When you watch a movie and wish that it went for another 2 hours - fantastic.
Everything I wanted it to be and more. Perfectly cast and excellent soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. Epic Sci-Fi at its best.
Wow, that was even better on rewatch and boy am I pumped for Part 2!
Slow and boring, pretentious BS with great visuals and BGM. Good cast wasted. Cliché! Weird doesn't mean it's good or unique or a cult classic.. A waste of time IMO.
Arrakis=Middle east, Spice=Oil, Other houses=White men fighting for the oil:joy:
I really wanted to love this because I adored both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 but this was one of the dullest things I’ve ever seen. Didn’t connect to any of the characters or care about anything that happened. Even the incredible production design and cinematography didn’t make this watchable to me.
Sets the groundwork for Part 2 , but otherwise nothing special about it. Cinematography and acting is good. I watched it in 2D so maybe only those watching it in IMAx see something that the rest of us don't hence the high praise. I don't praise a movie just because it looks and sounds good. All movies should look and sound good as a basic requirement. Yes, talented people make better background scenes. I judge based on actinv and story. This film is an introduction so yes acting is good , characters so far good but nothinv special, story - hardly anything to talk about - I will spoil it in 2 sentences if I told you. Never read the books so I will be waiti ng to see the real characters and stroy being shown in Part 2+ before deciding to rate Part 1.
I was bored after 30 minutes of watching this movie. Not for me.
It's hard to imagine a better cinematic adaptation of Dune. The ship design, the props, the costuming are all glorious (the cities and exterior architecture are workmanlike, but the interiors are great) and the desert is as visually rich as a desert can be. The actors don't have very much to do, but they all do it well - Rebecca Ferguson, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and Chang Chen both get the most to work with and are captivating.
But Dune converted to film is not a great story.
What's interesting about the Dune books, when they're interesting - it's one of the most wildly uneven series ever written - is their world-building. They're groundbreaking for their time in the extent to which they pull in ecology, a long view of politics and sociology, economics, comparative religion, and other non-physics science into their science fiction. Since then that's become standard - many many fictional worlds since think about the things Dune thinks about - but the world of Dune is bonkers and the series luxuriates in its workings with the obsession of Melville for whales. The books often go wrong - become mis-paced, unfocused, unlyrical, devoid of character depth - as a result, but they're so enthusiastic about the project they're attempting that they just as often retain a charm and a freshness that very little other sci fi from the 60s still has. (The only other sci-fi books I've read from that period that IMO are still worth reading for other than historical context veer into literary territory - Left Hand of Darkness, Slaughterhouse Five, Cosmicomics, etc.)
Essentially none of that translates to film. You can't replicate fake-scholarly asides about the completely insane biology of sandworms in film. You can't slowly accrete a sketch of eight thousand years of spacefaring history. This version compromises a bit, tells you enough that you don't need to have read the books to know that the world might have a rich logic, but it doesn't actually convey the rich logic - and the film is still much too exposition heavy.
What we're left with is an extremely flat story of a reluctant chosen one and the parental figures that protect him. Paul (eventually) becomes interesting in the novels because so much happens to him: he becomes a sort of metaphor for the layering processes of history, culture, religion, politics, ecology. In this film he's the world's most generic prisoner of dour young masculinity. We've got one or two more films for the character to get interesting and/or the camera to shift away from him, but the story of this 2.5 hours is almost entirely Paul's arc, and Paul's arc is boring as heck.
In both the originals and this adaptation, there's some weird orientalism. The movie has toned down the Arabic / Muslim exoticizing overtones - as well as some weird futurification/syncretization of eastern religions - from the books, but not excised them. Maybe the best a film can do while remaining so reverent toward the source material. But here's another place the source material makes for problems in film form.
Bonus points for really superb sound design (though the creepy crone voice struck me as pretty cliche), an apt if highly repetitive and limited score (it's Hans Zimmer does Phillip Glass), and some particularly evocative conlang work. I was entertained by the sights and sounds, if unmoved and left with little to think about.
The movie is beautiful on a gigantic screen. I don’t think I would have liked it this much if I had watched it on my computer screen. The sound design was excellent. Very hyped for the second one.
I'm still confused, maybe part two will explain things a little better.
The ‘84 version was far better.
It seemed to me that they cut out most of the traitor plot line to make room for more Jason Mamoa action scenes.Most of the other stuff they cut or streamlined seemed to make the plot flow well and worked as a movie adaptation. I'm curious how someone who isn't familiar with the material prior to watching feels about the constant visions shown throughout the movie. Lastly, I'm sad there was no pug
I can’t judge it’s picture because it was definitely well made with some outstanding effects also fantastic performance from Timothèe, growing to be a decent actor. I know It’s following a book that I’ve never read and I’ve watched the old movie but with that length i felt it dragged and I understand they were trying to get a lot in but i guess id not of felt it dragged if they was more action in it but it has been continued for more to come.
I don’t think I’ve ever literally been on the edge of my seat for like 3/4 of a movie before. I may have lost about 20% of my hearing-
but it was totally worth it
So they turned Muad'Dib into edward scissorhands in a desert. They dragged the story on and on with endless slow mo and flash forwards. Dissapointing, the cinematography and soundtrack was brilliant but thats all. 5/10 is generous. Ive read the books and watched all the dune tv shows and the 1984 movie and i would recommend them as a must watch before this.
Basically, it's a 150-minute trailer for the sequel(s).
Everything I wanted it to be, blew my mind. I think this has the potential to become a saga as popular as Star Wars (but potentially for an broader audience) and such. I've got my fingers crossed for the potential of a second movie.
I'll open by saying I am not a fan of Villeneuve. In fact, I think he's a hack whose only genuine talent is making stupid people falsely think they are actually quite smart. I am also a HUGE Dune fan. They have been my favourite series of books since I first discovered them as a teenager. So although I hoped for the best with this, I was expecting the worst. What I got was somewhere in the middle. It's an OK movie, not great, thankfully not terrible, but OK
It got some things right the 1984 Lynch version got wrong, but still somehow managed to get other stuff wrong (including stuff Lynch got right). It was also a surprise how much Villeneuve just lifted directly from the Lynch film, both visually and auditorily.
