The word I keep coming back to is monumental. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is monumental in a way that hasn’t been true of a film in a long time. The director and coscreenwriter has taken a story that is familiar — and not just because it’s based on a book, by Frank Herbert, beloved by many — and told it with uncommon elegance and pensiveness, even dreaminess, on a scale that is breathtaking.
Almost a decade ago, I reconsidered The Phantom Menace when it was rejiggered for 3D. Back then I wrote:
No one is making movies like this anymore. Hardly anyone ever did. There’s sweep here like nobody’s business. [snip] No one worldbuilds in movies the way that [George] Lucas did… yes, even in the less-than-satisfying second [Star Wars] trilogy. The bigness of Lucas’s vision is positively expansive, of a civilization sprawling enough so that even the biggest of the big baddies — Darth Vader, the Empire — are nothing but a distant rumor to many.
But now, here, with Villeneuve’s Dune, we have something like that again. And getting caught up in it is magnificent. Even if Dune is a very different kind of movie.
Yes, it’s another hero’s journey (and a white-savior one, too, dammit), though this is more like if Star Wars was presented from the perspective of Princess Leia. For here we have young Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet: Little Women, Beautiful Boy), heir to House Atreides, one of the great houses that rule, under an emperor, interstellar human civilization in year 10,191. Paul’s father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac: The Card Counter, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), has just been commanded by the emperor to take over the mining of spice on the planet Arrakis; the spice is the most valuable commodity known to humanity, because its hallucinogenic qualities allow navigators to traverse interstellar space. (It just does, okay?) This new post for the Atreideses is dangerous for many reasons, not least because the “brutal” House Harkonnen, from whom the emperor has stripped the spice franchise, is unlikely to take this lightly. But Duke Leto is a genuinely good man — grading on the curve of capitalistic colonizers, at least — and believes he can bring peace to Arrakis, which has been torn with strife under Harkonnen rule.
So House Atreides hies off from their home planet of Caladan for Arrakis…
Paul isn’t sure if he can wear the mantle his father expects of him: to take over House Atreides, eventually. And he’s been having dreams of Arrakis, even before the emperor’s unexpected command, and of a young woman of the indigenous Fremen there, called Chani (Zendaya: Spider-Man: Homecoming), though he doesn’t know her name yet. These dreams are strange to him, and even possibly prophetic… because Paul has inherited talents from his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson: Reminiscence, Doctor Sleep), a former acolyte of the “witchy” Bene Gesserit sect of women who are powers behind thrones everywhere. For one thing, they don’t use the Force, but they do use the Voice, with which they can command the weak-minded. Soon enough, we learn that Paul, thanks to his mother’s doing, may even be the Kwisatz Haderach, a savior prophesied by the Bene Gesserit.
(As you may suspect or already know, Lucas was inspired by Dune when creating Star Wars. The Luke analogue here might be Chani. Funny how these sorts of stories only ever allow women to be on the periphery but never at the center. Do the men who invent these tales imagine that women have no angst, no doubt, no desire for adventure, and no fear of actually succeeding at it? Can a woman never be any flavor of Chosen One?)
But unlike Star Wars, this is not a movie about space battles, and while it is about revolution, that is only maybe just beginning to foment here. (This movie is but Part One. We must hope Part Two gets greenlighted.) There is some action, some things getting blowed up real good, but mostly Dune is supremely dignified, often quiet even in tense moments, a thoughtful and stunningly gorgeous movie about ugly things: oppression and imperialism, political maneuvering and strategic assassinations, parents who bring children into the universe to serve their own presumed grand purposes.
The performances by the wonderful cast are terrific: to a one, they bring a gravitas to the proceedings that elevates the film even further. This is a solemn movie that treats science fiction with the seriousness it deserves, and too rarely gets onscreen. There is nothing winking here.
But in many ways, this Dune is all worldbuilding, of the best, most engrossing kind. There are few infodumps, and those we get are gracefully presented, as when Paul watches a “film book” about the ecology Arrakis. Mostly, Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival) lets us absorb the reality of human existence eight thousand years from now in the majestic vistas of Caladan (played by the fjords of Norway) and Arrakis (for which the deserts of Jordan stand in), and in little touches that clue us into how people live: “How does it feel to walk on a new world?” someone asks Paul when the Atreideses arrive on Arrakis, and so we learn that even for a young man of immense wealth and privilege like him, interstellar travel is rare. (Even the vast expense of an imperial visit to Caladan is marveled at.) Atreides tech — oh, those excellent insectile ornithopters! — looks different from Harkonnen tech, neither of which could be mistaken for imperial tech. Enormous ships defy gravity… but a bagpiper acts as a herald for House Atreides. Memories of Earth linger on these worlds — in names like Caladan (echoing Caledonia), like Duncan Idaho (Jason Mamoa: Aquaman, The Bad Batch) — but they are memories only.
