Dune (2021) | Film Review

To clarify right out of the gate: no, I have not read Frank Herbert’s Dune. By all accounts, it is a masterful epic of glorious sci-fi, and I can readily admit my shame in never having turned the pages of this Herbert’s opus. Also, while I did not watch the 2000 miniseries, I did catch David Lynch’s 1984 cinematic attempt, and let’s just say that film lacked the necessary spice to leave a positive lasting impression. All of that said, I am not here to offer my thoughts on the novel, the miniseries, nor whatever the hell Lynch’s film was. No, this review is solely dedicated to Denis Villeneuve’s vision of Dune.

Well, half of it anyway.

As the outset, Dune: Part 1 offers a title card that quickly explains we are only witnessing the first half of the story, where all of the worlds are built and the pieces are placed.

Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) is tasked by his emperor to modernize Arrakis, a desert planet populated by its own people known as the Fremen and visually akin to Tatooine. Arrakis is the home to the most valuable resource in the galaxy (known as spice), and the emperor is determined to seize control away from the unwieldy savages of House Harkonnen and reestablish a peaceful settlement.

Along for the ride is Leto’s concubine, Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), and their son, Paul (Timothée Chalamet). Paul has been training for years in both physical combat with Leto’s right-hand, Gurney (Josh Brolin), and his mother’s underlying mysticism to one day take over for his father as the Duke. He is also besieged by visions he asserts to be premonitions of a future-to-come, specifically revolving around a beautiful Fremen woman known as Chani (Zendaya).

Almost immediately after landing, the infinitely hungry Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) leads a revolt in an attempt to destroy Duke Leto’s people and seize Arrakis for themselves, forcing Paul and Jessica to flee with Paul’s trusted bodyguard Duncan (Jason Momoa) in tow.

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is truly only half of the story as the film builds right up to an understated cliffhanger, therefore the majority of this film is setting up the characters and the story for what’s to come. Villeneuve has a plethora of talent to pluck from, as there is not an actor present not bringing their A-game to the occasionally confounding vernacular inherent to this world. Isaac, Ferguson, Momoa, Brolin: they live and breathe their characters and their moments, no matter how melodramatic nor small the part. It’s an overall committed cast.

Timothée Chalamet’s Paul is the lone exception, as frequently his performance is so muted and uninvolved it comes across rather mundane. As Chalamet is a very charismatic and talented actor, it would seem this is simply how the character of Paul is either written on the page or being directed than the actor’s own shortcomings. Nevertheless, Paul’s wannabe savior character is a difficult follow, as he spends an exorbitant amount of screen time staring off into the ether, pondering his own motivations it seems. He’s simply too milquetoast a character to invest in at this point. Perhaps that amps up a notch in the next film, but as I alluded to earlier, this review can only look at half the puzzle.

As for the rest of Dune, if you are an avid fan of the novel, the visual representation here is sure to take your breath away. Denis Villeneuve pulls no punches bringing Herbert’s world to life. Much like walking into the Shire for the first time in Fellowship of the Ring, stepping foot onto Arrakis will transport you immediately there, regardless of your previous knowledge of the novel. The cinematography is gorgeous, the set designs are massive, the score is sweeping. In terms of sheer cinematic achievement, Denis Villeneuve and his immensely talented crew have delivered in spades.

So why is Dune so god damn boring? The cast is excellent, the production design flawless, even the sand worm is amazing. So with this enormously immersive world, (mostly) fascinating characters, and spotless special effects; why – in all that is holy – isn’t this a “good” movie?

I do not care how talented everyone involved is. How well researched every aspect of your screenplay is. It doesn’t even matter if you have the most fantastic CGI effects movie theaters have ever seen. If your movie does not ENTERTAIN, can you call it a great film? No, absolutely not. And Dune is an insipid bore.

Part of it lies in the lack of personality languishing in our lead character of Paul, but mostly it rests in the meandering pace dragging its ass kicking-and-screaming through each frame and every scene. Even the action scenes, though striving for operatic grandness, amounts to little more excitement than watching your kid play Call of Duty from across the room. Over the film’s 2.5 hour runtime, my watch was checked no less than 5 times in what should be, by most accounts, a sprawling sci-fi epic for the ages. I wasn’t even bothered by the cliffhanger conclusion, as I was just ecstatic the movie finally ended. It’s an insane turnabout that the most visually arresting film of the year, also happens to be the worst paced movie during that same time.

The initial excitement has subsided, and failed expectations have vacated. Now I am just left with the remnants of a first half to a story, with the second part yet to come. Though some hope remains that the second half does a stronger job of sheer entertainment, this first half has done little to inspire those dreams. Despite how sadly this round has gone, as a longtime fan of Denis Villeneuve, I will await his second chapter patiently, and will likely even rewatch Dune: Part 1 whenever Part 2 arrives. But this time, I will have the foresight to preset my alarm.

Follow our further discussion on Dune via this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: