Movie Review: Dune (PG13 – 155 minutes)

 

Dune was written by Frank Herbert in 1965. Since then, it has been translated a few times to movies and mini-series. It is notoriously difficult to do as a movie or show because of the wide interstellar setting and the carefully included themes of colonization, politics, religion, ecology, technology and human involvement in all of those aspects. The story is set in a future where humankind has settled a great many planets and we have shifted back to a feudal-type system with various powerful families holding different areas to work and govern.

This version begins with a quick overview of the desert planet Arrakis and how it is the only place in the galaxy to harvest ‘spice’.  What exactly spice does is not covered in great detail here, but it helps with space travel, making it incredibly valuable. The people of Arrakis use it for what seem to be religious purposes but because of its travel value, others come in to harvest it.  Arrakis was under the power of the Harkonnen family, who were brutal and cruel to the Arrakans. The emperor (of the galaxy?) decides to pull the Harkonnens from Arrakis and instead sends the Atreides family to govern it.  From what I could gather, this seems to be a double cross because the emperor is not all that fond of the Atreides and is hoping the Harkonnens will get angry and eliminate the Atreides for him. 

Young Paul Atreides is studying with his mother Jessica who is a member of a religious organization, cult, or perhaps a coven. They are very powerful and have some extra-human skills.  Once they get to Arrakis, word spreads that he may or may not be some sort of savior that the Arrakans have been waiting for. Jessica seems to hint that she has been encouraging the rumor. Meanwhile, Paul’s father Leto has to deal with the mess the Harkonnens left behind in order to run the planet in a peaceful coexistence with the Arrakans.

The main reason I typed all that out was just to see if I had a grip on the plot of this movie. Admittedly, I have not read any of the books (there are a bunch of them) nor have I watched the Lynch movie or the mini-series from a few years ago, so the story is new to me.  I can see how it would be more clearly explained in a book and can be very difficult to convey these layers of political intrigue on screen. I think director Denis Villeneuve does a decent job, because I think I understood what was happening.  I know that he consciously was careful with this movie to try to avoid Star Wars comparisons, but it is tough to do any type of sci-fi epic and not feel similarities.  Villeneuve brings his trademark epic and desolate sci-fi stunning direction and sweeping landscapes to this movie. It is absolutely worth seeing in the theater because of the look of the movie. The story meanders a bit, but not enough to make it unpleasant.  The movie picks up action-wise just at the end as the Harrkonnens come to take back the planet and Paul has to go on the run.  Needless to say, this is just part one and I do find myself looking forward to part 2. 

I do not know, nor have I ever, understood the appeal of Timothee Chalamet.  I find him bland and boring.  I cannot tell if that was direction or choice here, but in my opinion, he lacks the charisma to center this movie – however, that may be accurate for this character.  I will say that everyone around him was incredibly watchable, which in a strange way makes his performance make sense – he’s the stillness at the center of the swirling and shifting performances around him.

Rebecca Ferguson is very intriguing as Jessica, making me almost want to read the books to know more about her character, their group, and where their loyalties lie.  I also found Oscar Isaac as her husband very interesting as a man who is going ahead with the duty he is assigned even when he is not that thrilled with it.  Josh Brolin plays his right hand man who is outwardly grumpy about the entire situation and does his best to keep Paul trained up and ready for anything.

Jason Momoa basically plays himself as a scout for the family that goes on ahead to the planet and embeds with the locals to get the lay of the land prior to the rest of the family showing up.  Javier Bardem is one of those locals and he has very few scenes here but he is engaging enough in those scenes to make you encouraged about what he will bring to the sequel.

Stellan Skarsgard oozes his way through the performance of the head of the Harkonnen clan. He is very creepy and weird and chews the scenery in a great way. Dave Bautista and David Dastmalchian play other Harkonnens who are equally creepy and watchable.  Are all the Harkonnens weird and bald and creepy or is it just these three?

Sharon Duncan-Brewster plays Dr. Liet Kynes, a go-between of sorts helping the Atreides connect with Arrakis, the Arrakans, and learn just enough about the spice and the giant sandworms that wander around the planet.

Zendaya plays the girl Paul is dreaming of, mentioning all kinds of things about Arrakis to him in those dreams. So you can imagine his surprise when he finally encounters her.  Again, this is a character that I assume will have more to do in the sequel.

Overall, the movie looks stunning and is entertaining enough – although it is way too long and very slow in parts.  Those slow parts do look lovely and if you are a fan of Villeneuve’s style, that will not bother you.  I found it a little tedious. 

5 out of 10 – I can’t help but wonder if the sequel will raise this number once I see it. I also wonder if having not seen or read any other version was a help or a hinderance.