Dune sandwalked so modern sci-fi could run. Frank Herbert's unique saga remains just as complex and relevant, if not more due to the ever expanding maw of greed and exploitation. But why is that? With Dune Herbert added depth and themes that weren't as explored in the genre, barring Asimov. Paul Atreides' story sees spirituality, technology, fantasy and politics merge into one spicy blob while simultaneously deconstructing the "chosen one" archetype. As a result, many and I mean many IP's have taken inspiration from this landmark creation.
Star Wars, Warhammer 40k, Star Trek, Alien and Game Of Thrones are the first names that come to mind. And due to its complex and dare I say messy nature, Dune has been notoriously difficult to adapt to film. During the 70's, cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky tried and infamously failed as his vision was too ambitious, too insane for the studio to greenlight. It's the non-realized film I wanna see the most and the best thing about it that it wouldn't be a good Dune adaptation, hell, it would've probably been a bad film. A 10-14-hour long disaster, an insane, glorious and absolutely spectacular disaster. But it's not that bad considering the end results which include: Giger creating the Xenomorph and helping with a little thing called Alien, graphic novel series The Incal, that Star Wars thing and more... allegedly. Don't trust me? Watch the documentary.
Some of you know what happens next. After more development hell we reach the 80's. The license is about to run out and its holder, Dino De Laurentiis hires a then up-and-coming David Lynch to direct and the result is... yeah. Just picture this for a second, it's 1984 and everyone's riding that Star Wars high and the long awaited Dune adaptation is finally getting released. People go into their theatres of choices and come out mostly confused or angry. The film is bad, like really bad. Or is it?
In my not so humble opinion, it's not as dire as some make it to be but it's far from good. What sold me, until the film went speedrunner mode that is, is the wackiness of it all. A rat taped to a cat which then produces milk that's an antidote, Roblox personal shields, Patrick Stewart charging with a pug, Brad Dourif's eyebrows, Baron's goofy floating and cackling, Sting, all the dated effects, it's wonderful honestly as it adds so much character and of course some truly unforgettable moments.
Granted, some of these moments invoke so much cringe that even the sandworms avoided them. However, underneath the shlock, poor pacing, flat acting, floods of exposition, annoying inner monologues, there lies a good film. Some of the effects are indeed goofy but they required so much ingenuity to make and some are straight up amazing like the establishing shot of House Atreides arriving on Arrakis. We are talking about 1984 here after all. Still, the usual studio bullshit, Lynch being Lynch, development hell and mountains of pressure had their toll and this Dune went down in history as one of the worst adaptations of all time which is unfair to Lynch who, as much as I don't like, is a talented and unique filmmaker and isn't guilty of the end result and the fact he never received the final cut says it all.
After that, Arrakis' shifting sands calmed a bit until the year 2000 when Sci-Fi released the supposedly good three part mini series which I still haven't seen. Now, with all this necessary context out of the way let's address the sandworm in the room (I can't stop help), the reason you came here - Denis Villeneuve's long awaited take on this classic story.
I won't lie, when I saw the cast and the trailer afterwards, I was sure this was gonna be a dreary, sterile drag and given my previous experience with Villeneuve's work, I was feeling pretty sure about my assessment. I found Arrival solid until it falls apart near the finish line and Blade Runner 2049 which for me, just like the original, was a visually pleasing yet mostly dull and boring affair with an annoying aura of self-importance.
Before you virtually burn me at a stake, hear me out. Even with all this, I am happy to report that Dune isn't a dreary, sterile drag... kinda. Let's get into it!
In its essence, Dune is just as intimate as it is massive and Villeneuve really amplified the latter aspect and it makes sense. First off, the source material is ripe with grandiose scenery and great world-building which is ideal for presenting it in this manner. Secondly and more importantly, big films sell well in theatres, just look at all the CGI festivals that have taken the place of blockbusters these last few years. The fact this was distributed by Warner Bros. reinforces this sentiment and I'll elaborate why this is a problem as we go through. For now let's discuss the scope and cinematography because it's one of the strongest selling points to both the fans and newcomers.
