Dune (2021)

[Eric Atreides]

Discuss

[cookie]

(Copy-pasted from my Letterboxd review)

 

Villeneuve’s version of Dune asks a lot of its audience. With zero guarantees of a follow-up, it asks audiences to accept what’s essentially two-thirds of a movie, building up to a third act that never arrives. 

 

When the first Lord of the Rings film ended on a cliffhanger, it at least did so after what felt like a full movie where there’s a climactic finish, and relevant arcs and subplots reach some sort of a resolution, even if many of them were to continue in The Two Towers. Dune (or Dune: Part One as its title card informs us) doesn’t do that. It ends with Paul having a quick fight for his mother’s honor with one of the Fremen, and he gets his first taste of blood by killing him. That’s the only arc that sees any resolution, as everything else is introduced, set up, and then dropped to be developed in that follow-up that we may or may never see, and certainly won’t for at least two years, if not more.

 

I think this was a mistake. It leaves the film ending on a whimper.

 

I’m not saying there needed to be some massive climactic battle or whatever, but the ending as is feels arbitrary, like what we saw was a two-and-a-half-hour trailer to a more interesting and engaging epic, or an extended pilot pitch for an HBO MAX series. Maybe if the marketing was honest about this from the start, I would feel better about it, but I could sense a lot of people in the packed theater (packed as it could be given current COVID restrictions in Sweden) feeling jibbed by the end result.

 

Is what’s there good despite that? Well, it’s visually spectacular (when Greig Fraser’s cinematography doesn’t make things too dark to see) and impressively cast, even if half the cast ends up woefully underused due to the film’s story structure (Zendaya’s Chani has more screentime in Paul’s visions than she does in physical form, and I already struggle to remember if Dave Bautista did anything), but at times it does get kinda boring with how some parts are dragged out. Lady Jessica remains a vehicle for exposition despite Ferguson’s best attempts to infuse the character with motherly love and wisdom, which is a bit disappointing, but everyone else are fine, at least. Chalamet is the star of the show, and I find it interesting that they’re already hinting at the darker turn his character’s messiah role takes in the sequel books, so the future does look brighter, even if, like I said earlier, it’s a huge question mark.

 

Dune’s ambition is commendable in the end, and I’m glad I saw it, but I walk out with major reservations I’m not sure I can look past, and that’s what leads me to give the grade that I do. Perhaps if the sequels get made, I can look at this film as one piece of a much better whole, but as of right now, it is just one piece, and not a particularly fulfilling one at that.

 

But at least it’s far superior to the David Lynch version already.

 

3/5

[IndustriousAngel]

9/10, A

Excellent adaption of a difficult book. It's true that some aspects might have been better served in the form of a tv series but within the limited timeframe of a theatrical release, you couldn't really wish for a better result. Designs are excellent, acting is ok, the soundtrack (with focus on percussion as usual) fitting and the action sequences well done. I really loved the way they presented the sandworms!

The limited time leads to some rushed developments; I'd loved to spend more time with Halleck, Hawat, Yueh or Idaho - after all, Dune is (among other things) a coming-of-age story, and those are very important persons for young Paul, maybe more important than his parents. The same goes for Dune's desert ecology and the cultural idiosyncrasies which get less screentime than I had hoped (but then, you'd have a 3-4h movie ...)

[Noctis]

Just left the film. 

 

It's visually gorgeous, the cinematographer really outdid himself with some of the shots that involved the Bene Gesserits and the women. The score is great, and the production design is near flawless. 

 

As for the story...I would confidently say it begins much better than it ends. The first hour and fifteen minutes had a lot of mystery and intrigue with strong world building, and maintains that grip until

 

Paul and Jessica fall from the plane.

The next hour there is a big problem in pacing where everything slows down too much and is unable to command the audience's attention nearly as much.

 

I think the first 75 minutes are great and would have given this film an A, but with the last half, I would give it a B/B+.

[BoxOfficeZ]

Gave it some thought over the past week after seeing it and after my initial reaction. Collection of random book/movie comparisons. 

