“My planet Arrakis is so beautiful when the sun is low,” a woman’s voice murmured. Sand and spice, a psychedelic drug and intergalactic travel aid fill the screen. The sun is setting. Despite the beauty of the scene, the viewer can sense danger hanging thick in the air. No matter where the viewer is watching, they’re totally and completely immersed in the gold and beige planet of Arrakis. “Dune” is encompassing, confusing and, some viewers complained, incomplete. “With plans to continue the story into a second movie, Villeneuve starts spinning his wheels in the sand about halfway to his sandwormy destination,” John Anderson said. Denis Villeneuve’s masterpiece is so immersive that one needs a Fremen stillsuit to watch it — and a filter so the Arrakis sand doesn’t get in their nose.
The epic book-to-screen adaptation only tells the first two-thirds of the plot of the “Dune” book, glazing over some points to simplify the dense novel for viewers. However, sometimes, it felt like moviegoers were supposed to come in with prior knowledge. The film is filled with complicated names and subplots, and viewers jump into it without formal introductions. “Dune” isn’t going to hold your hand and give you a character list; it doesn’t have time.
The film follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a young man in line to take his father’s place as Duke of House Atreides. Paul is the son of Leto Atreides (Oscar Issac) and Lady Jessica of the Bene Gesserit (Rebecca Ferguson), making him heir to two birthrights. The Bene Gesserit are a mysterious all-women coalition who are feared for their premonition and hypnotizing abilities in the “Dune” universe. In prophecy, a Bene Gesserit woman such as Paul’s mother, is fated to birth Lisan al-gaib, or the messiah. “Dune” slots Paul as the messiah, who is supposed to lead the people of Arrakis to true freedom. When Paul arrives in Arrakis, he begins experiencing visions and premonitions like the messiah is believed to.
While Paul is coming into his role of messiah, his father Leto deals with the more political problems of the Atreides relocation to Arrakis. House Atreides is sent from their home planet, Caladan, to occupy Arrakis in the absence of the Harkonnens, the former colonizers of the planet. Arrakis is home to an element called spice, which the Arrakis natives, the Fremen, use as a medicine and a hallucinogen. Spice can also be used to navigate inner-space travel, which makes it a very valuable resource. House Atreides is sent to control spice production, but when the Harkonnens want control of Arrakis back, trouble ensues.
Chani (Zendaya Coleman) was marketed as one of the main faces of “Dune,” despite her 7 minutes of screentime. Chani is a Freman, native to Arrakis, and frequently appeared in Paul’s visions of Arrakis and the future. Although Coleman seems perfect for the role of Chani on paper, she didn’t blend into the role as seamlessly as expected. Her presence in the movie was jarring, maybe because she’s such a pop-culture icon, but it didn’t feel natural. Her lacking screen time left her character underdeveloped.
Chalamet had his highs and lows as Paul. He was more of a messiah than a duke, and some of his fighting scenes were gawky and clunky. He’s convincingly young and immature, playing up Paul’s teenage angst, and taps into the spiritual side of his role with grace. Some of Paul’s visions aren’t fulfilled within the first movie, and many viewers found that unsatisfying. His superhuman connection with spice and Arrakis is very convincing, making him a magnetic protagonist.
The aesthetics of Dune, from costume design to color palette, give the movie a timeless look. The Fremen wear stillsuits, which conserve water and help them breathe, and feature the iconic nasal tube seen in Dune’s ad campaigns. The suits come in muted colors to match the earthy tones of the movie’s palette. The dusty desert scenes, which take up the majority of the third act of the movie, are filmed in a mix of places like Jordan, Budapest and Abu Dhabi. “Dune” commits to its neutral color palette with great success. One might think a beige and brown palette would get boring, but the interspersion of sun flares and golden light keeps it interesting. Action scenes seem to pop against the desert background — and, when sand flies against the desert sky during fights, it looks almost magical.
Villeneuve directed this 2021 adaptation of “Dune,” while Hans Zimmer composed the haunting soundtrack. The film is filled with soaring synths, angelic opera singing and a score that’s more than memorable. It sets the tone for the alien feel of Arrakis, a place that looks so familiar and so foreign at the same time. When Paul and Jessica are fleeing a sandworm and Zimmer’s theme fills your ears, you truly experience the height of “Dune.”
Whether you’re a die-hard science fiction fan or a Chalamet stan, “Dune” is a must-see movie for 2021. It has something for everyone, and, although intimidating, the two-and-a-half-hour run time flies by. In the end, you might even be wishing there was more to watch. And there is! The second movie in the “Dune” series was just green-lighted by Warner Brothers.
