Tag: dune

Dune (1984) Film Review

Rating PG
Length 2h17
Release 14.12.1984
Director David Lynch
About Paul, a duke’s son, leads an army of the indigenous population called the Fremen on the desert planet of Arrakis as they get ready to defend their land from the evil Harkonnens.
Moon: no moon sighting
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Trailer:

The Good

For the time I think this is a most excellent attempt. Yes the graphics are shoddy, but it’s 1984. I’m going to give it a pass for that. The story is told, and it is mostly easy to follow. There’s parts that are unintensionally funny, but it only adds to the charm.

The acting is not winning awards, but that goes both ways. It’s not Razzie worthy either. The biggest indicator would be that even Sting gives a decent performance as one of many music stars throughout history who have taken to film.
The biggest win for the film is of course Kyle MacLachlan who is able to lead the film as Paul. Being a fated saviour is a hard task to bring to screen and MacLachlan is able to show a developed arc and growth for the character.

The Bad

That opening monologue is terrible, overly expositional and visually off-tone. The moment she fades out, to only fade back in when she remembers another point is something that you would expect to see from Holly in Red Dwarf.

The music, while is much better than the most recent version of this story, I was pulled out of the film because of how similar it sounded to a section of Scrooged’s score. Yes, this came first, but I’m more familiar with with the Bill Murray Christmas Carol offering.

The Ugly

The voice over narration. I’d say 9 times out of 10, I’d already figured out what then was whispered as a voice over “thought” so I get the feeling this was added after filming. It was too intrusive, too distracting and, on the most part, pointless.

The Baron killing the servant was stomach churning. The murder and assault are rather visceral and adding to it the audience and the repulsively of the Baron himself just leaves the whole thing nightmarish.

Final Thoughts

It is of its time and not something I’d rush to watch again. If you’re not a fan of Sci-fi, I would say clear of this as you will not survive the runtime.

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.