The wardrobe choices were a huge disappointment. If you didn't know the time setting, going just on the clothes in the new Dune you'd be forgiven for thinking it was set a mere forty or fifty years (if that) in the future rather than the twenty thousand years in the future when it's really set. The Lynch stillsuits look futuristic, unworldly, and something that really would keep you alive in the deep desert. The new desert wear looks like they are just going to go dirt biking for an hour or two in our present-day world.
The casting (completely ignoring the pointless gender swap) was good, However, with the exception of Paul, Chani, and Rabban the original casting was all better. But the original (apart from the odd decision to use the totally unsuited Kyle MacLachlan) was a masterclass in how to cast the perfect people for the role.
Anyway, enough of the comparisons, This film is about the first two-thirds of the first novel. I always thought the story would be better told via a big-budget TV series (or even mini-series) rather than a standalone movie. I still think what they tried to cover here was too much for a single movie, but it was a step in the right direction.
The film mainly sticks to the book story but does make some needless changes, the most obvious of which being the changes made to both the gender and story of Liet Kynes, which in turn impacts the story of Chani. Most other changes are small and mainly insignificant though.
The film being filmed in Norway, Jordan, and Abu Dhabi it looks fantastic and very well suited to the large screen. And it's clear a great deal of time, effort, and money was put into the sets that looked equally good as the places they were meant to be.
The acting was of a suitably high standard, but unfortunately, many of the Dune names and terms were horribly mispronounced. That and the Hans Zimmer fart that is played constantly throughout the soundtrack is likely to pull people out of their immersion in the movie.
I was also somewhat surprised by what was left out, OK the source material is VERY dense and obviously some needed to be cut, but I don't really think it's made clear just how crucial melange is to the functioning of the empire and society as a whole. Also what (and why) mentats are is largely ignored, you may think that isn't overly important, but it is at the core of how many things are done in the Dune universe.
Over all, it's not a bad movie. Despite its flaws, I still think the 1984 Lynch version is better though.
In two words, "Painfully Boring" .
Slow. Far away. Boring. Annoying. I struggled not to sleep. I must be from another world for not agreeing with the current average score.
This is one of the worst movies I've seen this year
the movie was trying so hard to be cryptic and the director did a very poor job with the flow of this film
also one of the things that bothered me the most was his timings for music, they feel very off in most scenes he put them in
you see people walking with nothing happing but the music is blasting high and so dramatic which felt very off
also one of the main cons of this film is that they dragged it soooooo much and halfway through the film I figured out what they're doing and that they want to save the plots for the sequel
they were name dropping left and right and mention terms and figures in the story that made the viewers confused and disconnected
I wasn't invested in any of the characters so I felt no worry for any of them to die which is very bad for any film
overall I give it 4/10 and I'm probably skipping the sequel
Honestly, I have a feeling I didn't watch a movie but a 2.5h long prologue.
Dune was an amazing visual and audial experience, and it definitely captured the vibe of Dune very well, but it lacked almost all of the depth of the book, from the lore, to the characters, and especially the plot. They cut out a huge chunk of the plot in the book, almost all of the political intrigue, and that resulted in it feeling incredibly rushed and the decisions of the characters often seemed odd and unexplained. For example, in the book, House Atreides know that House Harkonnen is planning a trap, they know the Emperor has turned on them, and they know to expect the Sardauker. They also strongly suspect there's a spy among them, and the drama surrounding this is incredibly interesting, and acted as a brilliant build-up to Doctor Yueh's betrayal. Alas, all of this was cut, and the film suffered for it.
Another fairly major gripe I had was the portrayal of Lady Jessica. In the book, she was an incredibly powerful character and was feared and respected by all. She was calm, collected, intelligent, and strong. In the film, she comes across as a mentally unstable mess, constantly crying and having mental breakdowns, and very little of her Bene Gesserit power was shown.
I had mixed reactions to the other characters. Paul and Leto Atreides were great, but Rabban Harkonnen felt very odd and not like a Harkonnen at all. Thufir Hawat was also disappointing, first they made him fat when he's supposed to still be strong (albeit ageing) warrior, but then they removed any mention of him being a Mentat and cut most of his scenes from the book.
And let's not forget to mention they cut my favourite scene from the book, which featured a dinner party and acted as very important character development for Paul, as well as showcasing the political situation on Arrakis as well as the extent of the Bene Gesserit powers.
In general, it felt like this film was less of an adaptation of the story and more of an illustration of it - omitting much of the plot, lore, and character development, and replacing it with beautiful visuals and music. Overall however, despite my disappointments at the various cuts and changes, and although I will continue to wonder what could have been achieved if the story had been split into 3 films instead of 2, this remains a fairly faithful adaptation of a book which is notoriously difficult to adapt to the screen, and as a result I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to the sequel.
It sure is pretty. And not much else. It is set up set up set up, and I get it, it’s a part 1. But even part 1 movies have to be movies in of themselves. The climax is the limpest one in recent memory. Zendaya literally tells us this is the beginning, in case we forgot the title card.
And again, I get it. This is based off a book from 1965. But the politics… there’s a fatsuit so fatness can represent greed and gluttony. There’s a mystic and duplicitous Asian doctor. Zendaya is an exotic object for the incredibly pale white savior messiah to be entranced by and lust after. The aforementioned climax is pale boy fighting against a growling, vicious, and dark skinned black man. I know, the book is from the 60s. But there are ways to update or confront that. But Villenueve chose to take on this film, and chose to adapt it as is.
What results in a pretty film that hits every beat you’d expect without making a case for what makes Dune different from Star Wars besides BBC nature documentary shots. The actors are good; Isaacs and Mamoa stand out. Isaacs is a great father archetype; I didn’t expect it from him beforehand but then seeing it in action he’s a perfect fit. And Mamoa has a looseness and natural charisma that livens up the proceedings and makes the world more lived in. But they aren’t enough to lift a film that’s everything I felt about Blade Runner 2049 amplified. All visual, no heart.
And they wasted my man Bautista! I’m sure he’d get more in sequels, but those might not happen! I was waiting the whole time for him to steal a scene and got nothing! He didn’t even wear tiny glasses! This film is lucky it didn’t get zero stars from me.
