Sound and visuals that will emblazon upon the memory for a lifetime.
Denis Villeneuve presents this lavish sci-fi tale of a bold and predestined young man, a hideous autocrat villain, and a race against time to secure a foothold on the most valuable planet in the cosmos.
The Spice-laden planet of Arrakis is to be put under control of House Atreides by orders from above. Brooding heir to the House Atreides, Paul, played by Timothée Chalamet, has startling visions of future events. Of the desert planet of Arrakis. Of the universally-sought and coveted Spice, and of a girl with piercing glowing blue eyes.
But the vulgar and ugly elite of the House Harkonnen, led by Baron Vladimir, played by Stellan Skarsgård, seek to wrench Arrakis into their grasp through a series of explosive strikes on the newly-gathered Atreides forces.
Following this betrayal, Paul is cast out into the desert with his mother (Rebecca Ferguson) and has to prove his worth to the ‘Fremen’, the nomadic people whose aeons-old wisdom of survival techniques makes them at one with the desert, and who have been scheduled for extermination by the Harkonnens. The Fremen are paramount to Paul’s mission and he is heralded as the messiah to whom the Fremen prophesise will restore the balance to their people.
The beautifully written protagonists are pulled off without a hint of stuffiness, despite their royal blood – Timothée Chalamet is cast particularly well as an enigmatic young man tormented by his destiny, yet these emotions are stymied without a hint of angst that could leave the film feeling clichéd.
The first of a two part epic, this film is so elegantly conjures up the totally abstract sight of a planet completely barren of greenery but brimming with mystery, and the hidden depths of a courageous, and untouched, soul.
With lush sound and cinematography it is built for cinema and amongst the cutting-edge soundtrack (the music, by Hans Zimmer, is startlingly good) you will be entranced by the effortless strains that evoke the desolation of the planet Arrakis and haunting whispers that Paul hears in his unnerving (psycho-active) quest to fulfil his destiny. It is truly a magnificent and hypnotic score of extreme proportions.
The grace and elegance of this film and for example, the downright imposing scene where the higher echelons of the House Atreides meet the stewards of Arrakis, make this an action epic with so many dimensions, and a serious heart that takes on demanding subject matter gorgeously, from the thrilling action sequences to the tender familial and friendship bonds.
A few words that describe the movie are destiny, prophecy, treason, betrayal and tyranny, and this is just the start. A flawless, well-told movie with great acting, vivid realisation of plot detail and an impact that will set the bar for decades to come.
Comparisons to other science fiction films (that shall remained unnamed) will come back daunted by this heavy-moving wad of action and surreal concept design that raises questions about drug trade, profiteering and hierarchy structures between kingdoms that we all, inside, catch ourselves wondering about. Indeed this is as much as a meta-physical statement as well as a piece of art. A near-dream experience.
Go to Dune, you might just want to stay there.