Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Javier Bardem, Zendaya and Charlotte Rampling

I took great comfort in knowing that my first-ever Dune experience was in the hands of visionary and exemplary film director, Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners and Blade Runner 2049). Adapting the 1965 Frank Herbert science-fiction novel to the big screen has been such a lifelong dream of Villeneuve’s, he even turned down an offer to direct the latest Bond film, No Time to Die.

This marks the third time overall Dune has been made; the first adaptation was the 1984 cult classic starring Kyle MacLachlan and Virginia Madsen and was directed by David Lynch, which he refers to as a total failure. Next came John Harrison’s 2000 miniseries, which fared better from a critical perspective and won two Emmy Awards. But neither of these adaptations experienced the widespread public and commercial success its 2021 successor has already earned and is destined for when awards season arrives.

Denis Villeneuve’s rendition of this futuristic and deeply intricate story about the son of a noble family who experiences visions that leads him to his destiny is an imposing, epic and entirely fascinating piece of cinematic craft that really is quite unlike anything I’ve seen before. While admittedly this genre of cinema is one I’ve had less exposure to than others, I can safely say that visually Dune reminded me quite a lot of Blade Runner.

If you are going to watch Dune, then you must do so on the largest and loudest cinema screen possible. I was gratefully fortunate enough to witness this spectacle on an IMAX screen and was completely immersed by the sights and sounds being transmitted. Every visual component of the film; the production design, the props and machinery, the environmental conditions, just to name a few, truly exhibit first-rate conception and execution. The same applies to film composer Hans Zimmer’s work here, who just like director Denis Villeneuve, is a big fan of the novel Dune, and turned down working with frequent collaborator Christopher Nolan on Tenet to score this film. Excellent decision! I can just about guarantee that these aspects of the film’s production will earn Academy Award ® nominations and may even win a few.

Plot-wise, there is SO MUCH going on. While I remained entirely engrossed by the story, the settings and its several characters all throughout, there were times where some of the connections and previously tangible trajectories were unclear to me. Nevertheless, Dune has lots to reveal and leaves us with plenty to look forward to in Part Two, which is in pre-production and set to be released in 2023.

Dune is showing in cinemas across Australia from December 2nd.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

Follow on Twitter – Moviedoc / LIKE on Facebook – @moviedoc13 / Follow on Instagram – moviedoc_melbourne

©