Dune (2021) Review
Dune was originally published as a novel in 1965 and written by Frank Herbert. In the 50+ years since it was written it has become a hugely popular work of science-fiction. It was turned into an incredibly divisive 1980’s film, a mini-series or two around the year 2000, and spawned a slew of sequels that are still hotly debated to this day.
I went into Dune with none of that context. All I know is my dad really liked the book because he’s a big, ol’ nerd. And as a complete outsider to the story, I must say that the Dune movie did a great job of inviting me into the story and making me care about the world and the people in it. It would have been very easy to lose me with words like “Bene Gesserit” and “Kwisatz Haderach,” and space dukes and barons, and people saying the word “spice” like it’s mysterious and dreadful. But I felt like I picked up the lingo of the movie fairly quickly and once I did, I was along for a hell of a ride.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the visuals and sounds of Dune since I walked out of the theater. I had an impulse to say that it looked and sounded like nothing else, because that’s what you’re supposed to say about really good sci-fi, but it’s not quite the truth. The space ships and planetary shots are very cool, but it does look like other things out there, and the soundtrack does rely on stereotypical “middle-east-y” music when in the desert and weird, blaring scare chords that you see in a lot of stuff these days. What I will say, though, is this is a movie where every visual you see feels like a lot of time and thought have gone into them. The space uniforms, the look of the ships and people, the architecture of the buildings, all of them are futuristic and alien, sure, but they also tell a story. The good guys’ armor looks like space-age medieval plate armor. The bad guy armor looks more tactical, sterile, and drab. Creepy details are carefully constructed to be as unsettling as possible. Heroic moments look like paintings.
And, yeah, the movie also has a few special effects that are so distinct from other sci-fi that it feels fresh and exciting.
But look at me, going on. What about the story? Well, Paul Atreides, the son of a duke and a space witch, is having visions of a planet that his father is about to be given control of: Arrakis, or Dune, if you prefer. The former owner of the planet doesn’t love that, and the indigenous people of the planet would love to stop being owned altogether. But somewhere at the top, an emperor is making plans, and those plans say that the Atreides’ family own Arrakis now, as long as they can keep mining space oil, I mean, Spice. Intrigue, battle, and discovery ensue.
And it’s fun! The heroes are admirable, the villains are despicable, and the people of Arrakis, the space witches and natives of Arrakis are wonderful outsiders who drive your curiosity. The actors are phenomenal. I don’t have a complaint about anyone I saw on screen.
I would say that my biggest critique is simply this: I think the movie needed a little more time. Which is crazy to say about a two-and-a-half hour long movie, but I mean it. I think there was room to learn a little more about Paul and his world, and doing so would have helped the audience understand exactly who Paul was at the beginning of the film and how much he has changed by the end. I hope that there’s an extended cut out there somewhere that can fill in those gaps and make the whole thing fit together.
That said, I really enjoyed Dune, and I’m very optimistic about the proposed sequel. I give it 4.5 mysterious visions out 5. It’s on HBOMax, but I recommend seeing this on the biggest screen you can find.