In anticipation of our review of Dune: Part Two next week. I want to bring you back to Dune:Part One.
If you’re a fan of the sci-fi genre then more than likely you’ve heard of Dune. It was written in 1965 by Frank Herbert which spawned 5 sequels! Obviously Hollywood wanted to make a film or tv series with such a popular franchise. They had before. In 1984 Dune was filmed by David Lynch. I can remember watching it as a young kid but honestly I was lost. I hadn’t seen that version in probably 15 years but I was incredibly excited for this adaption. The director Denis Villeneuve is one of my favorites. If you remember my review of Blade Runner 2049, he directed it and it was (in my opinion) the best movie of the year when it came out. So we have another film based in the sci-fi genre and one of the best directors working today….Also LOOK AT THAT CAST. A-list from top to bottom. This has the making of a masterpiece…but would the execution play out?
Onto the film.
We open with the film setting up the backstory for the viewer to get some context on the epic at hand. Essentially there are several tribes vying for power. It gets confusing so this is taken directly from the summary.
Duke Leto of House Atreides, (Isaac) ruler of the ocean planet Caladan, is assigned by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV to replace House Harkonnen as fief rulers of Arrakis. Arrakis is a harsh desert planet and the only source of “spice”, a valuable substance that extends human vitality and is critical for interstellar travel.
Essentially on Dune the “spice” is there and is the most valuable asset available. This film, however follows the Duke’s son named Paul (Chalamet) We see his odyssey as he journeys to an unknown planet sometimes completely alone. That’s all of the plot you get. I don’t want to ruin it.
Go see this film. It’s beautiful to watch. The sprawling landscape of the worlds is impressive to see. The cast all excel and the story is extremely engaging. However, the one complaint is it is hard to follow in the beginning. Eventually you will understand what is at play but in the beginning I was confused and almost couldn’t keep up. The runtime is also something to notice at almost 3 hours! Many people our divided with epics that take hours to wrap up. I personally think they are great but make sure you order the large popcorn and get comfortable. Watch this and get ready for PART TWO. 4 ½ stars out of 5