‘Dune’ — Spoiler-Free Review
Hype blissfully meets reality in this epic cinematic masterpiece
Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Often the most hyped movies set up the audience for an enormous amount of disappointment. As we are inundated with trailers, our expectations begin to rise, which only sets us up for disappointment once we finally see the movie.
But that is not the case with ‘Dune’. This movie is not only perfectly hyped, but it exceeds all of the expectations set in the trailers. It doesn’t matter if you’re the biggest sci-fi fan or just a casual movie viewer, this movie will blow you away. Let’s dive into the fictional world of Arrakis…
Spoiler Free Review — Barry’s Bites Score = 9.3
I’ve been looking forward to this movie for quite a while now, and I was not disappointed. When you’re dealing with a plotline this complex, it's a daunting task to bring the audience up to speed. Some may be familiar with the universe they are diving into but others are flying blind. So the movie needs to catch everyone up, no matter what your knowledge level. This is one thing that ‘Dune’ does an adequate job of accomplishing. There are so many characters and moving parts that we are quickly introduced to, but all of the elements fall into place within the first hour of the movie.
The desert world, Arrakis, is exceptionally portrayed to the audience. We quickly understand the dangerous political elements taking place as well as the more tangle threats happening on the planet. All of the necessary components fall into place without boring the audience to death. After the stage is set, the movie dives right into an epic journey on Arrakis.
Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, and Timothée Chalamet in ‘Dune’ — Courtesy of Warner Bros.
One thing the movie makes clear is the palpable feeling of building tension throughout the entire first section of the movie. By utilizing suspenseful music in conjunction with Paul Atredis's (Timothee Chalamet) visions, the movie has a feeling of building towards an end goal. The dialogue plays into this theme as well but it’s the other elements that help to bring it across the finish line.
“You fight when the necessity arises, no matter the mood”
The word I keep coming back to is EPIC. I know it’s lame, cheesy, and unimaginative but it’s an apt description. Not because I’m a super fan or even that I’ve read the novels. No, it’s because even without reading the novels, I’m now a super fan. That’s how perfect this movie was made. It creates a universe that some might compare to a ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’. Everything about the cinematic style utilized creates a captivating viewing experience.
One thing the movie does an outstanding job of is getting the audience invested in the characters. In the beginning, unless you’re someone who read the book, you’re not going to know what is happening or who the characters are. But the movie takes care of that. It doesn’t tell you who to care about, instead, it gives you a reason to invest in these people.
Some characters stay with us the whole journey, while others serve the purpose of advancing the plot. That’s what I love about stories like this one. The filmmakers are not afraid to let the story drive the movie instead of preserving certain characters.
Courtesy of Inverse.com
Speaking of the characters, this movie was flawlessly cast. At no point in time was the viewing experience fragmented because of who was acting in a particular scene. Every single person involved in this movie played their part perfectly, and successfully transported the audience into the fictional world.
An issue that I think everyone will find with the movie is the length. Not that it was too long but that it wasn’t long enough. It could've easily been another hour. ‘Dune’ sets up so much throughout the movie but then intentionally leaves the audience with a cliffhanger. Director Denis Villeneuve said that this was intentional. He told GamesRadar.com; “It was always meant to be a two-part movie and it was always meant to have “Part One” at the beginning because I feel like it would be misleading and dishonest to pretend that it’s the whole story being told in a single movie. I wanted the audience to understand, right from the start, that they were about to see the first part of a bigger story.”
So we can rest easy knowing that there are more movies coming. But I share the frustration that we have to wait.
All in all, this is a movie you won’t want to miss out on seeing. It’s a surreal adaptation of Frank Herbert’s famous novel. Even if you’re not a sci-fi fan, I would highly recommend it to anyone. Check out the trailer below!
*This article was originally published in the Film Cut