I really don't understand the "this is a great movie" comments? I loved the 1st Dune also the 1st Dune I saw a complete movie. Now the greed of Hollywood no longer give you complete movies but they will sequel you the death to get maximum profits on a story that could have been told in 3 hours like Endgame. I won't be waiting for the finished movie like most are but I probably will catch up to it one day on FX or TBS or something.
I really wanted to enjoy this... but it was boooooooooooooring as hell. Even Batman v. Superman was more interesting. Both Movies just try to impress with long scenes, backed with epic music. But BvS actually had something happen and wasn't just a 2h trailer for the sequel.
Great cast, great effects, mediocre music, basically no story. Wasted potential.
Was waiting for it to end. Not a good sign.
Do I want to watch a sequel? At my home, maybe. At the theatre? NOPE.
Love the books, so was worried about another attempt to convert into a movie. But this was so much better than I thought it would be. Looking forward to part 2.
I got so bored watching this.
A day later, I still have no idea whether the film is incredibly atmospheric, exciting and ingenious, or just hyped crap packaged in epic images and a constantly blaring Hans Zimmer score.
(Timothée Chalamet is hot.) :see_no_evil:
I have not given a movie a "10" in almost three years. This was epic and could become even more so if this gets continued.
I had high expectations so it's normal I only gave a 7 to this movie. It just felt really diluted and not engaging enough.
This movie is overrated and overhyped.
It’s not fair to judge this movie as a complete product. But as an incomplete whole I was… not interested https://boxd.it/2E9CqF
"Dune" for teenagers. Slow motion adaptation that hides in the blockbuster showmanship that doesn't even target Frank Herbert's ideas about fate and anti-messianic philosophy. An overwhelming and expensive prologue that pushes us to the dynamics of incomplete films that, at this rate, would need more films than "Star Wars" to adapt the entire saga. An unpromising future.
[7.7/10] Dune is gorgeous to look at. It’s a tribute to the beauty of desert cinematography. The set design is magnificent. The costumes are at once familiar and alien. The technology of this world is striking and distinctive, with a tactile sense of utility and elegance. The use of lighting is superb, washing the players in dim hues within walls or bathing them in the desert sun outside of them. The effects feel vivid and visceral, with gargantuan ships, flitting transports, and towering worms with sand-shifting vibrations and gaping maws. In terms of pure aesthetic and mood, it is a triumph.
But it’s also an emotionally sterile film. I don’t feel much, if anything for these characters. Not the chosen one wrestling with prophetic dreams and the weight of expectation. Not the wary mother hopeful for her child’s future but afraid of what it may hold. Not the friends and allies who risk and ultimately give their lives to protect them.
Dune: Part One is not without its high volume emotional moments. Lady Jessica strains to steel herself while her son undergoes a torturous test. Paul screams at his mother in the throes of particularly harrowing vision. Heroes die in thundering blazes of glory. And yet, there’s a strange sense of detachment, in the sense that these are archetypes or larger than life figures, rather than real people. Their interactions are thumbnail sketches rather than intimate attachments. As beautiful a world as director Dennis Villenueve and company craft for the screen, the players who populate it don’t resonate.
The one exception is Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides, the protagonist’s father, who imbues his scenes with warmth and grace. Maybe it’s because his is the inevitable, motivating mentor’s death in the film, so he needs some development now that others can reserve for Part Two. Maybe it’s simply Isaac’s skills as an actor. Maybe it’s because Leto is a kind man in a world full of cruelty. Maybe it’s because he and his son talk to one another like human beings, sharing concerns and reassurance and love in a way that’s scant elsewhere in the film. Whatever the reason, his life and death carries an interiority and tragedy that’s hard to feel elsewhere.
But maybe that's simply because this sort of story is overfamiliar in the half-century plus since Frank Herbert first wrote his famous and influential novel. We’ve all seen beaucoup versions of the Chosen One. We’ve seen the hero with prophetic dreams of the future. We’ve seen the young champion coming into his magical powers.We’ve seen the evil empire full of dastards trying to butcher the noble and resilient little guys. We’ve seen warring houses jockeying for wealth and power. We’ve seen the Western hero bond with the indigenous peoples.
There’s nothing wrong with these tropes. Reinterpretation is the heart of storytelling. And it’s neither Herbert’s nor Villenueve’s fault that a raft of books and films and television shows have followed in Dune’s vaunted worm tracks. But it does mean these beats don’t have the impact they might when they were fresh.
The same goes for the sense in which they’re realized on the silver screen. Even setting aside prior adaptations, It’s no coincidence that George Lucas’ desert iconography in the original Star Wars bears a striking resemblance to the modern take on similar concepts here, given the plain influence of Herbert’s work on the then-young filmmaker. Game of Thrones gave us grand houses plotting against one another through a layer of prestige gloss. Everything from Starship Troopers to Halo has given us armored up space troopers vaulting through the cosmos and marauding through varied terrain.
Once more, it’s nobody’s fault that imagery which was once groundbreaking has now become standardized. The normalization is a strange sign of success, with decades of followers mining the work of Herbert and his contemporaries for inspiration. But it mutes the impact of this latter day, big budget realization of ideas and images that influenced legions of other creatives.
Despite that, Dune: Part One evokes a remarkable atmosphere and sense of place that carries it beyond what might now be considered stock elements. One of the benefits of adapting a longstanding, famously intricate book is that it’s easier to suggest the presence of a world that extends beyond the story. The details have already been considered, and so Villenueve and his team can gesture toward a wider world that we only get glimpses of, while still conveying the sense that it’s robust and interconnected. This world makes sense, and tantalizes you with things mentioned but unseen.
The visuals are stunning. The nighttime attack that blazes the sky in the kinetic midpoint of the film is practically riddled with jaw-dropping imagery. The ghoulish Baron Harkonnen is grotesque in the best way, floating menacingly above, draping his fingers across his bald head like Colonel Kurts or retreating into the inky black of a healing bath. The skittering dragonfly vessels evoke the distinctive designs of this time and place, which extends from towering ships to tiny handheld tools.
