Dune (2021) Film Review

Rating 12
Length 2h35
Release 21.10.2021
Director Denis Villeuve
About Paul Atreides arrives on Arrakis after his father accepts the stewardship of the dangerous planet. However, chaos ensues after a betrayal as forces clash to control melange, a precious resource.
Moon: moon(s) seen but not full.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Trailer:

The Good

The cast collected for this epic?! It’s not just the choosing of the up and coming Chalamet or Zendaya, but also of incredible talent from Javier Bardem and Charlotte Rampling. There’s a risk of the production being hammy, but it’s able to keep an element of gravitas with the ensemble chosen.

Strange New Worlds’ Babs Olusanmokun steals the show for me. His voice, his presence is enough to claim MVP. Then his interaction with both Chamalet and Bardem proves that this man will be one to watch.

It’s a stunning film and on a par with James Cameron and Ridley Scott. You could pause the film at any point and before you would be a work of art ready for your wall. On a small screen it was incredible, so I can only imagine how breathtaking it would appear on Imax.

This film and this story, brings together all that we love about Sci-Fi and Fantasy and is incredibly lean despite its run time. The adventure of Lord of the Rings, the action of Star Wars and the beauty of Alien. It works so well because this gives us some of the concepts that have not worked in other franchises, Star Wars, Politics and control for example, and shows there is a place within the genre to explore these.

The Bad

Controversial, but Hans Zimmer’s score falls incredibly flat for me. Yes, I’m holding him in a high regard because of his iconic work on Christopher Nolan’s films. That said, there’s nothing that stands out, there’s no theme. Maybe they weren’t going for that, but then why hire Zimmer?

The Ugly

I’m so bored of “The One” storyline. Yes, the book was written in 1965, way before the emergence of Neo, Potter and the Skywalker family but here in the closing hours of 2023, it is over played. It’s not just the idea of prophecy, but it’s all that comes with it. Not initially knowing, learning to take on the burden of leadership, the loss of the mentor and the biggest bug bearer; are they, or are they not “the chosen one”.

Final Thoughts

An incredible film made from what I’d imagine Hollywood considered an untranslatable novel. I’d would, however, recommend that if you haven’t seen it and you have the stamina; wait for the release of the sequel and catch a double screening.