotional range in intense and suspenseful sequences.
Oscar Isaac really sells it as Duke Leto, leader of the House of Atreides. He is a wise leader that is firm yet understanding and seeks unity rather than power. He is truly a great leader and a good person who shows just how human he is when he risks so much for others, including his family, not caring what his own fate would be.
With him we have Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica who is a character that carries a great burden and internal conflict with her that affects those around her, including her son. She deals with great suffering alongside other characters but shows herself to be a powerful force of nature on her own that can be dangerous to those that dare to threaten her or her family.
Jason Momoa brings great charisma and fun to the role of Duncan Idaho, a skilled swordsmaster who has the best action sequences in the film. His role may not be that large in comparison to the central characters but he really shines on his own, giving us a humanized soldier who serves as a great mentor to Paul in many ways.
Opposite of him is Josh Brolin as the gruff Gurney Halleck who also mentors Paul but does so in a more strict manner due to his experiences in a dark past. Even when we don’t necessarily see or get told in detail exactly what happened in his past, the way Brolin delivers his cold performance immediately tells you that he has seen some serious shit and is not someone you’d want to fuck around with.
In our villain faction, known as the House of Harkonnen, we have our primary villains Baron Vladimir played by Stellan Skarsgård, and Glossu Rabban played by Dave Bautista. They are perfect villains that both seek the same goal that is fueled greed, yet both have different approaches. The Baron is manipulative and tactical, making sure to exploit the weakness of his enemies and use it against them. Glossu is a vicious and merciless brute that takes a more direct approach for the glory of his house and the satisfaction of his own need to slaughter. And of course, their respective actors are fantastic in their evil roles, giving us a truly ruthless opposition for our heroes.
And then we have the neutral faction known as the Fremen, a native tribe of Arrakis that knows the secrets of the planet and have a large role to play in the story. The two main individuals we are introduced to are the leader Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem, and the mysterious Chani, played by Zendaya, who’s destiny intertwines with Paul.
I absolutely loved Bardem as Stilgar from the very second he appeared on screen. He just absolutely stole the spotlight and had me hooked the whole time with his performance.
Zendaya looks absolutely stunning as Chani though remains mostly as an enigma in this film. She has a huge part to play in Paul’s journey that will most likely be explored more in the second part.
The story as I mentioned is complex but when you take time to absorb all of it as the film progresses it’s a lot more simple than it seems. This film is very much like Game of Thrones in terms of how it dives into themes of war, royal bloodlines, the importance of politics, the control of valuable resources, and survival. And just like with Game of Thrones it’s all very interesting stuff and can be really suspenseful in its own way, thanks to excellent writing and excellent characters.
Does the story have action in it that adds to the suspense? Yes, and it’s absolutely brilliant but it’s never the main driving force of the narrative and focuses more on letting the emotion and characters drive the narrative forward, especially as the story progresses into different tones.
You feel like you want to know everything about this new universe, very similar to how you would read a book and feel so absorbed that you just want to jump in. Of course, the difference here is you get to experience the universe visually and my god is it beautiful.
This film features stellar cinematography, incredible effects both practical and CGI, and absolutely spectacular sets and sound design. Villeneuve was able to craft unique worlds for audiences to be amazed by, and he takes us on the same journey as the characters, with masterful technical elements to bring it all to life. Arrakis may seem like a wasteland world but it has a certain untamed beauty that is difficult to describe.
And of course, there are the massive sandworms that are absolutely fucking amazing in every way possible, thanks to amazing effects and cinematography that make them an unpredictable and threatening force of nature.
And then there is the godly music by Hans Zimmer who delivers one of his most unique scores in years, combining a lot of genres and embracing a variety of cultures within his score to create something fitting for this epic story. The music really enhances so many scenes and makes this already larger-than-life film feel even bigger.
And this is just part one of the adaptation. There is plenty more to come with these characters and their story and I for one am extremely eager to see it continue. This can easily be the next Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, but it can only happen if everyone supports this film in theaters and shows the filmmakers that we want to see it continue because frankly, it deserves to. This is honestly one of the best epics we have had in many years and is one that must be experienced in a theater and not on a streaming service. If you get the chance please go see this magnificent film. I’m going to give Dune an A+.
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