[imagesource: Warner Bros.]
Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel Dune is terribly intimidating.
The story has such grandeur and complexity that it is hard to believe that it even exists sometimes.
Dune introduces us to the fictional planet of Arrakis, space colonialism, a coveted drug called ‘spice’, ancient religions, otherworldly beasts, and desert messiahs, all making up what has been widely recognised as one of the greatest pieces of science fiction.
Hollywood has been just as enthralled, with two great directors having failed to bring the fictional world to life on the big screen.
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s psychedelic vision turned against him, while David Lynch’s 1984 film was a box office flop to such an extent that he later disowned it.
It was a massive risk, then, for Warner Bros. to revisit Herbert’s 1965 novel, placing it in the hands of French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve.
Well, it is safe to say that Villeneuve (who also did an amazing job with Blade Runner 2049) has been rewarded with success, as his Dune has been stacking up the star ratings, glowing reviews, and general acclaim.
The Guardian has given Dune their rare five-star badge, saying that the “awe-inspiring epic is a moment of triumph”:
If there can ever be a moment of triumph for a director, when the anxiety of influence is vanquished – for a bit, anyway – then Denis Villeneuve might have achieved it. This eerily vast and awe-inspiring epic, a cathedral of interplanetary strangeness, is better than the attempt a generation ago by an acknowledged master.
Having skipped past the spoilers, the review later added these kind words:
Villeneuve is superb at juxtaposing the colossal spectacle with the intimate encroachment of danger and a mysterious dramatic language that exalts the alienness of every texture and surface.
Perhaps even more than in his previous film, Blade Runner 2049 (another audacious reinvention), the sound design and musical score of this film is compelling: it throbs, grinds and whispers through the cinema.
If IMDB is where you go to check if a film is worth the watch, they have Dune at a rating of 8,3 out of 10.
Meanwhile, over at The Independent, the review also raves about this world “so choked with sand that it seems impossible for any creature or person to dwell within it”.
That review has called this grand sci-fi adaptation The Lord of the Rings trilogy for this generation:
Villeneuve’s Dune is the sandworm exploding out from the darkness below. It is a film of such literal and emotional largeness that it overwhelms the senses.
If all goes well, it should reinvigorate the book’s legacy in the same way Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy did for JRR Tolkien’s work…
Figures traverse across vast landscapes, while miniature swarms of spaceships gather like invading insects. That smallness allows, too, for some humanity.
There is a fragility to these characters, upheld by a cast of actors all too smart to be swallowed up by portentousness. Chalamet will always have his sheepishness, Zendaya a cutting clarity to her voice.
Yeah, let’s not forget the incredible on-screen talent, which includes the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, and Dave Bautista.
Overall, the film seems to go above and beyond what one character meant when they said, “the mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience,” making it more of a “blackpulveriser” than a blockbuster.
[sources:guardian&independent]
