Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård
Dune is an adaptation of the epic science fiction fantasy series written by Frank Herbert. For many years it was said that Dune was an impossible book to adapt, David Lynch tried to adapt Dune in the 1980s to mixed reviews. That film bombed financially but has become something of a cult classic in recent years. The latest attempt by Denis Villeneuve does a masterful job at creating a visually fascinating and surprisingly coherent science fiction film that leaves you desperate to know how the story is going to end.
David Lynch made the fatal mistake of trying to fit the entire first book into one movie. That is just way too much story for one film, even if that film is over three hours long. What Denis Villeneuve has done is split the story into two parts. This movie feels very much like the first entry in a much larger story but that’s a good thing. Villeneuve is able to take his time and really flush out these characters and properly introduce the audience to this world, so that by the end, you are invested in Paul’s journey and want to see the next part.
This movie does a lot of things well but the thing that I admire most about it is it’s clarity. Dune is not the most accessible piece of fiction. The book throws tons of character names at you right off the bat, it has complex political machinations, and a ridiculous amount of lore about the history of several planets and of different societal and religious structures, it can all be quite overwhelming. Villeneuve and the screenwriters, Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth, do an amazing job at distilling the dense story of Dune into a very understandable and relatively easy to follow plot. There are hints to the deeper world of Dune, there is talk of the Spacing Guild and we see the influence of the Bene Gesserit but we don’t get lost in the weeds with those things.
The movie focuses much more on establishing characters rather than the intricacies of the fantasy world around them and I think that was ultimately the right choice. The film follows house Atreides, led by Duke Leto (played by Oscar Issac). The Emperor orders Duke Leto to take over operations of the desert planet of Arrakis. Arrakis is the only planet that produces “spice,” a priceless substance that has psychotropic effects and is vital for interstellar space travel. The previous rulers of Arrakis were House Harkonnen, a brutish race led by The Baron (played by Stellan Skarsgård). House Harkonnen were ordered to vacate the planet but it turns out that they are working with the Emperor to eradicate House Atreides.
Duke Leto relocates his entire family to Arrakis, his concubine and member of the Bene Gesserit Jessica ( Rebeca Ferguson) and his young son and heir Paul (Timothée Chalamet). Paul has an ability called “the voice,” which allows him to control people’s actions. Upon arriving on Arrakis, Paul is greeted by the natives of the planet who consider him to be some kind of messiah. Shortly after they arrive on Arrakis, House Atreides is ambushed by Harkonnen soldiers and Duke Leto is killed. Paul and his mother barely escape the attack and flee into the desert. After a frightening encounter with a giant sandworm, Paul and Jessica encounter the Fremen- the natives of Arraksis- and Paul meets Chani (Zendaya) the young woman who is the subject of many of his visions.
Dune is a visually spectacular movie, which is not surprising as Denis Villeneuve is physically incapable of making a boring looking film. The art design of all the ships and the buildings is all top notch. The Ornithopters are a particular standout, they are basically helicopters with wings that resemble dragonflies and they are some of the most interesting vehicles that I’ve seen in a sci-fi movie in a long time.
It can be incredibly challenging filming a desert, you can easily get disoriented, but Villeneuve somehow manages to make the geography of Arrakis very clear. You always know where the characters are in the physical space and that’s so important in a film like this with such a massive scale. The production design and costuming is great too. The look of the Harkonens is great, it’s such a subtle thing but getting rid of their eyebrows instantly makes them look super menacing. And the Baron looks unbelievable, just the physical representation of gluttony, Stellan Skarsgård seems like he’s having the best time playing that role.
All of the acting is steller, which is to be expected considering the quality of the cast. Oscar Isacc and Rebecca Ferguson were the two that really caught my attention. Isaac seems to be in everything nowadays and he is great here, he exudes a regal energy and is such a good father to Paul, which makes his death all the more impactful. Ferguson as Jessica has a really nice part, she has split responsibilities between house Atreides and the Bene Gesserit and she plays that conflict very well. Jason Mamoa is also having a great time as Duncan Idaho, Paul’s mentor and cool uncle. Mamoa doesn’t have to do too much heavy lifting acting-wise, he basically just has to be a bad-ass and look cool, which he excels at.
Now we get to some of the negatives of the movie and I hate to say it but I didn’t love Timothée Chalamet in this role. However, it is not his fault at all, Paul is just a really bland character. When people talk about “The hero’s journey”- Paul is the quintessential “Hero” in question. He is a messiah figure- there are a lot of direct biblical elements of the Dune Story- he is also a white savior figure and it just feels like his character falls in the same group as Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter but in 2021 we want more interesting protagonists than Paul. Chalemet is a talented actor and is inherently charming and likeable but Pau is just a nothing character in my opinion. His hair is fantastic though.
They do delve into some interesting ideas about how religious verver grows and how myths are made and I hope that they lean into that further to make Pual’s journey a little bit more interesting and not so paint-by-numbers. The other major problem with the movie is that after the Harkonen raid on the Atradies compound the film seems to lose a lot of its momentum and it drags quite a bit in the second half as Paul and Jessica are making their way through the desert. At two and a half hours I think this section could have been trimmed down just a bit.
The “climax” of the movie felt pretty abrupt, Zendeya’s character gets very little to do and the final fight between Paul and one of the Fremen was underwhelming. This makes sense though as this is just the first part of a two part series- and possibly longer depending on box office performance. I think as a part one, this movie is really quite excellent, it tells you enough about this world for you to be invested without beating you over the head with exposition. It’s one of the best looking and best sounding films of the year and will definitely be in contention for several academy awards in the technical categories. And although I found some of the characters a bit flat and uninspired, I am definitely going to watch this movie again and I can’t wait for part 2.
