Dune
So now we have yet another interpretation of the much-loved Dune, this time seen through the eyes of Denis Villeneuve who brought us Arrival & Blade Runner 2049. George Lucas was heavily influenced by Frank Herbert’s 1965 book when he wrote Star Wars. So, watching this sometimes feels like a remake of ‘A New Hope’ in many ways devoid of any humour.
There have been several film versions of the book over the years notably David Lynch’s 1984 disaster. Villeneuve manages to establish Herbert’s vision of a galactic empire in which political tensions threaten to boil over, mystical theologies intersect with powerful institutions and industrial interests, where humanity is humbled by the vast power of nature pretty well. Sounds a lot like 2021.
Great casting . . . Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Timothée Chalamet & Charlotte Rampling to name a few, giving excellent performances as expected. The pacing is great, the director makes you wait . . . so when the action arrives, you’re eager to enjoy the ride. Stunning cinematographer makes you feels small in this world and the deep expanse of space. The score is rather creepy with howling human voices and clattering drums which work well for a large cinema auditorium.
It's an enjoyable blockbuster adaptation of the novel but it does takes itself very seriously over its two-and-a-half-hour runtime.
The film has been out for a few weeks but is still on pretty much everywhere . . .
