Watched in IMAX on 23/Oct/21.
My rating: 9.5/10.
I read Frank Herbert's iconic sci/fi epic, Dune in January of 2021 and I must say that it was an experience. An experience of being on an alien planet. An experience of a strange but seemingly familiar culture. An experience of alien weapons, vehicles and other wonders of technology.
And whilst reading it, I found out that a new big screen adaptation is coming out and it is directed by none other than Denis Villenueve, the man behind Arrival (2016) and Prisoners (2013). Arrival is perhaps among my top 3 sci/fi films of all time and is my favorite first-contact film. It is exactly what I want a first-contact film to be; a film about linguistics. And as a big fan of language and it's workings, I think Arrival really hits the spot for me on multiple levels.
Like in the book itself, Arrakis -the Dune planet- is the main character of the film. The priority here was to build a world rich enough, diversified enough, to be passed off as a living and breathing eco system. And Denis and his team surpassed all of my expectations when it came to it. They've conjured up a world comprised of real and CGI landscapes of vast magnitudes. The grassy cliffs of Atreides' home world, Caladan look just as good as the endless swells of the deserts of Arrakis. Not to mention the breathtaking, 2001: A Space Odyssey-esque shots of ships hovering near planets. The warmth of the colours leapt from the screen and the cold pallets drew us in. The experience of watching it in IMAX was surreal and for a film like this, accept no substitutes.
From the mammoth sandworms themselves, to the desert dwelling muad'dib (kangaroo mouse), the fauna and flora really sells it as a world that could actually exist. There's a shot in which a Muad'Dib scurries along the top of a dune, stops... and we see veins visible with the sun coming through it's thin flesh, droplets of sweat slowly dripping down towards it's mouth. And then it carries on. Little moments like this is what makes this film stand away from the crowd of blockbuster movies with an identity of it's own. And, if you don't know the story, that little mouse might play a huge role in the sequel. I'm not spoiling anything. Just giving you a taste of what's to come.
But, like any film with visuals like this, the question arises: does the sound design match the scale of what's being shown? The answer is yes. I had begun to grow weary of Hans Zimmer's music. But, the first thing that I said to my friend during the intermission was that Dune revived my fondness for Zimmer. The feminine chants in the score plays with the Sufi mysticism of the Bene Gesserit and adds to the ancient wisdom of the desert and the Fremen and the bagpipes are regal in every sense of the word, reminding me of Dead Poets Society's theme. The sound design overall is fantastic, with each little effect adding so much depth to the atmosphere. There is one scene in particular where Paul gives a gun back to a character, unloading it beforehand. The click-clack of the weapon... for some reason, its just perfect.
When it comes to the story, I've already said my two cents about it. I could further relate the subtext of Arrakis as Iraq, spice to oil, fiefdom, anti-imperialism and so on and so forth. But there's no point to it because it all has been said before and said better by people who understand the politics of our and the Dune's world much better than I do. I compared Dune's story to Lawrence of Arabia's (1962) in my review for LOA and I think all of which that I said in it still applies to this film. Instead, I'd now like to talk about the cast.
The casting in this film is pitch perfect. Every character feels right as rain. The somber mood is rather difficult to pull off, especially in a big budget blockbuster such as this. But each and every single character nails their performance to the floor and its difficult to imagine someone else play them. The only actor which I thought didn't really fit the character was Stephen M Henderson as Thufir Hawat. Thufir Hawat is one of the most interesting and important characters of the book but he doesn't get enough time in the movie to develop. My dream-casting for Thufir would definitely be Robert Duvall. That would've been something. While we're at it, I must also say that if they include Count Fenring in the sequel, it should be played by Jeff Goldblum.
Timothee Chalamet is perfect as the young Paul Atreides. The hearth-robe proves time and again that he is more than just his looks and Dune is not an exception. I loved him in Call Me By Your Name (2017) and every film that I see of his, he becomes a more and more exciting actor. Rebecca Ferguson who plays his mom, Lady Jessica also steps up her game and you really feel her protectiveness and strength in each scene.
I was a bit doubtful with Oscar Isaac playing Duke Leto, but I'm more than happy to announce that he ruled each scene with eye and claw with his hawk like features. Commanding, to say the least. Jason Momoa surprised me with his very likable Duncan Idaho. And Josh Brolin's voice just made me scream "Thanos!". But it went away quickly because no character, except for Paul and Lady Jessica gets much screen time for the sake of world building. Which is completely fine with me.
The costume and set design is splendid as well. The stillsuits couldn't have looked better with their medieval patterns and fittings, it screams that its designed for agility and survival. I personal favorite costumes are that of Lady Jessica, especially when she first arrives on Arrakis, adorned with jewellery from head to toe. The academy must get this film nominated at least for visual effects, costumes and set design.
Dune is a perfect adaptation. It couldn't have been any better. If you've read the book, there are a lot more references that you will enjoy. And I do think that its a film primarily made for the fans of the book. The only reason that I cannot give this film a perfect score is because it's story is incomplete. I love the fact that it ends in an ellipsis, but I must admit that it leaves much more to be desired, which is it's intention. The two and half hours feel like an hour and just as the story gets going, it ends. Its a perfect prologue. A perfect introduction. And I do hope that the sequel builds on it tremendously.
Dune is what I wanted from Marvel movies. A big budget meditative spectacle. My first experience of IMAX couldn't have been any better. I'm glad that this is the first adaptation of dune that I decided to watch.
I wish Frank Herbert would've lived to see this...
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