I read the Dune series of books by Frank Herbert ages ago. These books were my introduction to science fiction during my teen years. They kicked off an obsession that later led to Isaac Asimov (Foundation and Robot series) and Ben Bova (all his planetary novels), which then led to classic sci-fi authors (H.G Wells and Jules Verne – everything they wrote).
Phew! What I am trying to say is that the 2021 movie version of Dune has a lot to live up to.
Story
The film begins in the year 10191 and chronicles the arrival of a noble family (the Atreides)—played by Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and Oscar Isaac—on the desert planet of Arrakis. Not only must they rule over the local people, the Fremen, but they also must mine Arrakis’s prized natural resource, a glimmering substance called spice. Like any good story (and no spoilers here), the narrative focuses on the battle between good and evil but also touches on more complex themes like colonialism and environmentalism.
My Review
At first, the movie didn’t sound promising. I didn’t see Timothée Chalamet as the protagonist Paul Atreides. Zendaya was all right to play the Fremen Chani, but overall the casting seemed questionable. It felt like the hottest actors of the moment were cast in the film, regardless of whether they suited the role or not.
And then I saw the movie, and all my reservations vanished. Dune is fantastic!
I love how the movie Dune keeps the spirit of the book but uses the advantage of the film medium to enhance the story. The cinematography (by Grieg Fraser), set/production design (by Patrice Vermette – creating entire frikkin planets), and direction (by Denis Villeneuve) are brilliant.
I love the book as well. But there’s no denying it gets a little pedantic in places. There are pages upon pages of exposition and internal monologues, and there is a significant passage of time to show the transformation of Paul Atreides into Paul Muad’dib. But the movie version layers scenes, visuals, and audio so efficiently (and creatively) that this transformation is shown very quickly without a minute of boredom.
The only disappointment I have with the movie is that I will have to wait another year and a half, at least, for Dune 2 to come out. I hate waiting for sequels!
