Dune

Dune

By James Davidson

“Dune” is the newest screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic science fiction novel of the same name. It follows Paul Atreides, (played by Timothee Chalamet) the son of Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), the leader of the Atreides family. The Atreides family is sent to take over the planet Arrakis, the universe’s only supplier of the rare and expensive spice melange. The Atreides are taking over Arrakis from the family Harkonnen, who have ruled Arrakis with an iron fist for centuries. The Harkonnens have set a trap for the Atreides’ in order to keep control of the planet and its resources. After the trap is sprung, Paul must join with the planet’s mysterious natives, the Fremen, to fight the Harkonnen invaders and fulfill an ancient prophecy.

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of classic science fiction, I have read Herbert’s novel a few times as well as seen the 1984 film that was made. I was excited to see this iteration of the book. I was concerned with how the movie would tackle the enormous cast and extremely intricate plot without dragging the film out and making it too dull.

I did find that the film struggled to keep up with the vast amount of characters and extreme intricacy of the plot. While I think the filmmakers did the best that they could, I think that the film became a little bogged down with exposition. It was a bit hard to keep up with the characters and what was going on, especially if you are unfamiliar with the story or the novel. There is a lot going on in this story and it is easy to get lost.

While the movie struggled to keep up with the plot, it was beautifully shot. The visuals of Arrakis were simply stunning and the famous sand worms were incredibly created. Arrakis is a desert planet and the filmmakers did an excellent job showing the beauty and wonder described in the novel. The sand worms are an iconic part of Dune lore and were well represented in the film. While the sand worms and the desert scenes used a lot of CGI, it was well done and didn’t look fake in any way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, although it did drag on a bit. I can see how someone who isn’t familiar with the story or the novel might have a hard time following the plot. I personally enjoyed the intricacy of the plot an how it was interwoven with many twists and turns. This film only covered half of the story and a sequel is supposed to come out to finish the story. I think the second film will be much better since all of the world building was done in this film.

This movie is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material. There is hardly any language or adult content in this movie, however the plot is mature and would be hard for young children to follow. This movie would be great for a night out with friends.

“Dune” is a beautiful science fiction film with an extremely complex plot that can get a bit convoluted at times. I thoroughly enjoyed the film as a fan of the original book, however if you have never read the book or seen the original movie, it might be a bit hard to follow at times. I highly recommend this movie for any Dune fans, and if you aren’t a Dune fan, I definitely recommend you pick up the novel before you watch this film. This movie earns 4 out of 5 stars.