Beyond fear, destiny awaits.

In the distant year of 10191, all the planets of the known Universe are under the control of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV and the most important commodity in the Universe is a substance called the spice "MELANGE" which is said to have the power of extending life, expanding the consciousness and even to "fold space" ; being able to travel to any distance without physically moving. This spice "MELANGE" is said to only be produced in the desert planet of Arrakis, where the FREMEN people have the prophecy of a man who will lead them to true freedom. This "desert planet"of Arrakis is also known as DUNE. A secret report of the space "GUILD" talks about some circumstances and plans that could jeopardize the production of "SPICE" with four planets involved: ARRAKIS, CALADAN, GIEDI PRIME and KAITAIN, a world at least visually very alike to Earth and house of the Emperor of the known Universe. The "GUILD" sends a third stage navigator to KAITAIN to ask details from the Emperor and to demand him the killing of young Paul Atreides, son of the Duke Leto Atreides of CALADAN.

Lady Jessica Atreides: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

A Duke's son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father's evil nemesis to free their desert world from the emperor's rule.

Dune Movie Cast

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Dune (2021) Movie Reviews

Best adaptation so far, but some nuance is gone

Dune is a spectacular movie, but I can't give it 10 having read the book.

The visuals are a gold standard. Villanueve is evolving as an artist, and if you imagine what the person who made Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 can do with a bigger budget and a bigger universe, you get Dune. Every single element of the Dune universe is faithful to the book and is beautifully realistic.

The cast is great, with Chalamet and Bautista being standouts. Glossu Rabban is given a bigger role than in the book, even though it's still minor, and Bautista does not disappoint.

The story: the universe of Dune is complex and the narrative is full of intersecting plot lines. Instead of blindly following the book, the adaptation is more focused and the expositions are not on the nose.

However, maybe it's inevitable with a big screen adaptation, but some important plot points were lost. For example, the revelation of Paul about their connection to the Harkonnens, or the more detailed explanation about the imperial politics and the great houses. The importance of the spice production and what it does is not highlighted. Instead of the tangled web and complex origin story, it's basically foreign invaders oppressing indigenous people to extract resources. We are shown the mentats, briefly, but they are basically advisers... and that's it. Where is the mention of the ban on the thinking machines?

The House of Corrino, the Spacing Guild, Feyd-Rautha are not shown. Hope they will be featured in Part 2.

I suppose that's one of Villanueve's strong points, the ability to focus. But I remember the book well, so it feels like parts are missing.

It's been amazing being back in cinemas after last year, I have seen some good films, and some shockers, this though, is the first great film of the year for me.

The story is somehow easier to follow than in the last adaptation, motives and actions are easier to see and follow. I felt as though the book had come to life here, even if there are a couple of changes.

The acting is impressive, as is the music, the visuals however are the most incredible thing about this film, it looks awe inspiring. The battles are epic, the staging is impressive, you almost feel close to the action, I cannot praise that element highly enough.

When I saw Part one, I was a little surprised, I was a little more surprised by the ending, I only hope the wait isn't too long.

Pacing, considering where the film ends, it never felt slow or drawn out, I was captivated from start to finish.

Truly, I was blown away, 10/10.

Sure, I was looking forward to getting to watch director Denis Villeneuve's take on Frank Herbert's iconic story "Dune". And yeah, I did also enjoy the 1984 version of the tale, so of course this 2021 version was something that had to be watched.

And yes, I did enjoy the 2021 rendering of "Dune", of course I did. I mean, how could I not? Despite of running for a bit more than two and a half hours, the movie was entertaining and enjoyable. And this was just the first part of the story, so we are in for more.

Visually then "Dune" was just spectacular, having pretty amazing special effects that brought the world of Arrakis to life on the screen. And if you enjoy CGI effects and great special effects, then "Dune" doesn't disappoint.

In terms of casted performers, then the majority of the cast were actually nicely cast for the various roles and characters. Now, I am not familiar with Timothée Chalamet (playing Paul Atreides), but he was no Kyle MacLachlan (playing the same character in the 1984 movie). This 2021 version of "Dune" also have the likes of Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Stellan Skarsgård on the cast list. I was really impressed with Stellan Skarsgård in the movie.

And while "Dune" is watchable and entertaining, I must admit that I was left with a sense of 'was this really a necessary remake?' once the movie ended. And then my thoughts went on to "will it be remade again in 40 years, with whatever technology is available then?'. So there was that whole whether this remake was a necessary thing or not looming over it.