The cinematographer, Greg Fraiser, is far from an established name, at least not on the same level Roger Deakins' who worked on Blade Runner 2049. After a Google or two you realize Fraiser's opus is not too shabby. Certain episodes of of The Mandalorian's first season, Rogue One and Lion as well as... Snow White And The Huntsman and Mary Magdalene... Hmm, that is a bit worrisome but listen, the end result is a highly immersive experience, tailored for the big screen which I absolutely utilized.
The film truly feels gargantuan at times as it often places the characters against huge machinery and vast horizons and when it works it's powerful, majestic, meditative even but when it doesn't, the film starts showing cracks due to its own weight.
The music plays a big role in making that happen as I found it overblown, needlessly dramatic and unsubtle in key moments. To put it bluntly, it suffers from the Hans Zimmer syndrome. In recent years I started to get tired of his formula. Brooding electronica building up to a very dramatic climax but this time it's a tad more tribal and Eastern-influenced? So creative. "Gom Jabbar" is the perfect example of this dynamic and it needlessly accentuates an obviously important scene. Here our protagonist faces a life-threatening test and there's this wonderful oscillating tension and then suddenly, I laughed, whoops.
Now, I have lots of issues with the cast that I'll get into but the biggest one was Timothée Chalamet. I really never got the hype for him and during the earlier stages of the film, I was at times genuinely annoyed by his flatness and vapid stares, in the Gom Jabbar scene especially... OK I won't lie, that was more cringe than flat, a similar thing happens in the tent but by that point his character starts falling into place... that or me getting used to his energy. Back to Zimmer though because even though this bombast was overkill during some big scenes, there are some great tracks here.
"Holy War" for example, wonderfully showcases what Paul is going through at that moment. Visions of blood, burning bodies, fanatical legions shouting his name, war, a golden path. What once was inspiring is now foreboding but then the tension dissipates - acceptance. Great stuff but then I remembered, the original OST had this and THIS. The difference in tone again comes back to the grandiosity complaint. As much as Villeneuve can be subtle, him and the studio still did not have full trust in their audience and as a result, a sense of sterility and "safeness" emerges. The Hollywoodian need for loud noises, explosions and quippy humour is impossible to escape. Luckily these are few and far in between, unless you're Jason Momoa who Momoa-fied Duncan Idaho, a key character who's surely far from a "surf's up bro" type. Then again, I could be talking of my wormhole here as I haven't actually read the books but I feel this is a solid guess.
His Marvel-like quips completely misalign with the tone of the film which is mostly serious and dramatic. More worryingly, there's no true risk-taking or weirdness here, the weirdness that defines Dune's universe but I understand why this is the case. If this did not perform well as it has (and is still doing), the second film would've never materialized which is unbelievably stupid and greedy but hey, that's Warner Bros. and the like for ya!
So to avoid the pitfalls of its predecessors, Villeneuve and co. saw it as an obligation to commit to this approach and like I mentioned, it pays off most of the time. Just check out some of these amazing shots, such as this one.
Or this one.
And this brings me to the architecture and design of 2021's Dune. Like I said it's clean and minimalist but the implications point to something much more than just a clear overarching aesthetic. It's how well each faction is translated to the screen and more importantly, how easy they are to differentiate. It's sleek, effective and simple and that in itself makes Dune stand out from its peers, just like Lynch's has in 1984. Interesting little correlation but let's move on and talk about my two favourite designs.
Actually three if we count the mighty Shai-Hulud (sandworms) but I don't wanna spoil them for you so let's mention the Ornithopters first. Because we're in the age of CGI the ornithopters look great but what makes them special is how realistically their wings flap and how they disperse the sands beneath, the same applies for Shai-Hulud attacks which see the sands liquify when they close in on their targets. This was done by placing a plate below the surface which then would violently vibrate, clever practical stuff. Always a fan of this sort of approach instead of relying exclusively on CGI. Filming on location also makes the difference and let me tell you, some shots of Arrakis are drop dead gorgeous and here's where working on The Mandalorian came in real handy.