As played out as wispy dreams of what is yet to come are, Villenueve retains his ability to construct affecting montages deployed so well in Arrival. The visions of fire and blood and friendship and betrayal are, at times, murky in that traditional artsy way. But they also appeal to an instinctual part of the human mind that cannot help but be drawn to the rush of sound and color.
For all Dune: Part One’s inability to evoke character, it expertly creates a sense of scale, of mood, of an emotional atmosphere that permeates the film even if it can’t quite penetrate its players. There’s a narrative shagginess here, born somewhat of the fact that this is half a story, where climax and catharsis must wait until 2023 to find purchase here. And there’s a certain sterility to how the main figures move through it all to reach that cinematic ellipses.
But the vibe and atmosphere at play are worth sticking around to see where Dune will take us next. There is more to the cinema than aesthetics. The tale told and the people who live it are the lifeblood of storytelling for the screen, no matter the medium. And still, the imagery alone can transport us, take us into a place or an experience and hold us there, even as we cast about for someone to latch onto.
“The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience. A process that cannot be understood by stopping it. We must move with the flow of the process. We must join it. We must flow with it.”
Arguably the first film in a while to be worth the extra IMAX fees. It must be a matter of taste, but I always find Villeneuve’s films rather dull and soulless underneath the flawless production design and riveting cinematography. Even though it would be unfair to draw conclusions by having watched only part one, “Dune” seems to be no exception. While the premise and setting felt convincing enough, the characters and plot development felt a little flat for the time being. I don’t mind the serialized format, but some kind of payoff at the end of each installment would have helped. We’ll see.
From some comments I have heard before I was expecting this to be an amazing movie. Turns out, this is immensely slow and basically nothing happens in the first hour. The whole world has to be explained first, which is fair, but that it needs to take a full hour is a bit much. Especially because even after that, you do not fully understand everything.
Once the story actually begins, it is also rather lukewarm. Though some parts are rather surprising twists (mostly who dies and who does not—at least you do not form an attachment to anyone like it was the case in Game of Thrones).
Not sure I was involved enough to even continue with the second movie, once that is available.
hmmm, 2.5 hours of build up? great.
As a big fan of the books, I honestly prefer the 2000 mini-series and the '84 film to this. Good casting choices and some interesting visuals, but that's about it. I barely finished the movie, it's too slow and boring compared to the books and the other two adaptations, plus I really disagree with some of the character interpretations and plot changes.
I was really eager to watch this movie and at the same time a wee bit concerned because I knew that I would be hugely disappointed if it turned out to be another movie massacring a classic source material.
I have to admit that it was a very long time since I read the Dune books but I have to say that the movie was mostly true to the books, as I remember them, and also reasonably free of agenda driven rubbish apart from the odd replacement of some characters with “gender correct” ones for no real good reason.
There is really not much point in me saying much about the story. It should be well known for any science fiction fan and it is a great story and really good material for a big screen movie despite some “critics” at Rotten Tomatoes moaning about it and calling it unwieldly etc. Probably too big a book with too many words for the small, agenda driven, brains of Rotten Tomatoes “critics”. No surprise there.
The movie as a whole is wonderful to watch, the scenery is oftentimes very beautiful and the décor, the buildings, the machinery is very well done. I was surprised that the world of Caladan was portrayed as a rather austere Scottish looking landscape but after getting over the initial surprise it worked very well actually.
I also like that the Harkonnen, especially the Baron, are not turned into some exaggerated comical figures but, although disgusting and despicable, they are actual humans.
Overall the casting was quite good and everyone played their roles well. At the beginning I felt that Paul was a bit too wimpy, from what I remember of the book he was quite well trained and skilled already from the start, but he picked up as the movie went along.
It is a science fiction, borderline fantasy, movie so there should be some special effects, right? This is a difficult movie to make special effects for since this universe is a weird mix between futuristic science fiction, fantasy elements and old-fashioned traditions.
I have to say that they succeeded quite well though. The atmosphere felt just right, ships, spice harvesters, buildings looked cool and fitting the story. The way they implemented the personal shields was very nice. They didn’t go overboard on special effects and weird designs. The ornithopter was of course totally ridiculous from a scientific point of view but at least it looked pretty cool.
If I should complain about something, although that is not the fault of the movie but of the source material, I have never understood how, in a universe which is obviously driven by hidden agendas, machinations and assassinations, the Atreides could just pick up everything, leave their home and put all their important eggs in one basket at Arrakis.
One more small thing that I could complain about would of course be that we now have to wait two years, from what I have read, until we get to watch the next movie to get to the part were the really cool stuff happens.
Bottom line, this was movie is definitely in there vying for the title “best movie that I have watched this year”.
A visual spectacle no doubt, but the source material, even cut down to be fit into multiple movies, is still over-stuffing this movie.
And by far the most egregious annoyance were the times where, for no reason at all, the music was massively overloud. Completely drowning out the vital dialogue required to understand what is going on properly and at other times just being obnoxiously loud during establishing shots or action set pieces.
But beyond those flaws, it was still a very enjoyable experience and I do look forward to more entries in the series.
Tough to miss the marketing buzz for this high-profile, big-budget lunge for the blockbuster mantle. And, what a surprise, this time it's actually worth all the promotion!
In Dune, the latest effort to convert Frank Herbert's intimidating and production-challenged novel to the big screen, creative heavyweight Denis Villeneuve has finally realized its potential. This is the rare case of a smart, lofty SF adaptation that remains fiercely loyal to the source material while also growing in more accessible, stimulating directions to appease a broader audience. Dare I say it... I think I might actually prefer this to the book? It's certainly more coherent than David Lynch's screwball 1984 adaptation.
Clearly, plenty of thought and care went into interpreting and adapting the first volume’s dense, tangled themes for the cinema - Villeneuve has confessed to being a lifelong fan - and, as such, it requires a comparable amount of scrutiny and undivided attention for newer fans to parse. But where the novel elaborates upon its wealth of interests (a deep dive of far-flung politics, culture, economy and revolution) through long, dry monologues and descriptions, the film is more fluid and efficient. We don't have to be told when we can be shown, and that's a particular area of strength for a work with this much world-class production design to spread around. God, it's rife with visual wonders.