Comparison with the book is tough though since the movie tries to be as dialogue minimalistic as possible while going for the experience. The book itself has lots of internal thinking going on at the same time as rich political dialogue going back and forth so it was never going to be a straight forward adaption. The movie doesn't really explain properly why so much of the fighting is done with knives and swords in a world full of firearms and bombs (were atomics ever mentioned?). Nothing on Mentats. Also I wish it went more into the ecology of the world. Of course as @IndustriousAngelbrings up this would lead into a 3-4 hour movie, but now it has me more wondering if they should have gone for a trilogy instead for a two parter. Gurney never got to sing sigh. 

 

It's definitely a movie made for biggest screen possible. Everyone was good in it, especially Ferguson and Chalamet. Skarsgard you could tell had fun hamming it up as the Baron (though the movie definitely misses out on his political side). The sand worms were glorious. Especially the way they moved through the desert like an ocean (deliberately done out of love for the book too). Movie wise I do feel like they barely settled in at Arrakis before the attack happened and I felt like it needed slightly more buildup. 

 

The ending choice to leave it there seems strange definitely the more I think about it. Another thing is it will only pay off though if there's a second part.

[Plain Old Tele]

I greatly enjoyed it but the ending is deflating if for no other reason than the second part isn’t even greenlit, let alone in production. If DUNE PART 2 was already slated for an Oct/holiday release next year, it’d sit with me better. As it stands right now, it feels incomplete. 
 

Very few quibbles other than that, except of course to say there’s lots of stuff I’d like to see more or (or that was cut entirely). But what’s there on screen is pretty much great and the tech aspects are sensational. 
 

I’m not sure how it’ll play for the uninitiated — I think they’ll like most of it but it does end on a quieter, more leisurely note and I don’t know how they’ll feel about that. (It’s much better than the non-endings in MATRIX RELOADED and DH1, but those also had the benefit of the conclusion already being lined up for release).

 

The sooner WB greenlights PART 2, the better. 

[charlie Jatinder]

6/10

 

Great visually, rest all is pretty basic.

Edited October 17, 2021 by charlie Jatinder

[Newbie]

Visually the film is truly beautiful from scenery and cinematography to set, costumes and props.  And I really enjoyed the first 1/4 of the film, but story wise, it really pains me to say I actually think the sci-fi miniseries so far story wise is the better telling of the story.

This isn't specifically a knock against this film.  You can adapt a short book, like Pride and Prejudice and to date its best telling has been the BBC  6 hour miniseries (8 hours of tv time), and that's a short book.  Dune is complex a richly detail good sized book.  You could easily adapt it and have material for 13 - 15 tv episodes.  Thank how much the time they used to tell the story of the 1st book of the Expanse (a far less dense or rich story), and that took 15 episodes.

After the first 1/4 the pace of the story just takes off, and not in the good way.   

It's still a good film, but it suffers when judging it as a good adaptation.  My spouse whose never read the books or seen any adaptions of the material, liked it, but just liked it.  He doesn't know if he would be interested to see the next part.  As in his words, he doesn't really feel a connection to the characters so far involved.  

interestingly enough both of us said, this should have really been a prestige streaming show.  Loose production value, but give yourself time to get into the world being created for you.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Newbie

[Finnick]

Other than the visuals.  This movie has done nothing to me. I was surprised it is just part1!!

After all the hype about how Villeneuve directed the movie. It felt just an average big sceen movie for me. Another forgettable experience. B/B-

[titanic2187]

Honestly this feel like the weakest film for Denis and some parts feel unnecessary slow and dark. Also, perhaps the lack of experience in making a series, the movie ended in a quite awkward note. The third act is a step down from  the feel great moment that built up to the thirds act, likely due to the lack of hook factor. In LOTR1 where we know merry & Pippin were captured and their fate are still uncertain.  HG2 ending let us the District 12 is gone and Peter are captured but Dune story is kind of left me cool without building up the next thread properly.

 

I like to see more movies about Dune, it is very interesting world that I hope to see this become a decade-defining franchise instead of some passable franchise like Maze Runner.