Of course sometimes they go a bit overboard like with everything but never to a point of disconnecting me from the story that is, unless you're Jason Momoa. Still, I vehemently dislike these instances of blockbuster-isms and I seriously doubt they'll dial it down come Part 2. By the way, I love the fact that this is in two parts. Yes it fits the current trend of splitting up films but Dune is too complex and great of a story to be adapted into one 120 or 150 minute-long experience. We all saw how that panned out.
Now let's get back on track and discuss my personal pick as the best-designed aspect of ze film - the stillsuits. They look good, functional and possible to craft which may seem like a small touch but the more of these you put, the more believable the universe will feel and in turn, the immersion will be easier to achieve and maintain and in my opinion, Villeneuve and co. absolutely nailed that aspect.
What makes these stillsuits especially cool is the Giger influence that I haven't initially noticed as much but the more I looked at them, the more did his now legendary biomechanical/erotic influence show. Very grateful for that. The personal shields however, are a different story. They're simply too slick for my liking. Still, they're far from being Jason Momoa... okay I'll stop but only after I shamelessly use this a segue to discuss the cast more in-depth.
I've touched upon The Golden Boy but I haven't mentioned my favourites. Rebecca Ferguson playing Paul's mom Jessica and Charlotte Rampling depicting the mysterious Reverend Mother Mohiam stole the show for me. Expected from the legend such as Rampling but not Ferguson. She encapsulated the struggle between her maternal instincts and duty wonderfully, showing enough vulnerability whilst retaining the mystery and power she clearly possesses. I am confident she'll deliver some fantastic moments in the sequel. Zendaya on the other hand, is just kinda there to be pretty and bring star power whereas the gender swapped Liet Kynes, acted out by Sharon Duncan-Brewster provides yet another strong female performance.
And then you have Dave Bautista angrily and poorly yelling as Beast Rabban and Josh Brolin doing the same as Gurney Halleck... Ugh but things are still good because Oscar Isaac, whom I'm usually not that fond of, nailed Leto's character! Thank the God Emperor for that *winks*. What else... oh yeah, the pace of the film. Honestly, these 156 minutes flew by which, in the words of Padishah Emperor Borat I. is a: "Great success."
Real curious who'll portray him as we haven't seen him nor the princess nor the Guild Navigators which not-so-smoothly leads us into the potential of the sequel.
If it plans on fully capturing the essence of Dune, Villeneuve needs to relax a bit and get weird because that weirdness defines the story and him being a huge fan surely knows that. I really like how they handled the Baron's, Leto's and Jessica's character but the film still lacks that unique spirit, character and I can't overlook that.
If these necessary steps are implemented tastefully as I hope they'll be, then we've got a proper banger on our hands. Remember, after the second part Villeneuve wants to adapt Dune Messiah which rounds up Paul's story. I pray to Shai-Hulud that this finally happens.
Where does all this leave us and more importantly how did it make me feel? While I don't see this as a masterpiece like so many thanks to great marketing, hype and delay which only increased said hype, I see this is a good film. A great one even with top tier design, pace and editing but there a few noticeable patches that I'm still struggling with. However, I believe they can be addressed, certain aspects easier than others and I hope this turns out to be the case.
Until that day arrives which seems to be some time during 2023, I have two miniseries to watch and who knows, maybe read the damn books. Before I leave you though, allow me to adapt an iconic quote as it bears great weight in today's rampantly consumerist society. It's an excuse to act smart and be cool so allow me to have this moment, thank you bye!
"I must not be overly hyped. Hype is the mind-killer. Hype is the little death that brings discourse obliteration. I will face the hype. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye and see my own path. Where the hype has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
Denis Villeneuve's Dune was released on October 21th of 2021, produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.