Dune is a project born out of passion and fan love that appeared in Denis Villeneuve when he read a novel by Frank Herbert as a child. In order to pay tribute to the literary original, he decided to divide the first book into two productions. And that was a bull's eye, as the movie provides a brilliant, epic introduction to an even more epic adventure to come. Let's make it clear right away - this is not production for everyone. If you are unfamiliar with the novel, and you are a fan of the spectacular, action-packed sci-fi in which something is happening all the time, Duna may not be for you. However, it is worth giving her a chance. I guarantee that once you enter this world, you will not want to leave it. With the pace and structure of the narrative, Dune reminds me very much of the director's previous film, Blade Runner 2049. He is also painstakingly leading the plot, introducing individual characters and, above all, presenting the world in which the characters must move.
For some, this may be a downside. For me, this is a huge plus, because the Canadian creator takes care of every detail of the story to be able to present it to the viewer and not miss anything from the rich Dune universe. Although I do not hide, for me (as a fan of the books in the series) the ecological aspect that was heavily exposed in the first novel is missing. In the film, it is actually mentioned in two short scenes when Paul is talking to one of the servants by the palm trees and when Liet hides the main character and his mother in an old station that was supposed to extract water from the underworld. The flourishing of the planet and turning it into a paradise is a very important thread in the entire history, and in production it is poorly outlined. On the other hand, Villeneuve portrayed all intrigues and political squabbles very efficiently. It reminded me of a behind-the-scenes game of Game of Thrones. The director solved everything very nicely in short dialogue sequences that take place in closed rooms, which further increased the aura of mystery. In this case, the Harkonnen are in the lead, whose behind-the-scenes manipulations aimed at leading to the attack were great to watch. Each scene built up a lot of tension.
Villeneuve perfectly introduces the viewer to the world of Dune. It will be a lot of fun for people who did not have a literary original in their hands, but even I, who knew the novel, felt great, rediscovering this universe. The director focuses on the details of the environment in which the characters reside. So we have a scene in which the operation of the filtrrak is described, the outfit that is supposed to help survive in the desert, or the sequence explaining the meaning of the crocodile for the Fremen. For Villeneuve, even the smallest object in production becomes a tool to weave the entire narrative around it, to deepen the presented world and push the action forward.
Several fantastically realized scenes deserve praise. You should start with the first meeting of the heroes with the brood in the desert. This sequence wins not just by the effects or by the sight of a huge worm, but by a masterful way of grading the tension. People's screams, a blizzard in the sand or vibrations on the surface of the desert - all this increased the terror. A brilliant combination of special effects specialists with the director's vision! The sight of the worm eating the machine perfectly harmonized with all the things that were happening before the climax. Although I must admit that the second encounter with the desert monster was not so exciting. We see it then in its full splendor, which is not so impressive anymore.
Another sequence that is very memorable is the coup of the combined Harkonnen forces and the Emperor's forces. The director is great at building the moment of "silence before the storm" with short shots. We have Let looking through the holes in his headquarters, or a nervous soldier waking Gurney. When an attack takes place, we jump between its various elements very efficiently. So we have an interesting battle of Atreides warriors with enemy troops on the stairs, Duncan dealing with enemies on his own or Gurney and his squad fighting on the landing plate amidst the fire from exploding ships. It all runs very smoothly and everyone gets their own five minutes. Even though the sequence is kept in the dark, you can see it all perfectly. There is no such thing that we suddenly miss something, because the darkness of the night is acting against the scene. I would even say that it adds strength and awe to the bestiality with which the attack is carried out.
In addition, the movie contains some really interesting fight sequences. They are realized subtly, there are rather no extinctions on the level of John Wick. Everything has been kept in a strict, realistic tone. The fights are extremely intimate, they take place in small spaces. They have their own unique atmosphere. You just want to watch them! The first is the Paul and Gurney training scene. We have a minimal amount of special effects, but otherwise it's a really well-done, very dynamic fight scene in which the heroes have a well-written dialogue, nibbling on each other. Other sequences are Duncan Idaho's skirmishes with the enemy forces of the Sardaukar, the Emperor's death squads. In them you can feel the animal brutality of Idaho combined with great agility and smoothness of movements. You can see that Jason Momoa must have spent a lot of time training for these scenes. The last fight sequence is the one with Paul and Jamis at the end of the movie. It would seem that it is boring, composed of several repeated movements of the same kind. However, the scene perfectly shows how you can easily build an intimate, addictive and tense skirmish that ends in a dramatic and emotional moment when Jamis dies at the hands of the main character.
Visually, Villeneuve's film is a real gem. Pictures for production should even be in the cast tab, they play such an important role in the show. Cinematographer Greig Fraser draws the viewer into his world. The beautiful grassy hills of Caladan, the sandy regions of Arrakis, and the dark landscape of the Harkonnen homes - it all becomes palpable. Especially the Dune desert was very impressive. Villeneuve insisted on filming it outdoors, and that was a brilliant trick. The viewer can simply feel the power and power that flows from the environment of Arrakis. If I had to choose one shot or scene that impressed me the most visually, then ... I simply wouldn't be able to do so in the world. Each frame is polished to the limit and is breathtaking. Villeneuve's production is a real wallpaper generator. It also makes Duuna best viewed on the largest screen possible, because even the best TV set will not reflect the uniqueness of these images.
In fact, Dune is a story about a family and the creators spend most of their time on it - specifically Paul, Leto and Jessica. Timothée Chalamet as young Atryda is toned down. He doesn't have to scream to convey his emotions or threaten to reveal the strength that lies within him. The actor excellently communicates all the ills of his protagonist with subdued means. The scene is fantastic when Paul has a vision of the future in which he becomes the Dune Messiah. This shows how fantastically Chalamet can switch from calm to more angry tones. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica is a big surprise for me. I did not expect the creators to show it in a slightly different light than in the novel. It's great to watch her actions as a warrior. The character is not afraid to use strength and Voice skills against enemies. Ferguson brilliantly combines her great delicacy with brutality and violence, her duty to her family with serving the Bene Gesserit. Jessica's relationship with Paul is one of the best things about the production. There is a lot of love and care in it, but also both are a perfect complement to each other. Oscar Isaac - despite the fact that his character dies during the screening - has a really great role. Leto in his performance is a wonderful combination of extremes. On the one hand, a father and husband who will do anything for his family, on the other, a cold strategist and leader. The scene of his death, when he tries to poison the Baron, is a real masterpiece of grading the tension. All three of them are good at relations with each other and have great solo threads.
Dune is a fantastic show with epic momentum. Denis Villeneuve showed us a really rich world, introduced great heroes and outlined an interesting plot. I'm already looking forward to the second installment with so much more going on.