 

 

[Jake Gittes]

On 10/2/2021 at 3:32 PM, BoxOfficeZ said:

The book itself has lots of internal thinking going on at the same time as rich political dialogue going back and forth so it was never going to be a straight forward adaption.

This is really the main underlying issue with the film and the biggest reason the novel is hard to adapt properly, I feel. The characters' extreme internal self-awareness and self-control is an essential part of the narrative yet one that's hard if not impossible to translate onscreen properly, the "mental voiceover" in the 1984 film is not ideal but at least it was an attempt. Villeneuve just ditches it, and leaving only the surface action and imposing a heavy and portentous tone on every scene (the only way he knows how to make movies) doesn't adequately compensate once we're left with just Paul and Jessica in the desert. The novel transitions quite smoothly due to making everything part of a single internal journey whereas the movie anticlimactically goes from an eventful ensemble epic to Chalamet brooding and looking at his feet in some drab caves while grave-looking people whisper about whether or not he is The Chosen One. 

 

All that's not to say I disliked this. I dug the immensity of it all, Skarsgard's horror-inflected scenes (Villeneuve should really be making horror or horror-adjacent movies), Zimmer's score before it grew repetitive and started incorporating generic "exotic" wailing straight out of a post-9/11 Middle East-set Hollywood movie. Everyone in the cast is at home in their roles, even if there isn't any performance as memorable as those of, say, Dean Stockwell or Everett McGill in the '84 film. (For all the time gained by splitting the book, Yueh is one character who really gets short shrift in this.) It kept my attention, if only because Hollywood movies with this level of scale and technical craft really shouldn't be such a rarity, but as soon as I walked out of the theater I realized it wasn't gonna stay with me.

[charlie Jatinder]

82% like ratio so far. Average score 7/10. 

[Menor the Destroyer]

Overall, I found this to be pretty enjoyable.

 

What I liked:

 

Visuals were great and immersive, on the big screen it felt like something truly epic.

 

I thought the worldbuilding was done as well as can be expected in movie form. Obviously much was cut out from the book but it still felt very authentic. 

 

Chalamet was very good as Paul, also really liked Oscar Isaac as Leto and Momoa as Duncan Idaho. Bautista really looks the part as Rabban. 

 

Overall, I was invested in the story without having to fall back on my investment from the book, which was good. 

 

What I didn't like:

 

The score was really bad. Zimmer just did the WHAM BAM thing all the time and hardly ever let a scene breathe. I really hate this style of film score and don't understand why it's become so popular. 

 

I felt like, while simplification was inevitable, there was some oversimplification from the book. I would have liked to see the element where the Harkonnens tried to make Jessica look like a traitor. In general I felt like the political intrigue elements were underdeveloped, though I understand that it's risky to go too heavy on such things in a blockbuster intended to attract a wide audience. 

 

I felt like Jessica's character was made too emotional, while Gurney was made too cold. Hawat was barely in the movie which was disappointing. Would have preferred a bit of exposition on Mentats in general. 

 

 

The ending was a bit abrupt but I didn't really see a better way to do it, they at least cut it off in a way that feels like a major point in Paul's arc. 

 

 

Overall: A/A- (still deciding)

Edited October 22, 2021 by Menor

[WrathOfHan]

I want more blockbusters without a 3 act structure. 9/10

[Cap]

 

 

[Rorschach]

With a heavy heart, I'm sad to report that my most anticipated film of the year is also possibly the most disappointing film of the year so far. To be transparent, this is not a bad film by any means. In fact, from a technical standpoint, the visuals here are completely on point. But the story underneath all that perfect technical sheen was... incredibly underwhelming and far from perfect. 

 

Hell, it's hard to even call it a "story" when it's literally not even complete. I think a lot of how I feel about this film in the future is going to be dependent on how well the follow-up film that adapts the last half of the novel is able to tie everything together. As is, the story just ends without much of a proper conclusion. I guess I sorta understand Villeneuve's intention with the film's "climax", in regards to Paul's character arc, but even then, it just feels half-formed at best. Most of the film's attempts at bringing out the feels in its viewers just ring emotionally hollow to this viewer. Perhaps the only portion of the film where I felt some semblance of an emotional reaction was a scene involving Duncan Idaho in the latter half of the film that succeeded in getting my blood pumping. Other than that though, almost everything else fell completely flat for me.

