Dune (2021)

Genres : Sci-fi, Thriller, Drama 

Writer : Surya Turaga 

Date : 12th August, 2022 

I don’t even know where to start. What a modern masterpiece. I could go on for hours, yapping about this movie, so I’ll do my best to keep it short and concise. 

The Dune book was not just any book, it was a vision. It’s very difficult to adapt such a vision. With so much content, it’s great that they kept it to half the book. The book was really a story in the mind, with lots of monologues and stuff. Good that they made a few changes with that. I think Denis adapted the book perfectly, knowing just what tweaks to make. 

The overall story revolves around Dune, the most important planet in the universe of the future. It follows the journey of the protagonist in a play of power for the planet. 

Can’t say much about the story. Dune is the original sci-fi. It is the vision that inspired Star Wars and Avatar. The story was very well executed. It is quite difficult to have a balance between the sci-fi action parts and the political parts of the story. Here, you can see both. 

The visuals were AMAZING. I love their creative adaptation of literally everything. Ornithopters were the perfect vehicles, the shields, suspenders, and all the high tech looked stunning, and the sandworms looked ominous. I also noticed all the subtle references to Islamic culture in the architecture, clothing, and prophecies. Neat touch. 

I do wish, however, they showed a bit more of the religious cult, the Bene Gesserit. But that’s not a huge negative, I’m good with it. Just that viewers who haven't read the book would be a bit confused watching it. 

The casting was impeccable, and the actors definitely did well. I particularly loved Stellan Skarsgård’s portrayal of Baron Harkonnen. 

Surya-o-meter : 95%