Dune is clearly the first half of a two-part story, but the set-up works as an IMAX-worthy visual marvel despite some hiccups, pacing issues and nitpicks.
Offering a genuine sense of towering visual majesty and a solemn reverence usually reserved for Zack Snyder-directed Superman flicks and/or Gareth Evans-helmed Godzilla movies, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is a towering achievement, emphasis on “towering.” The film emphasizes, above all else, scale and how its human characters compare in stature to the giant machines, behemoth sandworms, opulent palaces and unforgiving desert terrain. Without getting into the socioeconomic issues of theatrical access during a global pandemic, the film absolutely deserves to be seen on as big a screen as possible, ideally sitting as close to the screen as comfortable. Beyond its grandeur, it works more often than not even as it struggles to differentiate itself from the decades of sci-fi/fantasy Chosen One stories that followed in Frank Herbert’s footsteps. Those relishing an adaptation of Dune will get what they desire. For casual viewers, at least it doesn’t require homework.
Unlike the David Lynch-directed adaptation from 1984, this new variation doesn’t depend on copious verbal exposition to “explain” its far-in-the-future space opera. To be fair, it has the advantage of existing after the likes of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Avatar and Game of Thrones found pop culture success treading in similar waters. Much of what transpires will be familiar to those well-versed in modern fantasy, yet less heavy lifting is required in terms of the core narrative. Viewers may not need their hand held amid its story of a young prince of privilege struggling with shifting expectations amid a brewing civil war between royal factions. They’ll remember variations on these well-worn tropes from elsewhere. Moreover, Villeneuve’s palette is comparatively minimalist, offering hugely detailed vehicles and sets but not necessarily obsessing on the nuts-and-bolts of every gadget, gizmo or broad concept, instead emphasizing how the characters react.
The cast is a murderer’s row of recognizable character actors. The good news is that everyone here is excellent. Rebecca Ferguson offering steely support as Paul’s mother and a key figure in a major religious sect which hopes Paul may be a chosen one. Oscar Isaac gives a warm and empathetic turn as Paul’s dad who is the current leader of their respective faction trying to be decent amid indecent circumstances. However, most of these folks, including Timothée Chalamet’s Paul, play somewhat buttoned-down and reverent. Think the Star Wars prequels where everyone talked like Ben Kenobi or True Detective season 2 where everyone pontificated like Rusty Cole. Only Jason Momoa’s wonderfully named Duncan Idaho, a trainer and confident to our hero, offers a spark. That’s ironic since Aquaman also dealt with “reluctant Chosen One” myths amid Game of Thrones-style political backstabbing. Zendaya is but a cameo this time out.
The film is, like the novel, a metaphor for Western governments trampling over Middle Eastern nations in pursuit of the oil buried beneath the sand. The directness makes the fantastical storytelling easier to follow. The first hour sparks amid the Duke of Atreides being bestowed stewardship of the planet containing copious amounts of “spice,” a resource that powers vehicles and produces hallucinatory visions in humans. Spice is both a dessert topping and a floor wax. Isaacs makes the most of his attempts to rule this oft-oppressed land with a far-less iron fist than his bloodthirsty predecessors. His family knows that this new responsibility may not be about their best interests. The lack of MENA actors is an issue alongside the almost comedic examples of why race-blind casting is not the same as race-conscious casting. The novel’s deep thoughts on the White Savior/False Prophet tropes only matter if we get a sequel.
That’s a complicated conversation, one that goes to audiences being unwilling to “show up” for newer or original properties thus forcing Hollywood to try and make James Bond more progressive toward women or Tarzan more self-aware about colonialism. If audiences practiced what they preached, we wouldn’t need a Black Superman flick because everyone would show up for Static Shock or a Jon Stewart Green Lantern movie. Nonetheless, Dune does try to split the difference in terms of its casting and its storytelling, at least earning a point or two for telling a fantasy story rooted in racism where the victims (personified by Javier Bardem and Zendaya among others) aren’t the same skin color as the heroes and villains. Again, complicated conversations for another time. It’s also an irrelevant concern for those who just wanted to see a big Dune flick and for whom such issues won’t be deal breakers.
Paul is established as a decent person, one who risks his own life early on to save a random housemaid. Chalamet is fine, although the role doesn’t ask more of him than to brood mournfully and look stupidly good-looking in a black trench coat get-up. He’s got the “hot emo” thing down to a science, and this latest cinematic superhero isn’t remotely “ripped.” However, the biggest issue with the film is entirely structural. This is Dune part One. Dune could be no different than the countless failed one-and-done YA fantasy franchise-launchers, think Mortal Engines, Artemis Fowl, The Host and/or Warcraft, many of which spent most of their running time acting as a proverbial prequel to the sequel we never got. Moreover, the 155-minute movie peaks at the 95 minute mark, but then spends the next hour running in place because everything else has to be saved for the next film.
No spoilers, but a major status-quo shift occurs at the halfway mark. The immediate aftermath of that incident takes us into the third act where… almost nothing of consequence occurs. This isn’t unlike The Fellowship of the Ring, which sent Gandalf down a bottomless pit at the end of act two and then found our fellowship aimless and adrift until the action finale. However, Fellowship is a much better movie (with much less stiff-upper-lip emotional suppression) than Dune. Peter Jackson’s masterpiece is one we’re supposed to feel a jolt when major characters die violently and whose crowd-pleasing and terrifying action quickens the pulse and leads to in-the-moment character development. With a second film in doubt, there’s no excuse for an hour where almost no real storytelling occurs. With some pruning here and there and periodic Excalibur-style speed runs, we could have gotten a full Dune movie in about three hours.
It is difficult to “judge” Dune as a singular film. It is, more than even the likes of Avengers: Infinity War or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part I, the first half of a two-part narrative. The first 95 minutes work well enough before grinding to a halt for its final hour. That’s a near-unforgivable whiff considering what’s at stake. As a technical exercise, Dune delivers as promised, even if I wish the action were a little pulpier and the characters were a little livelier. The actors salvage some pretty dry characters, and the production design alone merits at least one theatrical viewing. Not unlike John Carter, this Dune adaptation cannot help but be compared to the films and shows which followed in its footsteps. Dune wants to be the next Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Culturally speaking, it’s arguably closer to the “next” The Golden Compass.
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October 16, 2021 at 02:15AM
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Review: 'Dune' Is Halfway Decent - Forbes
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