If you’re a fan of this particular type of science fiction, of big, broad, far-ranging space opera… if you long for alien landscapes, for new worlds, here they are. Dune may be unfinished, even as it clocks in at more than two and a half hours, but it is deeply satisfying nevertheless.
I am not going to say “You must see this in a cinema, and on the biggest screen possible!” I did see this in IMAX, and it was indeed enrapturing. But we are still mid-global-deadly-pandemic, and cases are soaring in the US and the UK, where many of you reading this are. (If you’re somewhere else, where the pandemic has been better controlled, lucky you!) If you feel comfortable going to a cinema, please wear a mask and go at a less busy time, if you can, even if you are fully vaccinated. If you decide to see this at home, you will still find enormous pleasures here. And, I have no doubt, many of the films that hit screens this year and last will, in coming years, get big-screen rereleases. No movie is worth risking your life or your health, or those of others, for.
see also:
• Dune: Part Two movie review: shifting sands
Here’s Anthony Lane’s plot summary of the film, from his New Yorker review:
I think, rather than see the actual film, I’d like to see a comedy about a stoner college student writing a terrible, derivative science fiction novel that was inspired by the book.
This was the second half of a double feature following No Time to Die, an interminable car commercial of a film, so I was already a tad grumpy going in. Keeping that in mind, I failed to be swept away. The scale of the special effects was neat, but I didn’t care about any of the characters except for Lady Jessica (thanks to Ferguson’s excellent acting), so there was almost no tension in any of the political maneuvering or fights.
I already complained about this in BladeRunner 2049, but my lord and lady does Villeneuve love him some walking shots. The Wizard of Oz doesn’t have half the amount of walking that this film does, and that movie is literally about a girl walking on a road. It’s possible that I’m just not a fan of Denis’ directing style and visuals – they feel a bit too sterile and safe. Say what you will about Lynch’s glorious failure – the “box scene” and floaty man’s heart plug drainage is still stuck in my head thirty years later – I doubt I’ll remember anything from this version in six months.
Wait, that’s not true, I will remember its callous disregard for basic physics. There’s a scene where Skaterboy Lawrence and Our Lady of Hypnotic Persuasion are being tossed around like a ragdoll in their dragonfly copter but appear surprisingly stationary and unjostled. “Oh this is supposed to be some kind of metaphorical internal image depicting their mental calmness,” I rationalized, only to see them shake and shimmy like Kirk and Spock on the deck of a torpedoed Enterprise moments later as they glided in a relatively straight line. Do physics exist or do they not, Denis? Please make up your mind good sir.
Now it’s been a few decades since I read the books, but I’m starting to think Sexy Teen Jesus isn’t the Quizno’s hatrack. Sure he’s got the build for it, but during the entire film, I never saw him offer anyone a solitary sub or even a refreshing cup of cream of broccoli soup to say nothing of holding or even wearing a hat. Also, perhaps this is accurate to the source material, but African American and Asian men do not exactly get fantastic representation in this movie. To avoid spoilers, I’ll leave it at that, but um… yikes these are old stereotypes – like 50 years or more, real classics dusted off and brought up from the cellar.
One positive – I did enjoy the music, especially the funky throat singing on the Emperor’s planet. However, if you happen not to enjoy the music, you will quickly be driven insane. A few films have what I would call an “overbearing” soundtrack – then there’s this movie, in which the majority of the scenes feel like a soundtrack with a movie playing in the background. I like to sit in the first row which was a big mistake this evening – my ears are still ringing two hours later. The music is admittedly great though, much better than the desert tech demo/walking simulator it’s doing its best to drown out.
If you happen to be a huge fan of the novels, then I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of seeing the Quidditch Haberdasher running around in a big budget tentpole flick, even though he doesn’t catch a single golden snitch or even talk about sewing Aquaman a cool hat. If you’re more of a casual fan of the books, this isn’t a bad movie, at best it might even be half of an average movie, I guess we’ll find out in a few years. It’s more fun and imaginative than No Time to Die, I’ll give it that. Just don’t go in expecting the next Lord of the Rings, Empire Strikes Back, or even Game of Thrones. The review has it right on the money, go in expecting the next Phantom Menace, and you’ll almost certainly have a good time.