Even the expository bits, necessarily wordy by nature, are effectively managed to keep the viewer's head in the game. Everything doesn't have to be about talking heads, we learn, as Dune 2021 makes abundant use of subtitles to convey unspoken cues or nonverbal communication. That allows us to go far into the conceptual weeds without feeling verbose or static, a real godsend to a story that's so inherently brainy and long-winded. The ending is a mild letdown, a full hundred-fifty minutes of escalating stakes that culminates in a few meaningful glances and a "see you in a few years," but the ride to get to that point is so well-balanced and riveting that I'm willing to let it slide. How long until part two hits the screen?
watching it again- it's absolutely made boring by it's terribly dull soundtrack!
it's proper hampered by another Hans Zimmer copy and paste job, . featuring a long yell (just before an important thing happens) filled soundtrack that doesn't match anything on screen., action scenes are scored like an epic landscape.
the dream sequences quickly become nauseating, due to their multiple showings and super slow motions, and they're also described shortly after.
Amazing how polarized the comments are on Trakt on this movie. I hate to take sides but it is incontestable that this is a way way over average Sci-fi film. So much total crapola is being released (yes that’s you Rebel Moon, the Creator, the Kitchen etc.) that it’s hard to criticize this movie. Even if it is a bit slow at times and perhaps a bit pretentious.
One of the most boring movies I’ve ever seen, watched it a second time so I could force myself to appreciate to but nope nothing happened. It’s looks visually impressive and the practical effects are amazing as well, but the characters and the plot aren’t interesting
Watched in cinema. Sorry, thougth that was a documentary film about „Dune“ with some people in it trying to act.
The special effects are perfect, no discussion!
I am really a fan of David Lynchs version of „Dune“ which becomes better and better the more I watch it.
But I will give that movie a second chance with streaming.
Am I the only one who was incredibly bored by this movie?
saw the movie divided in three times and still wasn't able to watch more than 1 hour. Really boring.
One of the best movies I've seen in a while. Totally amazing movie, though it may have been even a tiny bit better here and there. But overal: superb. Rebecca Furgoson is stunning and Oscar Isaac plays a great role. Jason Momoa plays as if he is really enjoying this role and hardly does any acting. Timothee Chalamet I'm not a fan off, same as rather overrated Zendaya, but all in all they play quite well. Perhaps I could have gone with a 10 if Chalamet was a bit more a proper actor who would be able to properly show some emotions instead of just being eye candy for young girls.
Tonight watched the movie for a second time in just few months time and I saw many more details that I missed at first. Very enjoyable!
I was regretting having not gotten a chance to watch this in the theatres, but thankfully it returned to the local IMAX theatre, and damn am I glad. Easily the most fulfilling IMAX experience ever, everything from the stunning grand visuals to what might be Zimmer's finest offering yet, it's such a treat. And the story and the world itself is so pulling and immersive, and although at times it feels a bit like trailers for the movies, with all the visions that Paul has, the story and the pacing felt good to me, even though some reviews had implied otherwise. One of the few movies where I was hoping it would just keep going, and had to sit through the credits surrounded by Zimmer's outworldly yet so real and natural feeling sounds. Seems like the start of the biggest Saga of this era, can't wait for part 2!
"The sleeper must awaken"...and it has omg. Best movie ever. Period !
NOTE FOR MYSELF SO I REMEMBER SOMEDAY, ONLY REPRESENTS MY OPINION FOR MYSELF NOT A “REAL REVIEW“, SO YOU PROBABLY WONT AGREE WITH IT
@ trakt pls make private comments/notes possible:hearts:
-know nothing about the original
- I understand its prob a good movie but I just don’t like it that much, I think its only for a specific kind of audience (which is totally fine and respected) one that likes that kind of complex and futuristic concepts (not sure how this category is called)
- its too long, felt like a over 2 hour intro for the upcoming “real movie” so maybe part 2 will be better/more interesting
-maybe this would’ve really been better as a series as someone else mentioned
-weirdly this was both beautifully shot and disappointing in quality, some scenes had amazing cinematography and others felt a little trashy/low resolution and also kinda dark (someone mentioned that too)
Great music and visual effects! The ending feels a little abrupt, but that's keeping with the books. Looking forward to part 2!
There's a lot of things that work in this film. The cinematography is gorgeous and the soundtrack is phenomonal. (obviously because Hans Zimmer duh) The main cast is strong and delivers a great performance overall. The action is also great with wonderful choreography.
However, as someone who is not familiar with the original novel, I found it extremely hard to follow the story and make sense of some scenes. The characters names were hard to remember and I didn't feel anything when a character we were meant to care about died.
The dialogue was also hard to hear a lot of the time and would definitely benefit from subtitles, as I think a lot of the political scenes with heavy dialogue were the most confusing part to follow.
My favourite scene was when Paul had to endure excruciating pain while a poisoned needle was held at his neck. I got literal chills from that moment.
That being said, my favourite part of this fictional world were the sandworms. The tension every time they were shown on-screen was exhilarating to say the least. The sound design of the spaceships was also top notch. This film definitely nailed the atmosphere for sure.
All in all, I would give this film 7.5/10. A solid film but very hard to follow at times which lessened the experience for me.
I would like to start by saying this movie was as enjoyable to me as having wet sand in my vagina.
I found the movie Dune to be very slow and a bit boring, but by the end it did pick up and then it ended.
If you have read the books, you will get a few laughs at this one, but it is not anywhere near as good but at least it can give you a few good laughs at the end and you will not care that it does not measure up to the book.
Overall it was just okay, it could have been so much better if they had just had it shot like they did the other movies.
6 thandy puthieth out of 10.
(Only true lore fanatic's will know what I'm talking about).
While I entirely agree that Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" is expertly directed and filmed, I can say that, like the book, I found it to be mostly boring. This isn't about the film being slow-moving. I have watched a ton of old Horror and Sci-Fi from the 1950s through the 1980s and actually prefer their slow burn, thought-provoking tales over current films that have an action scene every two minutes. My personal, lukewarm opinion of "Dune" is the same as I feel about Asimov's "Foundation". To me, space politics are dull.
