DUNE (2021) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

dune (2021) movie

Genre              |   Science Fiction

Classification   |   M

Running time   |   155 minutes

Released         |   21 October 2021

cast

Timothée Chalamet ... Paul Atreides
Oscar Isaac ... Duke Leto Atreides
Rebecca Ferguson ... Lady Jessica
Josh Brolin ... Gurney Halleck
Jason Momoa ... Duncan Idaho
Zendaya ... Chani
Stellan Skarsgård ... Baron Harkonnen
Dave Bautista ... Glossu 'Beast' Rabban
Javier Bardem ... Stilgar
Charlotte Rampling ... Reverend Mother Mohiam
David Dastmalchian ... Piter De Vries
​Chen Chang ... Dr. Yueh

director

​Denis Villeneuve ​

writer

​Frank Herbert ... (novel)
 
Eric Roth ... (screenplay)
Denis Villeneuve ... (screenplay)
Jon Spaihts ... (screenplay)

cinematographer

​Greig Fraser ... director of photography

music

​Hans Zimmer

film editor

Joe Walker

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box office result

Worldwide               $? million

Australia                 $? million

North America        $? million

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movie minutiae

Denis Villeneuve confirmed that his adaptation of DUNE (2020) will be split into at least two films, in order to ensure that the original story would be "preserved and not cut into a million pieces."

Denis Villeneuve previously directed BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) for producer Ridley Scott. Scott was at one point planning to direct an adaptation of DUNE. His own film ALIEN (1979) was written by Dan O'Bannon, and the creature designed by H.R. Giger, who first met each other while working on Alejandro Jodorowsky's failed DUNE project.

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DUNE (2021) MOVIE IMAGES

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DUNE (2021) STORY SYNOPSIS

​The big-screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestseller DUNE stars Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION), Oscar Isaac (STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (DEADPOOL 2), Stellan Skarsgård (AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON), Dave Bautista (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: VOL 2), Zendaya (SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING), David Dastmalchian, Stephen Henderson, with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling, with Jason Momoa (AQUAMAN), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem.

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, DUNE tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Villeneuve is directing DUNE from a screenplay he co-wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts based on Herbert’s novel. The film is being produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Joe Caracciolo and Villeneuve. The executive producers are Tanya Lapointe, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, Thomas Tull, Jon Spaihts, Richard P. Rubinstein, John Harrison and Herbert W. Gains, with Kevin J. Anderson serving as creative consultant.

Behind the scenes, Villeneuve is collaborating for the first time with Oscar-nominated director of photography Greig Fraser (ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY); three-time Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West (THE REVENANT) and co-costume designer Bob Morgan; and stunt coordinator Tom Struthers. Oscar-winning and multiple Oscar-nominated composer Hans Zimmer (BLADE RUNNER 2049) is creating the score. Villeneuve is also reteaming with two-time Oscar-nominated production designer Patrice Vermette (SICARIO), two-time Oscar-nominated editor Joe Walker (ARRIVAL), two-time Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert, and Oscar-winning special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer. 

DUNE is being filmed on location in Budapest, Hungary, and in Jordan.

DUNE (2021) MOVIE REVIEW

Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 28 December 2021

Pop ​Movee Rating

DUNE: PART ONE is a film that deserves to be seen on the biggest cinema screen possible. Director Denis Villeneuve has, again, shown that he is one of the few filmmakers who can take challenging, complex stories and create a movie that appeals to the viewer’s intellect while keeping sight of the necessary plot developments to move the story forward and, by doing so, keep the audience entertained.

With each successive feature film he’s directed, Villeneuve has shown enormous growth in his skill and it’s no understatement to say that the tagline that precedes his name sounds something like “from visionary filmmaker”....

PRISONERS (2013) 
ENEMY (2013)
SICARIO (2015)
ARRIVAL (2016)
BLADE RUNNER: 2049 (2017)

What a list of films! Most feature film Directors would be happy to have one of those on their resume, let alone five.

Villeneuve certainly isn’t afraid to tackle difficult projects either. The last two films on that list were incredibly challenging for different reasons. 

ARRIVAL was a complex story that required the viewer to passively learn a new language as Amy Adams & Jeremy Renner worked to unlock the appearance of an alien civilization on Earth. 

BLADE RUNNER: 2049 was something else….

Ridley Scott’s 1982 BLADE RUNNER has come to be recognised as a filmmaking masterpiece; undoubtedly helped by Scott’s campaign in the years after its initial debut to have the film released as he originally intended.

The question being asked most of Villeneuve’s follow-up was, “How can anyone expect to even come close to delivering a follow-up that will meet audience expectation?”