If you’re gonna insist on scientific accuracy, there are very few science fiction films left for you to enjoy.
I find the books pretty intolerable, and yet I love this!
Yeah, I was mostly being silly. I love a ton of bad science fiction movies with questionable physics. I read the books as a wee lad, but have to agree that this is an overall more enjoyable experience. Herbert’s writing, like that of a lot of sci-fi/fantasy authors, is a bit too heavy on infodumps, and too light on subtle character development for my tastes.
This film has even more paper-thin characters than the books, but the visuals are definitely awe-inspiring at times, and the soundtrack is both unique and fitting. I’m sure if I wasn’t grouchy from nearly three hours of half-assed Bond car chases/cheesy melodrama, I would have enjoyed it more. In two or three years, when it’s finally complete, I’ll watch the whole thing and reevaluate how I feel.
Also, the “box scene” in the Lynch version is one of my favorite sequences in all of 80’s sci-fi, so I was pretty let down by the lack of drama/psychedelic visuals in this version. Except for Ferguson, the casting didn’t work for me either. Isaac is an outstanding actor, but seems to be phoning it in – I kept expecting him to fall asleep mid-sentence. Momoa is a lovable meathead who still can’t act his way out of a wet paper bag (surprisingly great on SNL though). Sting was a lousy actor, but his Feyd Rautha is such a wacko badass it works out – Bautista is a poor substitute (playing a different char. of course). Brolin is fine, but he sure ain’t no Patrick Stewart. Bardem and Zendaya are barely there, and I could not take anything Chalamet said seriously with that relaxed, skaterbro accent or take any of his fights seriously with that heroin-chic physique.
So all that left for me was cool visuals and a dope soundtrack. I had a good time with those, but not enough to really draw me into the world. I’m glad you loved it. My other go-to critic, Walter Chaw also absolutely adored this version, so I figured I’d give it a shot, but no luck for me this time around. I went on half-price Tuesday though, so I definitely got at least 6 bucks-worth of entertainment. =)
Oh no, the google algorithm just recommended this to me, we must have passed the singularity when I wasn’t paying attention:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bewKPi9gdT4
The sandworm attack on the source harvester accurately shows vibration induced sand liquifaction. Somebody consulted with an engineering geologist, because that’s EXACTLY what happens with cohesionless sediment under intense vibration (like earthquakes)
Well it’s been a few years, I’ve seen the second part, and it turns out that this first installment isn’t half of an average movie as I predicted, instead it’s a third of a slightly above average trilogy. The second film addresses all the issues I had with the first to an extent:
I cared about more than Ferguson’s character. In fact, this time around, she’s relatively flat and one-note. Chani, Stilgar, and Feyd-Rautha were much more compelling than any characters in the first film.
Denis’ visuals are less safe and sterile, and far more gritty, visceral, and filled with emotion, due in large part to the film centering around the Fremen, but also due to much better directing which wisely relies less on dialogue and leans into grand spectacles much more. Many of the sweeping shots feel like a Jean Giraud comic come to life, and the first worm-riding scene is one of the best-shot and scored sequences I’ve seen in years.
The “rocketpack” anti-gravity physics are kind of silly, as are the magnetic barn-door, anti-vehicle explosives, but there’s nothing quite as egregious as the dragonfly-copter goofiness of the first film.
The racial stereotypes are dialed back slightly. There’s still an uneasy sense that this is “sci-fi Muslim Noble Natives vs. Nazi Royals in Spaaaaace with those pesky Psychic Catholics pulling the strings, but that’s accurate to the source material, and the racial undertones are less simplistically patronizing and more present and acknowledged in the story. The script feels like it’s doing its best to offer a slight critique of its reluctant white savior, its noble “savages,” and various religious leaders which is admirable for a big budget film, and far more sophisticated and mature than say the Avatar films. The Harkonnen remain cartoonishly evil skinheads though, which is a bit disappointing.
The soundtrack is still powerfully felt, but not nearly as overbearing, knowing when to pull back and let a moment, vista, or line breathe on its own.
Walking shots, while frequent, have been dialed back to a large degree which shows admirable restraint from Villeneuve.
Chalamet’s acting isn’t distractingly bad this time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still bad – I’m reminded of Hayden Christensen’s understated and emotionally flat performance in the prequel trilogy – but not so bad that I had to hold back laughter as I did in the first film. He has a couple shouty Braveheart-esque performances that are shockingly adequate.
