Dune – ★★★✩✩

Certificate – 12A
Directed By – Denis Villeneuve
Starring – Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Chang Chen, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem.
Running Time – 156 Minutes (2 Hours 36 Minutes)

Ever since seeing Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic Dune, I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel about it, and the conclusion is mixed as I could have different feelings given the time and day.

To understand Dune, it’s simply about a young, gifted man called Paul Atreides (Chalamet) who is set on a great destiny beyond his understanding and must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and people. However, his family is betrayed, ending in dire consequences and Paul can only survive if he can conquer his fear.

On a technical level, Villeneuve has delivered a masterpiece. Seeing it in IMAX (see it on the biggest screen you can) was a terrific experience and that’s the best way to describe it; it’s an experience.

My eyes were in awe of what the Canadian filmmaker presenting from golden yellows of sand to the skyline and landscape of House Atreides with gorgeous blues and greys that felt comforting.

The visual effects were incredible, from the shielding tech the soldiers use to the centrepiece of the whole film, the sandworms.

On the acting side, the one that left the biggest impression is was surprisingly Momoa. He delivered a more serious performance to watch we’re us to his personality and surfer dude Aquaman. Elsewhere, Isaac and Ferguson are solid and equally bring sex appeal whilst also bringing stronger performances from Chalamet, who can be hit and miss throughout the film.

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Yet his strongest moment comes in his training with Brolin’s Gurney. Meanwhile, Skarsgard is creepy as the main villain, but we don’t see a lot of Bautista in the film and the same can be said of Zendaya.

The film nicely lays the groundwork for a part 2 as this instalment is all filler with some killer. While I am mixed, I firmly believe Villeneuve deserves a second film based on Warner Bros fucking him and themselves up with the day-and-date release with HBO Max in the US, cutting themselves across the feet with box office takings.

Verdict

While it’s a mixed bag, it’s no denying the epic force of nature this movie is and should be seen as a cinematic experience.