And I also feel that the character gallery was a bit underdeveloped, as I felt most of the characters were only given superficial characteristics and personalities, never letting the audience really get to know the characters backgrounds, motivations and such. It just felt a bit too shallow in terms of character development and growth.

If you have the chance to watch "Dune", then do so. By all means do so, because it is an entertaining movie.

My rating of "Dune" lands on a six out of ten stars, like the 1984 movie. Sure, this 2021 movie was more pleasing to look at, but of course almost 40 years have done lots to the development of CGI in the movie business. But the 2021 version is held back by an inferior character gallery and that overwhelming sense of this being essentially just a massive waste of money and effort in terms of remaking something that didn't really need to be remade.

I am one of those few people who thought Lynch's 1984 Dune was great. It was terribly edited and had other flaws, but it captured what I feel is the essence of the book. Of course it wasn't exactly like the book, it couldn't have been. Enter Denis's Dune, 2021, everything can be done on a computer, actors have had decades to refine the craft, films are not forced to be one hour and a half anymore, the budgets are astronomical. So how is it? I liked it, but I feel that it was something closer to what someone does after thinking for a long about how they would fix 1984 Dune rather than a reinterpretation of the book or even a very dry rerendering of it like the 2000 miniseries.

There are two things I really didn't like. One of them is the flat refusal to do anything that might be considered R-rated. The film is butchered to blandness, even when it features vicious knife fights, large scale warfare and sadistic Harkonnen. Second is Jessica's character, who is portrayed as a weakling, rather than the incredibly resourceful Bene Gesserit who has been trained for years that she is. I love Rebecca Ferguson, but she is not right in this film and nor is her character.

The visuals, while impressive, were kind of subdued, too. The mutated Navigators don't even make an appearance, the Harkonnen look big and fearsome, but clean and not really vile, the worms are shown with restraint, the colors are muted, the clothes and overall attire are simple, functional and uninteresting.

Bottom line: I am sorry to say that I think Lynch's film would have probably been better if the same resources and artistic freedom would have been awarded to him. This Dune doesn't really show as much an improvement as 37 years of thinking about it should have warranted. And it is tame and lame, refusing to take the artistic risks that should have been taken to portray with today's technology and knowledge a world 8000 years into the future and described with so much care and attention in Herbert's books.

Well, back to reading all the books again and dreaming for the next 40 years of an adaptation of God Emperor of Dune...

4 out of 5 stars

Dune is a beautifully done epic science fiction film that is the start of a new sci fi franchise. Or an attempt to revive one. Even with the opening title saying Dune Part one. I never read the novels. Only knowing the film is the first half of the first Dune novel. Leaving the film with half a story and no climax. Which is frustrating and exciting to see more films. One can hope this film is a success for more. Which it does deserve more films.

The plot is good and does open up for an epic story. Paul (Timothee Chalamet) is from the House of Atreides. Which he accompanies his parents to Arrakis which is a homeworld that has spice produced in the desert. Spice can be used for intergalactic travel. House of Atreides is looking for a reasonable peaceful trade. While House of Harkonnen lead by Baron (Stellan Skarsgard) is sending his army to Arrakis for an all out war.

The cast ensemble is huge and every one did great playing there characters. Timothee Chalamet taking the main role was phenomenal. Rebecca Ferguson was also good. Along with Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, and Jason Momoa was good. Zendaya is fantastic even if her role was short. But saved for a sequel.

Script did a great job with the world building and details on setting up the story. Great with the character building. Even for being a complex book. Director Denis Villeneuve did a great job in making this film a cinematic masterpiece. You can expect great cinematography set up in capturing beautiful landscapes. Visual effects. And having Hans Zimmers music score blasted at a high volume. Every sequence is designed for a cinematic scope to be seen on the big screen at the theatre with a great sound quality. Also, a down side on what you can expect from Denis Villeneuve is the slow pacing.

The film does have some action sequences with great visual effects. The giant sandworm sequence is cool. Do not expect any big battle sequences. There is a brief battle scene in a dream sequence that is hinting towards the next film.

Positives: the film is a good start for a franchise. The scope with action, visual effects, cast ensemble, production sets, music score, and direction all aims high for a cinematic experience that is epic and loud. It is one spectacular experience. The action sequences were good. Also ending abruptly for more films, do not expect a big climatic battle.

Negatives: director Denis Villeneuve is fantastic in making a cinematic visual feast. He does take his time with his storytelling even with a slow pacing. Which he suffers in all his films.

Overall, Dune is a good science fiction film which is spectacular and epic. I am excited and hoping to see more films. It delivered with a great world building for the story, visual effects, and action. It deserves to be seen on the big screen theatres.