Zendaya’s face acting is fantastic, however many of her line readings are a little too light-hearted “teen-romance,” to fit with the overall tone. Bardem, Butler, and even the unborn baby command every scene they inhabit and make Chalamet look like an amateur. I would hesitate before following that twiggy young man into a well-lit grocery store, and yet here we are meant to believe that he’s inspired nations to follow him into interplanetary war.
This is a weird thing to say about a movie that’s almost three hours long, but the third act feels very rushed. I loved this first, enjoyed the second, then the final conflict was suddenly and implausibly set-up and completed in what feels like, for an epic film, the relative blink of an eye. Maybe it was too expensive to really take time to show the attack and battle in detail – all I know is that the pace felt too quick, and the editing a bit jarring and disjointed. It wasn’t bad, just not as well-paced and effective as the action scenes in the prior acts. The two armies just kind of materialize in place so the battle can happen, and then the battle is over in a flash.
The final fight scene was better than the similar scene ending the previous film, mostly because Chalamet looked a bit bulkier and Butler’s Feyd Rautha was more well-developed and interesting as a character. It’s more conclusive than the end of the first, but still not satisfying. The film starts with a bang, comes on strong, then ends with a tease. Maybe it was intentionally done to leave audiences wanting more, but I needed a strong finish to button everything up, and it all ends too quickly.
The dialogue is still very cheesy in parts – Walken’s emperor in particular had me using 110% of my willpower to avoid cackling like a lunatic in the theater – but thankfully as I said, there was much less talking, so the corniness wasn’t nearly as distracting. All in all, definitely worth a six-buck half-price Tuesday ticket. That first-person worm wranglin’ scene and a gorgeous overhead shot in which Fremen heads resemble individual grains of sand parting for the Mujahideen/Quiz Burt Bacharach are worth the price of admission alone. Hopefully in a few years we’ll see a similar jump in quality from this film to the third and finally receive a satisfying conclusion.
Regarding the “White Saviour problem”, Frank Herbert had already tackled it back when the book was published, by pointing out how Paul is anything but (and the whole “Prophecy” is nothing else than a false religion created by the Bene Gesserit).
The central theme of “Dune” is that mindless ecological alteration done for profit (or any other reason) leads to disaster. This is what makes the book so important in our current times and I hope that the message will not be lost in the Second Part.
That’s an excellent point – I like that Paul cynically uses the Bene Gesserit Prophecy (that he doubts is true) to gain political power from religiously motivated followers for the revolution. It’s a more realistic and nuanced portrayal of politics and organized religion (and a not so subtle jab at Catholicism) than we typically see in sci-fi blockbusters. If your hopes bear fruit and that perspective and the ecological message survive in Part 2, I’ll definitely upgrade my opinion.
This Part was a little too light on plot/ideas for me, but I suppose it was mostly concerned with world building and accuracy to the source material (primarily via the generous deployment of walking scenes – felt like watching scifi Aaron Sorkin in sloooow motion). The next part should have some more juicy character development and intricate sociopolitical maneuvering. My prediction about Part One’s lasting power was correct though. It’s only been a week, and I’ve already forgotten watching 95% of this. YMMV of course.
My experience was very, very different.
This movie has stayed with me in a way nothing else has in the last 6 years or more.
I’m reviewing this one movie. Not the books, and not whatever movie(s) may follow.
In this movie, Paul is depicted as a white savior. Whether the Prophecy is “real” or not is beside the point. White Western men, whether Herbert and Villeneuve, think it’s plausible that indigenous people would accept an outsider — who just happens to look more like a white Western man than he does like those indigenous people — as their salvation. Even if you want to take Dune as a critique of the idea of the white savior — and, again, there’s no hint of that in this movie — we can still question that critique being structured as it is.
Female chosen ones not written by women ? His Dark Materials. Sadly, that’s about it.
What about L. Frank Baum’s Dorothy? And doesn’t a male character in one of the later Oz books turn out to be a girl? (“Ozma”?)
Also Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
When Chani narrates the beginning and asks who their next oppressor will be, the next person we see is Paul.
That is not an accident.
I’m sure it’s not an accident. But the movie still centers Paul. This is Paul’s story, which creates empathy for Paul. The Fremen are barely characters.
Whether the second half turns out brilliantly or flubs the landing, this will have been more than worth the hundreds of millions spent if only because it inspired one of my favorite creators to return and craft this silly, romantic ditty. The opening verse is so gloriously stupid it’s almost profound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXfSg7mLEdU
Hilarious!