Dune (2021) — A Review

29th October, 2021.

Right … 

It’s getting near to bedtime.

At least … it is: for me.

I have to get up in the morning to writ tomorrow’s Teaser post.

But … ?

I want to make a confession.

I’ve seen a movie, tonight: Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 version of Frank Herbert’s Dune.

Or, at least, the first half of the novel.

I’ve just seen something that’s both true to it’s source material — something Hollywood’s bad at — and absolutely superb.

Really!

Right now?   I’m going to hit the sack … and tell you more in the morning!

~≈🎬≈~

30th October, 2021.

Right … I’m back: and looking forward to two things.

Dinner: I’ve a tub or two of homemade goulash I can microwave and I’m boiling water to cook the rice.

The other thing … ?

I saw the Denis Villeneuve version of Dune, last night.   Or Dune Part One, as it calls itself in the opening credits.

I saw it: and wanted to tell you about it.

Whilst being intimidated by my notes!

Let’s move on, shall we … ?

Based on the first half of the Frank Herbert novel of the same name, Dune (Pt One) opens with a narration from a Fremen girl called Chani (Zendaya): telling us how her planet, Arrakis, has been occupied by the Harkonnens, who’ve been mining the planet for a substance called Spice for many years.

She also tells us that her people have not managed to defeat the Harkonnens: the Harkonnens have been ordered off Arrakis by the Emperor, himself.

Chani wonders who the next oppressors will be.

The scene moves.

After the titles we see Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) waking up: and joining his mother, Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) for breakfast: where she tests him in the Voice, a Bene Gesserit skill, and reminds him that he needs to prepare for a ceremony, later that day.

One that sees a visiting Imperial Herald order Paul’s father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) to take control of Arrakis.

Something Paul finds out more about in a lesson: how the planet provides the Spice, that allows Navigators to navigate safely through space, how the sandworms are the most dangerous things on the planet … and how the Fremen are the only people how now how to safely live on Arrakis.

Paul is deeply excited by the move: and discusses the possibility of heading there early with Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa): who also has wise words about a series of dreams that have been troubling Paul.

It’s also something Paul discusses with his father, Leto.

Who outright refuses to allow his son to go somewhere so dangerous with the protection of the Atreides military forces: and without the potential help of the Fremen, who Leto feels will make good allies.

It’s something that leaves Paul feeling miserable: miserable enough to do badly at a weapons training session with Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin.): who reminds Paul that the old Atreides enemy, the Harkonnens, are brutal.

Paul needs to be able to fight them when he’s attacked: no matter his mood.

Something we see: as we see a brief meeting between Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and his nephew, Rabban (Dave Bautista), and the Harkonnen’s Mentat advisor, Piter de Vries (David Dastmalchian).

Rabban is angry about having to leave Arrakis and the wealth it represents: but the Baron tells Rabban that the Emperor is both powerful and jealous … and that there are traitors, everywhere … 

Back on the Atreides’s home world … ?

Jessica mets with her son, Paul: bringing the family doctor, Yueh (Chen Chang), who warns Paul about the  Bene Gesserit are not to be trusted … 

Before Paul has to met Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling): a senior Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit who has a test for Paul, one Jessica is keen for Paul to do well at … but is deeply frightened by.

It’s something she need not be worried by: as Paul survives.

But what Jessica does not know is that the Reverend Mother has asked about Paul’s dreams, about how accurate they are … and tells him about exactly what the Bene Gesserit have been looking for, all these years.

She also warns Jessica about the trip to Arrakis: telling her former pupil that a path has been laid for the pair that will keep them safe.

Something that seems not to be the case, after the family have settled into the ducal palace, in Arrakeen.

The Harkonnens … ?

Have smuggled in an assassin.

This, as Chani says at the end of the film … ?

“This is only the beginning.”

~≈🎬≈~

That attempt at a summary?

Is possibly a bad one: because it really doesn’t cover all of the film!

You can possibly read a far better summary than I could do, by checking out the IMDb or Wikipedia entry on the film.

Suffice to say it covers the first half of Herbert’s original novel: up to Paul and Jessica’s fleeing from the Harkonnen attack and meeting Stilgar’s troop.

The important questions?

There’s possibly a few.

What did I make of Dune (Pt One)?

The sets, the designs, the casting, the writing, the proverbial kit and caboodle?

For starters, the casting is superb.

I’m not familiar with Timothée Chalamet’s work, I’m really not.

But, between his performance and the script, you can see Paul Atreides from from a shy teenage boy and growing into a young man who’s slowly being hammered into a leader: and it’s riveting to watch.

The supporting cast?

Are just as good: and certainly on a par with Chalamet.

Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson as Leto and Jessica, did well.

Josh Brolin as Gurney was fantastic: while we didn’t see him singing — the character’s known to — we did see him coming out with the character’s famed flowery quotes.

Momoa as Duncan Idaho?

Is great.

Part Two has been green lit: which Momoa’s character isn’t in — he’s dead, after all — but he is in the rest of the Dune novels.

If talk of a Dune Pt Three, based on Dune Messiah, goes ahead?

It would be good to see Momoa in place.

Zendaya, as Chani?   Was good, I felt.   But we didn’t get to see enough of her for me to give you anything more than a basic opinion.

Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Harkonnen?   Dave Bautista as Rabban?   Were both great: the Baron is very unafraid of using a knife, himself.

Although I have to add that, while Skarsgård’s version is far more menacing that Kenneth McMillan’s version — in the 1984 David Lynch version of Dune —, in the novel the Baron is an outright paedophile.   

Something this film makes no mention of.

It’s something they tried to reference in the 1984 film, and got wrong: facing howls of protest from various gay activists.

Is this version of the Baron an improvement, despite that?

Yes.

Lynch’s version of the characters are like the Three Stooges: Villeneuve’s vision get the character’s right.

Then there’s Javier Bardem as Stilgar.

Bardem’s agent was on the ball, there, putting the man up for the role of Stilgar: he walked onto camera in Stilgar’s first scene and absolutely owned it!

It’s the same with Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet Kynes.

She strides into camera shot in her first scene and nails it!

There is so much I could be adding here, there really is.

The sets were great: the slab built Ducal Palace at Arrakeen, with its endless wide stairs, and narrow, horizontal windows, stuck in my mind.

The heighliners used for interstellar travel, the glowglobes used for lighting rooms, the ornithopters … 

Hell, the ornithopters!   I could happily see more of them.

Oh … and the worms … 

A Sandworm.

They look incredible!

Like I say, there is a lot I could be adding.

But … ?

I’ll leave you with the fact I’m looking forward to part two, when it arrives in 2023.

And will tell you this: Dune is seriously worth your time.

Dune (Part One)

★★★★