Direction: Denis Villeneuve
Country: USA
Dune, the famous science-fiction novel by Frank Herbert is so complex to adapt to film that even Alejandro Jodorowsky gave up while David Lynch was incapable of taking it to a superior level in the 80s. But now, the Quebecois director Denis Villeneuve, whose experience in the sci-fi genre spawned admirable works such as Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), was able to mount a galvanizing adaptation of the book with the right dark tone, impressive tech details and unpretentiously efficient imagery.
Compellingly structured, the film entertains and intrigues with sober magic, ominous figures, prophecies and premonitory dreams, fierce battles and a systematic sense of danger that is enhanced by a superb orchestral score by Hans Zimmer, who turned down Christopher Nolan’s Tenet to compose for this one. The imagination of Villeneuve, who counted on the help of Eric Roth (Forrest Gump; Munich) and Jon Spaihts (Prometheus; Passengers) in the screenplay, benefited from a perfect casting and the laudably poised work of his visual effects team. Although the cast attacks their roles with matching intensity, Timothée Chalamet as the gifted Paul Atreides, and Rebecca Ferguson as his sect-member mother, deserve special mentions.
Wildly original and hauntingly familiar, this one is definitely less bizarre than Lynch’s version, finding room for amusing spectacle and profound intimacy alike.
This is the first of a two-part adaptation, and I’m already eager for the other half to arrive. If you love to dive in fantastic space odysseys and imaginary worlds, go for it because it’s all done with that harmonious balance proper of the great filmmakers.
