Dune [2021]

DUNE (2021)Denis Villeneuve is arguably the most accomplished director working in film today. His storytelling is expansive, rooted from rich source material that is further elevated with immersive visuals whose colours are soaked in social commentary; Prisoners examined the frailty of society's civility, Arrival illustrated the necessity of higher communication and collaborative thought (something that appeared alien as Trump had won the election), Sicario shone a torch on the duality within morality, and Bladerunner 2049 asked whether humanity was exclusively a human quality and if so, why do we appear so incapable of it?It is obvious Villeneuve is an acolyte to Frank Herbert's epic; the House of Atreides, the Harkonnens, the Fremen and Arrakis itself are as you would image them to be. It does not disappoint. Every element of the design from the architecture, the machinery and weapons to the giant sand worms are executed with conviction, further evidence that this Canadian film maker is the apex in world building. Like all his work, this demands to be shown on the largest canvas possible. The ensemble cast as one would expect are flawless and Chalamet makes a very credible Paul Atreides, he embodies the spice itself around which all others orbit.One has to address the white elephant as those of a certain age are still stained by David Lynch's operatic '84 behemoth. It's hard to forget the ginger haired spritely Sting running around like Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream, the bold brazen look of the Bene Gesserit Sisters or the neo-punk S&M inspired costumed sheer repulsiveness of Baron Harkonnen. It's difficult to talk about this latest version without having the foreboding dust clouds of the former not too far away. How does this compare to Lynch's hugely flawed but impactful romp?Villeneuve's adaptation is more nuanced, it feels far more authentic. The dynamics between Paul, Lady Jessica and Duke Leto are more fleshed out, events are given greater weight by dramatic scenes being played out like the rescue of the harvester workers or Duncan's stand. Amongst all the splendour the central theme of fate is finely weaved into the fabric of every frame. The House of Atreides are fully aware of the position the Emperor is putting them in but press on regardless, almost embracing their fate. This atmosphere of inevitability is heavily worn by all the protagonists and visually renforced by the repitition of Paul's visions. The Fremen and their connection to Arrakis are given a strong religious tone. There are signs of Jerusalem here and the question of whether any kind of occupation is righteous is frequently brought up. The stark echoes of colonisation and its harmful impact on environment including the indigenous people can't be ignored.Stellan Skarsgård's Baron is limited in Part 1 but his quiet menace resonances like the thumpers used to attract the worms. The pain in a box scene between Reverend Mother and Paul is beautifully played with an understated brutality. The director thankfully avoids the inner talk that frustrated the audience when watching Lynch's version, a classic example of a tool that worked effectively on page but appeared pretentious and irritating on screen.The cinematography is grand without being overwhelming, Zimmer's score adds to the pallet when required but there is a grain of something lacking in all its admired efficiency. Dune is Villeneuve's work of devotion; this will only further cement his reputation but he has a difficult task ahead. The first film covers two thirds of the book and I've always felt the third act was a letdown. I'm not sure how he can top Part 1 if he remains loyal to the book. Cinematically, Villeneuve has proven he flourishes in the most ardious of landscapes, he can find ample water where there is none. I eagerly anticipate to be proven wrong.

Against my expectations I very much liked this movie. Even my wife was intrigued - for most of it; she found the start en little puzzling like most would, and disliked the abrupt ending, like most would. I should have warned her.Nevertheless I found it an immersive joy to watch - something I haven’t experienced for some time.I should say that I’ve never seen the 1980’s Dune. Also I am a complete Star Wars junkie, a universe that I love for many reasons if not its space-opera straightforwardness. There are touch points but this new Dune movie is darker, more Game of Thrones-style but with a more sophisticated narrative.The casting was quite strong with many well-known stars in credible roles. The costumes and settings mesmerizing, the CGI spectacular.Some classic movies, with strong visuals and sound I like to own in 4K/ultra-HD, I’m glad I paid up for that with this movie. The perfect ultra sharp picture, the desert vista’s and sound effects make it worth it. And for less than two cinema tickets I could enjoy the movie in possibly better quality than in the theatre, and at a future date again, while not being annoyed with popcorn-munching cinema-potatoes next to me.Can’t wait until the next instalment and would be surprised if there will not be an HBO spin-off series.

Fantastic film, looks amazing in 4k HDR.

Dune is, to put it mildly, a rather polarising novel, and a formidable challenge for any film-maker. The fact that this adaptation succeeds triumphantly in presenting a coherent story that almost anybody could follow, and does so while retaining the genuinely dark atmosphere is a credit to all involved.It's beautiful, especially on blu-ray. That is the first thing that strikes when watching. The cinematography is stunning, with all the giant vistas and intricate interiors needed for the story to work. The sound is also stunning, although like far too many recent films (and TV shows for that matter), in pure stereo I found myself juggling the volume on an almost constant basis in order to hear the dialogue, and then avoid getting my head blown off by excessive music or effect volume. This, I suspect, is a result of downmixing from what was essentially created as a surround mix; if so, I wish they would put a bit more attention to the regular 2-channel / stereo levels. Not everyone can either afford, wants or has space for a surround system, or even a pseudo-surround via a soundbar.That criticism apart, back to the positives. The direction is excellent, the pacing well-judged, without trying to rush things, and fortunately doesn't fall into the lengthy, and increasingly tedious CGI 'chase' sequences that blight far too many recent releases. Yes, there are a couple here, but they are relatively brief, and actually integral parts of the plot, rather than being present apparently for the sake of themselves. It is also good to see the worms not receiving excessive visual coverage -being worms, they are supposed to stay mostly underground after all, only emerging at key intervals. When they do, their features and presence is excellent, and more or less how I for one imagined them to be. The hand-to-hand fight sequences are also well handled, resembling a cross between Star Wars and a Scott Adkins martial arts film, the choreography generally being very good -again, a credit to those involved in crafting the sequences, the script-writers, direction and actors. Overall, the script is excellent, being reasonably faithful to the first part of the original novel. Although there are a couple of minor issues that could be better-clarified (for example, the idea of the personal shields, and their being the reason for a relative absence of firearms is a little abstract as-presented), these do not really detract.The acting is very much a high point in the film, helped by the fact that the script does give the performers reasonable scope to work, which sadly is more than can be said for many other recent science-fiction films. It's also an ensemble piece; everybody involved gives a performance that is at the very least good, and many are downright excellent, notably Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem. Insofar as you can believe in characters in a science-fiction / high-fantasy film, you generally believe in these, even down to the slight Oedipus subtext between Paul and Rebecca in the latter stages of the film -to put it mildly a disturbing idea and no easy task for the actors.Overall, Dune represents a high point in recent science fiction; well written, well produced, and well acted. While not quite as clever as it likes to give the impression of being (an issue the novel conceals under a torrent of invented words, names and convoluted writing), it's an excellent film, far better, and far darker than most. Twenty years ago, we wondered if The Lord of the Rings could be successfully adapted. While the results were certainly far from perfect, the answer was a resounding 'yes'. On current evidence, we can now say the same for Dune. Well worth watching.