Also, the knife and sword fighting is just getting so old. I know that the shield/force-field that the characters wore makes the firing of projectiles largely ineffective, but "Dune" is just more of the same knife-fu and sword-fu that is prevalent in just about every current action film. There's not really any way to make it different enough to be interesting (and yeah, I know "Dune" came before most of the current crop of TV and FIlm Sci-Fi).
There are a lot of people who love "Dune". I'm just not one of them. The book, David Lynch's film and this latest adaptation just aren't of much interest to me.
I guess I could say that Dune offers a visually stunning and sonically immersive experience, but honest it's like looking at a futuristic animated painting for 2 and half hours.
The movie has serious pacing issues. All of that suspense music, boy it gets really annoying when it goes for hours without any plot advancement.
It takes so bloody long to tell us close to nothing and none of that is really interesting.
Acting is commendable, but you can't really establish an emotional connection with any of the leading characters, save for Paul Atreides.
That's the most important thing about storytelling. This lack of emotional investment makes it difficult to engage with the narrative.
Speaking of Paul Atreides. For most of the movie he looked like he wanted his life on that desert planet to be over, showed detachment from the unfolding events mirroring what some viewers may feel.
Could say that the whole thing was as entertaining and full of life to him as it was to me.
Traditionally I would give a 5/10 rating to a movie whose story doesn't resonate with me, but might for others, recognizing the existence of a subjective opinion.
That's what 5/10 represents in my rating scale.
But this movie doesn't even have a story for there to be a subjective opinion in the first place.
Makes me wonder, the hell of substances were on the folk who found the movie so enthralling, cause I might like some. (that's a joke).
In conclusion, Dune falls far short of expectations cause of all the hype.
Way overrated to say no more. 2/10 feels justified.
I did watch Dune Part 2, and have to say it also has pacing issues, but at least something started.
For movies this is terrible.
It would have made a whole difference if they had made it into a form of a TV show, and changed a few things accordingly.
Know why they drag the women by their feet on Arrakis? Because if they dragged them by their hair they'd fill up with sand
Visually beautiful, music amazing, some pretty cool scenes, got me interested in reading the books, I was entertained enough BUT it left me feeling like nothing really happened. A long introduction, a trailer for the next movies, as someone else said.
Also, Jason Momoa scenes felt like fan service, kind of out of place in a way. I don't think he was fit for this movie
"Captivating from start to finish!
Delivers stunning visuals, exceptional performances, and stays true to the essence of the timeless classic. A must-watch for sci-fi enthusiasts and fans of epic storytelling."
I was more invested in the story on this rewatch. I can see why it puts people off after their first watch, though. The first half is an exposition dump of characters and worlds. This happened and those do that...
Enjoying every moment now that I'm watching again... The first time I hated it!
7/10
The visuals are amazing. the story has potential. The movie couldn’t grab me, I didn’t feel like a was a part of this movie. With good movies I don’t notice the time going by, with this one I was wondering how long I had to watch it. Watched it 2 times, I wanna like it but it’s not my movie. Also not a fan of Timothy and Zendaya so that doesn’t help either.
Still going to watch dune part 2 in the hope the story gets better and the movie can keep me entertaint.
Somehow this movie is even better on re watch!
Having not consumed any sort of Dune media, I went into this with virtually no expectations except that I just wanted to see Denis Villeneuve flex his sci-fi muscles yet again. And flex, he did.
Dune moves slowly and methodically, and it manages to capture your attention with every setpiece, costume, and piece of technology. The politics are easy to understand, and you feel the weight every decision holds. The performances are all solid; even Jason Momoa's dudebro attitude didn't feel too out of place in this world because it fits his character.
Speaking of which, the worldbuilding is pretty cool. They do a great job at telling us what we need to know and hinting at how the rest of the world operates. I can't wait to see more of it.
Unfortunately, I couldn't be fully gripped by this movie because it's incomplete. I wish it were structured to feel like both Part One of the Dune story, as well as an individual movie (much like The Lord of the Rings), but that's not what we got. It almost feels anticlimactic, like it ended too soon. But I think my rating might change once I see Dune: Part Two. I hope I'll be more satisfied once we get the full story.
Dune is massive in scope. This is its biggest accomplishment and its biggest weakness. The film is beautiful and technically impressive, but it fails to evoke any emotion at all. As a result, it feels hollow, long, and a bit boring.
Boring. Well-made boring. Huge heaps of boring.
All of the intrigue and emotional depth of the book, any sense of care I felt about the characters, has been sucked out and replaced with absolutely gorgeous, but incredibly fucking boring, shots.
Somehow they managed to make the movie more boring than the book (which I read and really liked!). Super impressive.
I love this movie so much, for my it feels like a giant Set up, it only prepares the story, it places the ball and I can´t wait to see how Villeneuve will kick the ball (hopefully in Part 2). I have a feeling, that we are only going up from here and with the Greatness of Part One that makes me so excited...
Visually it's amazing.
But the plot is a pretty cheap cut and paste. And the dialogue/delivery can be a bit cringy.
Rated this movie a seven. Don't get me wrong The visuals, cinematography, and acting was on point but I couldn't get into the story. I am a huge sci-fi guy but the story and how it was told just doesn't make me intrigued in any way.
Disappointed it when it was over because I wanted more. So looking forward to part 2.
This is based on a legend of a book series. One of religion, politics, science, action and adventure. I think the movie just made it interesting focusing more on action and adventure. Good movie but it doesn't give justice to the idea behind the books.
Such a great sci fi and they weren’t afraid of staying true to the book. Only complaint I had was that Lady Jessica was too emotional in the movie. Definitely the opposite of her character in the book.
it only includes the half of the first book.
Dune was a massive undertaking due to the sheer amount of lore and political backstory director Villeneuve had to fit in a two-and-a-half-hour run-time, but I am happy to say it was executed brilliantly.
The story of Dune is incredibly deep, there are so many layers of political factions and relationships that it can get quite confusing at times. I had to constantly be looking up specific individuals and their ties to each other to understand the minor nuances of the story. Despite that fact, Villeneuve is still able to deliver a coherent narrative that will allow the majority of the audience to understand the overarching plot. After the buildup of the first act, the story gets cooking, and I was utterly invested.