Villeneuve succeeded with a film that was broader in scope, visually stunning and hit enough nostalgic beats that enough fan service was paid without BLADE RUNNER: 2049 becoming derivative.

So, what of DUNE: PART ONE?

Have Villeneuve, along with co-writers Jon Spaihts & Eric Roth, managed to decode Frank Herbert’s monumental science fiction saga into a film that is accessible for the most casual of moviegoers?

The short answer is yes.

Even with DUNE: PART ONE’s 155 minute running time, Villeneuve strikes a similar balance to that which he achieved with BLADE RUNNER: 2049.

Stunning visuals. 
A pared down plot (by comparison to the source material).
Almost singular focus on the main character.

Not that the film is lacking in complexity….

Let’s digress for a moment.

There’s almost universal agreement that the David Lynch 1984 production of DUNE is a narrative mess. Lynch got the aesthetic right but couldn’t find a way to context Herbert’s sprawling backstory that punctuated the journey of young Paul Atreides as he transforms from a Prince-in-waiting to a Messiah.

Ironically, much like the original 1982 theatrical BLADE RUNNER release, Lynch was forced to use narration to help deliver large chunks of exposition as well as to clarify character motivation and context.

The result was a film that David Lynch took his name off.

Villeneuve opts to minimize attempts to explain everything in Herbert’s novel, remaining focused on critical scenes that explain the transformative journey of Timothee Chalamet’s Paul. 

In many cases, the scenes Villeneuve chooses to highlight are almost identical to the ones that Lynch used for the 1984 film.

Villeneuve, however, manages to achieve an economy that is absent from Lynch’s film.

The visuals Villeueve provides are of such a grand scale that no matter what the characters are talking about, their dialogue seems small by comparison. Despite such a huge cast of talented performers (with some not known for their restraint), Villeneuve, through a combination of shot set-up and actor delivery, creates an air of oppressive understatement.

The likes of Oscar Isaac’s Duke Leto, Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck and Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho all come to the dawning realization that their mission to the planet Arrakis is a one-way death march. 

Slowly and surely, their performances reflect this and an overwhelming fatalism grips the mid-section of the film.

It is through the mid-section and Final Act that Timothee Chalamet makes the film his own, notwithstanding the excellent support he gets from Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica.

Chalamet is still young enough that his performance could have come off as if he were some sort of entitled, cocky brat. Chalamet strikes a nice balance between being the heir to the throne of his people and someone who actually respects his elders and is keen to follow in the footsteps of those he admires. His relationship with Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho is an example of this and there’s genuine chemistry in their scenes together.

As for the supporting cast, it’s hard to find fault in any of the performances.

Besides Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa, Villeneuve manages to strike the right balance with just about every single character.

The most problematic performance is Chang Chen as Dr. Yueh. It’s not Chen’s fault. There is a fundamental flaw with the character that goes all the way back to Herbert’s book.

Dr. Yueh becomes a pivotal character halfway through the film but the story logic that drives his actions have always been sketchy….

They were in the novel. 

They were in the 1984 film. 

And, they remain so in this version. 

Surely the Atreides would have known about the Doctor’s personal plight given he was the Duke and Paul’s personal physician. It’s a major plot oversight that seems far too simplistic in its application, thereby allowing a change of fortune for the planet Arrakis that, quite literally, has galactic consequences.

Besides Villeneuve’s oversight of the film, the film’s other key behind-the-scenes contributor is Australian Cinematographer Greig Fraser. Fraser has been working up to a film like DUNE: PART ONE for some time. He really started to get the attention of the industry with his work on Kathryn Bigelow’s 2012 film ZERO DARK THIRTY. His work on ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016) saw him become a part of the emerging STAR WARS universe working on multiple first season episodes of THE MANDALORIAN.

With DUNE: PART ONE, Fraser demonstrates that he has emerged as a world class Cinematographer and his work with Villeueve on this film is - arguably - even better than what the Director achieved with the legendary Roger Deakins on BLADE RUNNER: 2049.

Fraser’s work on DUNE: PART ONE is a very large reason why this film should be seen on the biggest screen possible.

There’s a lot to recommend about DUNE: PART ONE. 

Denis Villeneuve has adapted Herebert’s complex space saga into a feature film that is not just visually stunning but also unlocks DUNE mythology. By stripping back the labyrinthian backstory and focussing almost entirely on Chamalet's Paul Atreides, the Villeneuve has delivered a cinematic version of the story that is more than worthy of comparison with its literary forebearer.

DUNE MOVIE (2021) USEFUL LINKS

Dune (2020 film) - Wikipedia
Dune (2020) - IMDb​
Dune (2020) - Rotten Tomatoes

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