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Movie Review: Dune

Mike Tyrkus

Before diving headlong into the splendid spectacle that is Denis Villeneuve’s new cinematic rendering of Frank Herbert’s epic, Dune, I feel compelled to acknowledge that I harbor a soft spot for the much-maligned David Lynch version of the tale from 1984. That being said, Villeneuve’s vision is a sweeping, far superior, adaptation of the novel than has ever been attempted before. Dune is every bit the exquisite experience that it deserves to be viewed as and is, unequivocally, the grandest science-fiction film of the new millennium.

The film begins in the year 10,191 as Duke Leto Atreides (a splendid Oscar Isaac) arrives with his concubine, the Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and son Paul (Timothée Chalamet) to assume the production of a substance called Spice on the planet of Arrakis (also known as “Dune”). The Spice is the most valuable substance in the universe as it makes space travel possible, elongates lifespans, and, among other things, allows some individuals to catch glimpses of the future.

The House of Atreides have been granted control of Arrakis and Spice production over their rivals, the Harkonnens, who had previously held it. However, unbeknownst to the Atreides, this shift of power may be a simple maneuver in a larger scheme orchestrated by the leader of the Harkonnen, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) to bring about the fall of his longtime adversary, Duke Leto.

Amidst all of this political intrigue and subterfuge, lies the archetypal hero’s journey of Paul Atreides, who is suspected of being the one foretold of in legend who would arrive subsequently bringing order and peace to the universe. Of course, it is only through a series of devastating losses and trials will such a prophecy come to pass, and the film holds nothing back in depicting what befalls this young hero. Along this journey, Paul comes into contact with a plethora of characters, all portrayed by remarkably talented actors giving their all to this epic story.

First comes the Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling), who arrives to administer an unusual, and deadly, test on the young man. Then, we are introduced to Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), the Baron Harkonnen’s sadistic and violent nephew. Sharon Duncan-Brewster portrays Liet Kynes, the liaison between House Harkonnen and House Atieides during the shifting of control of Arrakis. Javier Bardem also makes an appearance as Stilgar, the leader of the indigenous people of Arrakis, the Fremen. Finally, Zendaya’s Chani emerges as Paul’s tangible love interest after being teased via his numerous visions of a beautiful Fremen woman on Dune.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet Kynes in “Dune.”

A testament to how remarkable this film is, is highlighted by the fact that none of these aforementioned facts, be they plot, or character related, end up as a convoluted morass that is either confusing or tedious to wade through. The script, written by Villeneuve along with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth, does a fantastic job of setting the world of the film up for the audience without, incredibly, relying on too much exposition to do so.

Hans Zimmer’s beautiful and often haunting score is an excellent accentuation to the cinematography of Greig Fraser which manages to slip in between the lighter and darker parts of the world within Dune to create a film that is, for lack of a better term, an awesome display of filmmaking on practically every level. Perhaps the only shortcoming of the film is that it is only the first part of a planned two-part series, and that the core (or stronger section) of the narrative will be found in the second entry. Of course, this makes it all the more impressive how compelling and engaging this first part proves to be.

Tackling what has long been considered something of an un-filmable narrative, Villeneuve has succeeded thoroughly with his vision of Dune, in bringing to the screen an epic film that will, hopefully, be recognized as one of the greatest science-fiction films of all time when all is said and done.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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