Dune (2021)
Dune is everything we were promised. It’s a film whose ambition matches its mythical scale and radiates imagination. The next installment can’t come soon enough.
In 10191, the universe is ruled by an Emperor who assigns the exploitation of planets to the many powerful ruling houses. Interstellar travel is possible through “spice” a substance found exclusively on the harsh desert planet of Arrakis. For 80 years, spice harvest has been overseen by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). Now, Duke Leto I of House Atreides (Oscar Isaac) is the new steward of Arrakis. This shift puts House Atreides, particularly Duke’s son, Paul (Timothy Chalamet) in danger.
This sci-fi epic’s a 156-minute colossus. Before the story can even begin, there’s a lot of ground to cover. Sometimes, it means inelegant exposition (such as a training sequence in which Paul is reminded of the way forcefields work) and even with it, things can be hard to grok. If you miss every crucial name and the reason for everyone’s actions fly right above your head, Dune still grabs you. You can tell this story is set in a living, breathing world whose history and people are meticulously detailed in historical records that would take a lifetime to read.
What prevents you from ever becoming completely lost is the world. The flying dragonfly-like ships move in a way that makes sense. You can see how we'd someday come up with the mining equipment on Arrakis. The houses, politics, and schemes feel like they come from our past - seems certain things never change. Your gut knows it's building towards something grand. Paul’s ominous dreams hint at a big conflict coming up. The question is whether he will become the man he needs to be in time to face it.
On any world, the stakes would be high but on Arrakis, under these circumstances, it’s on another level. The filmmaking makes Dune feel immense; on the same scale as Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. You can feel Dennis Villeneuve’s passion. The art direction, cinematography, and score make this coming-of-age story the stuff of legends.
My only experience with Dune was the 1984 cinematic catastrophe by David Lynch, which might’ve helped me make sense of everything that was going on. I didn’t read the book, I only know that more sandworms and battles are coming. Maybe it will take you a bit to understand what everyone’s talking about but that’s where the running time becomes an advantage. You'll be able to catch up as we are introduced to more relatable ideas like the customs of the Fremen, how Paul feels about the responsibilities being thrust upon him, his relationship with his mentors (played by Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin), and those recurring visions. Dune is one to see on the biggest screen possible. It may teeter on biting off more than it can chew but I’d much rather see a film take chances than try nothing new. (Theatrical version on the big screen, October 23, 2021)