There is an incredible atmosphere present in this film. It begins as a Sci-Fi epic, following a house starting anew on a fresh planet and a new industry to conquer. You can feel the optimism and the sense of discovery in the shots due to the interesting angles, lighting, and a brilliant soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer. But as the narrative evolves so does the tone, as a thick fog of helplessness bleeds on to the screen and you can feel the dread form. This tone was quite refreshing in today’s blockbuster cinema, as each movie needs to incorporate a vast amount of unnecessary comedy to appeal to the broader audience. Dune is unapologetic about what the story is trying to deliver and gives you exactly what it wants without any concessions.
The visuals are stunning throughout the entire runtime. One of my favorite scenes was during the spice extraction visit. I loved the blend of realism that was used in this Science Fiction setting. The ships and equipment look like they could exist in our own world with a few technological advancements. The fight choreography is really well done, especially the hand-to-hand combat. The final scene was epic, each fist and punch were so sharp and calculated, it was really impressive to watch in the age of jump cut action.
The acting is perfect throughout the film, I really cannot point to any one character that felt off or out of place. Timothee Chalamet did an incredible job as the lead man. He delivered a heartfelt performance and evolved throughout the entire film into the confident leader the story crescendos on. Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and Josh Brolin all did great jobs as well. I really brought the somewhat complex nature of Lady Jessic and Duke Leto, they had really great chemistry with themselves and with their son. Stellan Skarsgard had my favorite performance of the entire film. I felt entirely disgusted every time he was on the screen, and he made the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall. He is truly a man poisoned by greed and will not stop at anything on his path to fortune. Jason Momoa does a fantastic job here too. I felt he really fit his role and his lines were delivered effortlessly, much better than his performance in the DCEU.
Dune delivers a fantastic Sci-Fi epic that gave me everything I was looking for and I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel's release.
Score: 88%
Verdict: Excellent
I came for the worms, and I stayed for the worms. Epic!
Nice photos of the desert interspersed with a dose of mysticism and breaking the plot, as befits a saga. All in all, a plus.
84 | Dune is majestic. Visual and sound hypnotized us to this grand universe full of houses. The way character behave also help us understanding the cultures of each houses and different kind of people. It felt to much sometimes with many names on this film, that also combined with the political intrigues. This is a great start for the Dune's trilogy. Congrats Denis, you proved your worth once again.
•••••••••••••••••••••••
25%: 2.5
50%: 2.3
75%: 2.8
100%: 2.5
Favorite Character
1. Paul Atreides: 2.5
2. Lady Jessica Atreides: 2.5
3. Baron Vladimir Harkonnen: 2.5
4. Gurney Halleck: 2.3
Don't usually watch sci-fi but this was well recommended so I wanted to see what the hype was about. Fantastic imagery and cinemtography, good acting esp Tim Chalamet and the music was epic (wasn't surprised it was Han Zimmer).
Definitely the worst film I've seen in a while. It's Star Wars for people who don't like Star Wars.
Better than the old movie but honestly it didn't blow me away. Its tough and boring source material is a hard pill to swallow but then did a marginally better job at making it digestible. Unfortunately it didn't excite or entertain me and the fight scenes really let it down! I've seen better in CW shows!
Music and visuals bumped up the score
Dune has incredible visuals but the plot didn't catch me as much. Also, the movie seems to crawl purposely in some scenes what can make the viewer lost the attention.
well, big surprise for me last night watching
i stopped being a fan of movies just because they are short and try to put everything into few minutes
on this case they look to be making a second movie but that will means that we need to wait months and months, i'm not a big fan of that
this movie, the story can or should be made into a serie
From what i've seen, it have everything that should be enought for some seasons
and to end, i'm going to give a 8 on this, it was enjoable to watch, and the music looks well made
what did i just watch
wonderful production, but how enjoyable is it if you have to pause every ten minutes to understand the plot
Final review of 2021!
“Desert power!”
Long ago…in a galaxy far far away…before ‘Star Wars’, ‘Mad Max’, ‘Tremors’, and ‘Game of Thrones’.... there was only ‘Dune’.
A story and world that gave birth to fantasy and Sci-Fi as we know it, as a main influence and many more for years to come. Although, I haven’t seen the other adaptions of ‘Dune’ with either of the Lynch or TV version. So, this is my first introduction to the world and characters, and something that was once considered unadaptable has become a reality all thanks to Denis Villeneuve vision. And now I'm interested in this world and the movie leaves you wanting more.
'Dune (2021)' - man what a trip. Incredible in every sense. Just like ‘Blade Runner 2049’, nobody does art house blockbusters better than Denis Villeneuve. A Sci-Fi tale of philosophical richness that's loaded with grand spectacle. While I didn't see it in IMAX, but that didn't take away from the scope of it all.
No joke, but this could be our new Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
The acting here is strong:
Timothée Chalamet has impressed me ever since his breakout role in ‘Call Me by Your Name’, so it’s not surprising that he did an excellent job in this movie as the character of Paul, the young man in royalty whose destiny can lead him in either direction. Not bad for a kid who started off showing off his X-Box controllers on YouTube. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, type into YouTube “ModdedController360” and you’ll see.
Oscar Isaac plays The Duke, the father of Paul, and Oscar Isaac has yet to deliver a terrible performance. There's one scene between him and Chalamet that was one of the most moving things I've seen in a Sci-Fi movie since...well, 'Arrival' and 'Blade Runner 2049'.
Rebecca Ferguson plays Lady Jessica Atreides, who is easily the heart of the movie, and it might be my favorite performance from her.
Jason Momoa plays Duncan, the ultimate Chad, who’s a chill guy but is an absolute demon when it comes to fighting. Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, a cool but serious man who loyal to those close to him. Stellan Skarsgård scenes as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the bloated and slimy creature with a hunger for power and chaos, which also pays a wonderful homage to Marlon Brando’s Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in ‘Apocalypse Now’, through the visuals in every scene he’s in. Also, despite the small screen time he had, but Dave Bautista has proved that he has more range as an actor than most wrestlers who turned to acting.
Zendaya isn't in the movie that much, but I know she will be in the next movie. Her little scenes were very mystical. She appears mostly in visions from Chalamet’s Paul, which people have best described those “visions” as the most expensive perfume advert ever.