 

With all that said, there's still a lot to admire here. Technically, this film is a marvel to look at, and, as an audiovisual experience, the sound design does succeed in enriching the experience. Quite a few of the film's stacked ensemble cast stand out – Ferguson and Momoa, in particular. The latter actor easily stands out as my favorite performance, and, as mentioned, provides probably the most emotionally powerful moment in the film. 

 

In the end, most of those factors stand out enough to leave somewhat of a positive taste in my mouth. But I only give it the slight benefit of the doubt that the 2nd part delivers in rounding out the full experience of the story. Until then, though, judging it as its own stand-alone effort, Dune barely gets by as a functional, well-rounded narrative, and serves as a bit of a cautionary example of how not to adapt dense source material like this for the big screen.

 

3/5

[MOVIEGUY]

This... felt like half of a really cool movie. I haven't read the book and am not familiar with the story at all, and as of now without a second half it's hard to even recommend this movie to anyone in the same boat, it just feels incomplete and underwhelming.

 

Also I went to the bathroom twice, did they explain what happened to Josh Brolin's character or was that left ambiguous? Also I don't get exactly HOW "spice" is the key to their society, and I was waiting for that explanation the entire movie. Wtf do they do with it? Smoke it? Snort it? What the hell is it?

[Sano]

I'll just post my review from the other thread:

 

It's a hard film to unpack. Personally I felt like they kept too many plotlines from the book, which prevented some of them from being given air to breathe. I also understand now how there's been opposing views on the pacing. First half is mostly exposition with many events happening in quick succession, while in the second half the scenes grow significantly longer and focus much more on the characters. Watching it, especially the first half, I felt it was somewhat disjointed. Probably lots and lots of scenes on the cutting room floor, which is a shame because there was a real hint of greatness there and the actors did a great job when they had something to work with. However that did not prevent me from getting emotionally attached to the characters, and I disagree with a few critics who thought the movie was lacking emotional depth. It's dripping with it feeling. The movie has a very ethereal vibe and I really dig that, and a few scenes, that I wont spoil, really hit home emotionally for me.

Obviously, the visuals were phenomenal. There were a few times I got goosebumps and I think I even audibly went "wow" as well. I don't think I've ever done that before, it was beautiful. The overall presentation of the movie was very creative as well, it's definitely different. I was worried about the score, but I enjoyed most of it, with one of two exceptions when the exaggerated wailing got borderline cringe. Same with a few short scenes that I felt could have been left out.

By the end, I felt like they did manage to make the film feel cohesive and I really liked were it ended as well. I went with a friend of mine and she knew nothing of Dune, nor sci-fi really, and she liked it a lot. I've had some scenes lingering in my mind that I can't wait to revisit and I kinda want to see the movie again already as I think I'll enjoy it even more on a second viewing.

All in all I would rate it a 7,5/10. I still loved most of it and want to see it again.

TLDR:
Ethereal and beautiful movie with a strong visceral soundtrack and powerful emotional scenes, that feels somewhat disjointed and tries to balance perhaps too many plotlines.

[Morieris]

18 hours ago, MOVIEGUY said:

Also I went to the bathroom twice, did they explain what happened to Josh Brolin's character or was that left ambiguous?

 

So it wasn't just me going "Well where'd he go?"

 

 

Besides the "ending", I was super engrossed in this world, set up, and piecing things together as someone who never read the book (and tried to get through a podcast outlining it but didn't get far).

 

It wasn't going to be anything but beautiful and well acted, but I was surprised how quickly I grew to like these characters, and interested in them. I was more impressed with Chalamet doing things than his subtleties. I didn't think he had it in him.

 

I don't know what happens next, but I don't feel as interested in it. I admit that's from what I expect to happen, and not what the story actually is. Either way, I'm almost curious enough to read the book.

Edited October 24, 2021 by Morieris

[John Marston]

Lol at the hype saying this was the next Lord of the Rings. Not even close 

 

 

solid movie but feels like a long trailer in the end