DUNE must be experienced on the largest screen possible.
The DUNE novels never made it into my hands, so I might not be the target audience for this film. I did try to enjoy the 1984 movie directed by David Lynch, but I couldn’t finish it. But I do like big Sci-fi films, which is what this movie is. So if you plan to watch DUNE filmed with IMAX cameras, I recommend finding the most giant screen your theater has to offer.
Synopsis
Paul Atreides is a brilliant and gifted young man, born into a great destiny beyond his understanding. He 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, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.
DUNE is long and slow sitting at 2 hours and 35 minutes. For movie lovers and DUNE fans the long runtime and drawn out story will not be a problem. For the rest of you, be ready to look at your watch for time to time. I enjoyed the cinematic shots from beginning to end but knowing this movie is a drawn out PART 1 of a planned multi-movie franchise made it difficult to appreciate this movie for what is is, an intelligent, eerie and gorgeous sci-fi epic.
Surprisingly DUNE is not director Denis Villeneuve’s best film.
His more notable movies are better than DUNE, such as 2015’s Sicario and 2017’s Blade Runner 2049. Despite that, Villeneuve is an excellent filmmaker and has a great eye for this genre. All the visuals were top tier, and the special effects were seamless, which will easily immerse moviegoers into the world of Dune.
The cast is brilliant, which features Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, and Zendaya. After DUNE’s debut, Chalamet, who has already signed on to play Willy Wonka in the upcoming origins movie, will be offered plenty of prominent roles. Unfortunately, this movie is not filled with that much dialogue, and at times this whispery dialogue is incoherent. But the cast does give stellar performances with what they are handed with. Also, seeing Oscar Isaac in his role as Leto Atreides has me super excited for his Metal Gear Solid movie.
Verdict
I give DUNE a 7.5 out of 10. It is a sci-fi soap opera full of epic landscapes and intense action. You can watch DUNE in theaters or on HBO Max starting October 22nd.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis. He is a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.