Denis Villeneuve has accomplished what was considered impossible for decades, to write and direct a faithful adaptation to the fantastic 1965 sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert. And I'm here to tell you, he has done it, he has actually done it.
I was introduced to the world of dune in 1992 by playing the video game DUNE released that year. The story completely captivated me, so i decided to read the book. And to this day, it's one of the best stories I've ever read. A tale absolutely grand in scale, and filled with details, making it really hard to adapt for the big screen, even today with all the technology we have at our disposal.
I saw the film made by David Lynch, a few years after i read the book, and about 10 years after it was released, and i didn't enjoy it much. The 1984 film completely fails at capturing the very essence of the novel, and feels shallow and unfocused.
One of the main differences with this movie and the 1984 movie, is that Villeneuve has only centered on the first half of the first novel. And with over two and a half hours runtime, he is able to concentrate more on the small details, than Lynch ever could. But on the flip side, this also means that this movie has no conclusion.
From reading the book, i know what comes next, i know how this story ends. But a lot of people watching this movie, especially those who haven't read the book, can obviously feel like they were watching a prologue to something great, that never happens. This is a very risky move by both Villeneuve and the production companies, because this can only work if part 2 is released to conclude the story. It's kind of how they did it with "the lord of the rings" trilogy.
But, still, without a conclusion, what a massive blast of a movie this is. I've seen it in IMAX twice already, and the grand scale of everything, the sandworms, the space ships, the ornithopters, the buildings, the sound effects, the soundtrack, the locations. It's epic in every meaning of the word. And all of this without losing track of the deep relationships between the characters. This is a movie that manages to perfectly blend massive awesomeness with true heartfelt emotions.
The actors are near perfectly cast, all carrying their roles really well, although i felt some of them didn't get enough screen time.
This movie does follow the book quite closely, but some things has been changed and/or left out to fit in a movie format, i must admit that during my second IMAX viewing, i felt that Villeneuve maybe should have adapted this as a mini series instead. But that would have dramatically changed the grand scale of everything, but on the other hand, he could've dived deeper into the lore. Two and a half hours to adapt half of the first novel, is cutting it real tight. And with all the stuff you are constantly being fed throughout this movie, it can become somewhat difficult to follow and understand it all.
But that being said, I had really high hopes for this film, i was one of those people hyped beyond belief. I've been waiting for this movie for about 30 years. And still, most of this movie is either as i imagined it myself, or better.
What Denis Villeneuve has accomplished here, is actually quite astonishing, he has actually made DUNE. It's finally here, it's gigantic, and close to everything i asked for.
The only big drawback, is as i mentioned, that this movie has no conclusion, it's two and a half hours of build-up to something great, that never happens, but it's still a huge epic packed with an awesome soundtrack, solid acting, fantastic CGI and sound effects and jaw dropping locations captured with brilliant cinematography. It's most definitively made for the big screen, absolutely no doubt about that.
Denis Villeneuve has once again shown us he's a force to be reckoned with, a brilliant filmmaker, and one of the best of his generation, even one of the best of all time.
I give this movie a 9 out of 10. We need part 2, we need it badly. This story deserves to be concluded. But if it never comes, i will just imagine the last half of the first novel with this movie as the template.
