The 8 year old in me is always giddy with excitement when a new sci-fi flick hits movie theatres. Being transported to new worlds is something we don’t really experience as people day to day, which is why those space movie theatre adventures are so electric with anticipation. With that said, Dune is less a movie than a foundation layer. It setup up a giant scoped story arc that hopefully it gets a chance to pay off with later features. But we’re not just getting any appetizer: we’re getting the equivalent of one of those Olive Garden neverending salad and breadstick appetizers that completely satisfies the palate. When you’re in Arrakis, you’re family.
In the year 10,191, Arrakis is a planet home to a “spice” integral to space travel. So naturally, it’s a coveted prize for the royal families vying for power. Originally the Harkonnen family led by Baron Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgard) and his nephew Glossu (Dave Bautista) ruled over the planet and fought the Fremen (resistance fighters native to Arrakis). But the Emperor decrees Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) and his house to take over operations. Convenient, since Leto’s son, Paul (Timothee Chalamet), has been having dreams about a Fremen fighter (Zendaya) on Arrakis, which he puzzles over with the help of his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson).
Whew! Dune has a LOT of stuff going on. This “amuse-bouche” to the main plot needs most of its 2 1/2 hour runtime to get it all in there. The beginning is essentially plotless: it’s pretty much world building activities establishing the multitude of players in this crazy planet hopping game. Frank Herbert’s Dune is one of the great science fiction books ever written, so Director Denis Villneuve has to pull a Peter Jackson: he’s gotta satiate the die hards while also bringing in Dune newbies (like me!) and not bogging them down in overexplanation. Unfortunately Villneuve’s scope is WAY bigger than Jackson’s so that amazing succinct 7 minute LOTR intro is blown out into 45 Dune minutes of foundation for Villneuve’s vision. No time is wasted here: Villneuve sets up both the Harkonnen and Atreides families, their fights against one another for power, life on the planet Arrakis, Paul’s hero’s journey, Jessica’s strange um, gifts she passes onto him, and you know, finally, start the plot. In the book this is all done with inner monologue (which torpedoed David Lynch’s Dune adaptation), but Villneuve eschews obvious voiceover for laser focus in getting the essentials understood before Dune can start in earnest.
The minute we arrive on Arrakis, and Dune’s plot kicks in, that’s when the Villneuve magic really starts to pay off. Equally comfortable in desert and in space, Villneuve has an amazing eye for a stunning visual, of which he produces many on the desert planet Arrakis. The director can do it on a small scale (there’s a sneak attack cat and mouse game that makes your eyes dazzle) and big (there’s a siege that’s every bit as big as anything Michael Bay has done, but with more style and purpose), being still (the creepiest bath of all time), and in motion (the fight stuff is brand new). Along the way those Dune foundation pieces start to bear fruit in the form of fascinating characters and stories. Some standouts include Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as an Arrakis ecologist/consultant, and Jason Momoa as the amazingly named Duncan Idaho. And holding Dune’s story together is Timothee Chalamet’s Paul, on his journey from sheltered heir to sci-fi hero. His chemistry with Zendaya is TBD, but this first movie needs his relationship with Ferguson to work, and it most certainly does thanks to the pair’s acting and Villneuve’s streamlined but faithful focusing of Herbert’s source material.
Dune’s story is so beloved I hope Denis Villneuve gets a 2nd film to help finish what he started. He clearly loves this story, and has a proven track record of excellence. Plus, the die hard Dune fans probably don’t want to keep talking about a failed David Lynch movie as the best adaptation of their favorite book. Also, all the newbies are excited at..Timzaya? Zendamet? How will Tom Holland feel about that? Move over Spiderman, Paul Atreides is here for yo girl!