Is the New Dune Worth the Hype? Dune (2020) Movie Trailer Review

Is the New Dune Worth the Hype?

Dune (2020) Movie Trailer Review

Bronwynn Buakong

The upcoming film, Dune (2020) is based on the original 1965 science fiction novel, written by Frank Herbert. Since its publication, there have been five Dune sequels: Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune. The novel was then adapted into the 1984 film, directed by David Lynch. Kyle MacLachlan starred as Paul Atreides and lead a cast that included Alicia Witt, Brad Dourif, Virginia Madsen, Patrick Stewart, Dean Stockwell, Sean Young, and musician Sting. Dune (1984) was seen as a cult classic, but definitely had its flaws, receiving many negative reviews.

There's hope among some that the new film will improve upon the old, directed by Dennis Villeneuve and starring the astronomically talented and remarkable Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides. The cast in this movie is phenomenal and includes Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, and many more outstanding actors.

The trailer may seem extremely confusing to people who have no idea what Dune even is. The futuristic story is intricate and contains so much lore that is hard to fit into one movie. That is why this movie will only cover the first half of the original novel, with a planned sequel handling the rest. The trailer starts off with a voice over of Paul Atreides, Timothée Chalamet, announcing that something strange is happening to him in this far future of humanity on the dangerous desert planet, Arrakis. It then leads to him saying that there is a crusade coming. This foreshadows that the whole movie will revolve around Paul Atreides leading nomadic tribes in an extreme battle to control the intergalactic empire planet, Arrakis, also known as Dune. Paul Atreides, being the gifted son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most vital element in the galaxy, undergoes many specific tasks in order to gain the skills to become the leader of the tribes for the crusade. The trailer shows malevolent forces exploding into conflict over the only source of the most valuable substance, spice, that extends human life and provides accelerated levels of thought. The story explores the complex interactions of politics, religion, technology, and deep emotions with Paul’s family, the new empire, and other powerful individuals that are all tied together into the confrontation that will alter the course of humanity.

The music is intense and climatic. It includes a theatrical number in the soundtrack that creates a dramatic atmosphere for the viewers. There were many chants and gospel-like choir sounds that added more flavor to this trailer and the movie dynamic itself. The sudden change in sound from powerful noise to almost silent in certain scenes displays the action packed events that will occur throughout the movie.

The visuals were impressive in the trailer. The dust from the sand, the muted colors, but the massive scale plays a significant role in the art and set design. It truly captures what the exposition of the movie is about and where and when the movie is taking place. You can tell that it is big budget cinema. The combat scenes are shot well and add a great touch into the trailer.

Overall, Dune (2020) looks like a good science fiction movie filled with exciting action scenes for the audience to enjoy. The movie premieres in theaters on December 18th, 2020.