★★★★★ Watched 10 Dec, 2022

Finally a version worthy of the 1960s sci-fi classic book series by Frank Herbert about the control of planet Arrakis, known as Dune, the only place in the known universe that contains the life-extending drug needed for long space travel and enhancing humans’ mental abilities.

I will admit that my memory of David Lynch’s version from 1984 is a bit patchy. I did watch it with fascination a few times in my early teens, although it was not an easy watch like Star Wars, which was actually offered to Lynch (Return of the Jedi), but he passed on it and later accepted directing Dune. 15 years later I watched a mediocre TV miniseries and read the first three books, which got a bit dry and overly political for my taste. Perhaps the most enjoyable time in the Dune universe was spent in my late teens playing two video game adaptations, Dune and Dune II (both released in 1992). The latter became a granddaddy of the RTS genre that I enjoy to this day.

Being a fan of director Villeneuve’s previous movies (Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049), the modern interpretation of Dune did not disappoint. It pulled me in from the first scene, and I was completely engaged from start to finish.

It is always a joy to let yourself be taken on a journey, seeing how much thought and preparation went into every detail from preproduction, design, casting, execution, and meticulous postproduction, where VFX never call attention to themselves. Every actor, with no exception, was dedicated and fully present. Villeneuve gives them space to breathe, scenes to flow, and the camera to blend into the environment.

Not finding an obvious flaw (besides the fact the movie was split into two parts), I can say I was only slightly bothered by the fact that Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) should have scars after the incident, a gruesome scene that stayed fresh in my mind from Lynch’s version. That minor annoyance aside, it is hard to deny Villeneuve’s impeccable sense of aesthetics and eye for beautiful, breathtaking cinematic shots that remind me at times of the master of the sci-fi genre, Ridley Scott. Dune remains a visual feast and a true testament to the endurance of the source material. While the announced Dune: Awakening, an open-world MMO, looks interesting, I can’t wait for Dune: Part Two coming out next year!

Source: Letterboxd
Info: IMDb