In terms of the visual effects and the practical work, it’s a piece of art. It helps create a sense of scope that made everything feel so big, so real and so engaging to watch. I can say all of it looked pitch perfect. But also using real locations for open spaces and made certain bits of environment like heat from the actual desert, harsh winds, soggy rainy, grass, and the breath-taking landscapes seem familiar to us in this “alien world”.
The score, make-up, costumes, production design, cinematography, editing, sound, and direction were all top notches.
However, the movie does feel like a part 1 and for some people the movie feels incomplete, story wise. But then again, if it leaves you wanting more and we now know we are getting a part 2 to this story, this issue will expire when the second one comes around.
Happy New Year Everyone!
Would have been better if every actor was a A list who was only in it for a cameo spot to promote the movie. Takes 2 hours to get into the story. The betrayal didn’t make any sense, they could have done a lot besides destroying everything. Felt like force awakens when they brought on the girl from GoT just to promote the movie but dune did it with 100 people
About as IMAX as a film can get. Every frame’s a painting.
This movie was really good, one of the best movies of 2021 for sure!
Excited for "Part Two".
A competent adaptation with clearly some thought and passion put into it. As a fan of the book, while I did not always agree with the interpretation of certain characters I thought the acting was phenomenal and clearly The director cares deeply about the source material. Looking forward to the sequel.
Laser IMAX version is so great!!!
Laser IMAX version is so great!!!
marica, I am lost. I mean is good effects, but que carajos, no entendí.
Beautifully shot, and I do mean beautifully. Quite frankly, one of the best shot films I can ever remember seeing.
I haven't read the book so I can't speak to its relationship to the film but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The cinematography, soundtrack, acting, and world building were all excellent. It truly felt like a different time and place with real people and conflicts. With that being said, the characters and plot took a back seat to the visuals. They probably could have shown more about Paul Atreides, being the main character and all, before things went south but I don't think it's so little to hurt the film overall. It also definitely doesn't hold your hand, throwing a lot of names and places at you early on. I don't mind this, especially since I hardly watch a movie without subtitles anymore, but it is something to be aware of.
A very Denis Villeneuve feeling film, much like Blade Runner 2049, but I genuinely think he outdid himself this time.
Dune's VFX are so realistic that I forgot this is fiction.
Unreal cast and amazing acting by everyone, specially from Timothée, Rebecca, Oscar Isaac and Javier Bardem.
The soundtrack is perfect, the plot build-up is well-paced and the open shots are beautiful, you can really feel the environment.
This is a masterpiece, can't wait for Part 2!
in some moments it can be very slow or cheese, but I really enjoyed the very detailed world, it's remind me the lord of the rings in the way that the world is well finished.
also reminds me of mad max fury road because the way that even newbie viewer can learn on the go the physics of the world and of course the desert setting...
To start, I was a Dune fanboy since trying to decipher Frank Herbert's novel in high school and I've adored all of Denis Villeneuve's films, so this should have knocked my socks off. Sitting here, barefoot, I can confirm it did. Everything is gorgeous, epic, and expansive. The universe feels real and lived in, futuristic yet suffering from age old problems, and a perfect backdrop for this simultaneously small and gigantic story of a struggle with destiny, expectations, and the burden of responsibility. This could all have failed (like other Dune adaptations) if not for the expert casting, wonderful performances, and laser focus on the journey of Paul. The only slight letdown is knowing that this isn't the full story of Paul's journey, but knowing that part two will eventually be made, it makes that a bit easier to swallow. Even with that concern, I loved every minute of this film and will likely revisit a few times to live in this unique world.
Here's another one for the woke crowd. A non-white character has to be played by a non-white person, otherwise it's simply not right. A non-straight character has to be played by a non-straight person, otherwise it's just all wrong. Hell, a black or Indian character in a cartoon just has to be voiced by a black or Indian person, otherwise the world comes to an end! You can even change the sex of a character, for no apparent reason, it would seem. But a canonically 15yo character can, and indeed for all intents and purposes, has to be played by a 26yo guy, because that's okay.
The cinematography and the soundtrack are great. The pacing makes it drag on, I felt it was overly long at two and a half hours; at around the one hour mark I actually remarked how we were still basically playing the tutorial. The story got a little murky and muddled at times. Zendaya's all of maybe 15 minutes of screentime didn't really justify the separate character hypes (although I guess her being the wet dream of teenage boys might just be a legit interpretation of those scenes, lol). Not a bad movie, but it has its own share of issues to be sure.
Review by JordyVIP 8BlockedParent2021-09-15T13:12:54Z— updated 2022-05-17T16:59:33Z
Denis Villeneuve is the man!
There’s only one word that came into my mind after watching it: finally.
Finally, a blockbuster that isn’t afraid to be primarily driven by drama and tension, and doesn’t undercut its own tone by throwing in a joke every 30 seconds.
Finally, a blockbuster that puts actual effort in its cinematography, and doesn’t have a bland or calculated colour palette.
Finally, a blockbuster with a story that has actual substance and themes, and doesn’t rely on intertextual references or nostalgia to create a fake sheen of depth.
Finally, a blockbuster that doesn’t pander to China by having big, loud and overblown action sequences, but relies on practical and grounded spectacle instead (it has big sand worms, you really don’t need to throw anything at the screen besides that).
Finally, a blockbuster that actually feels big, because it isn’t primarily shot in close ups, or on a sound stage.
And of course: finally, a blockbuster that isn’t a fucking prequel, sequel, or connected to an already established IP somehow.
(Yeah, I know Tenet did those things as well, but I couldn’t get into that because the characters were so flat and uninteresting).
This just checks all the boxes. An engaging story with subtext, very well set up characters, great acting (like James Gunn, Villeneuve's great at accentuating the strengths of limited actors like Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa), spectecular visuals and art design (desaturated but not in an ugly washed out way), pacing (slow but it never drags), directing, one of Hans Zimmer’s best scores: it’s all here.
I only have one real criticism: there’s too much exposition, especially in the first half.
It can occasionally hold your hand by referencing things that have already been established previously, and some scenes of characters explaining stuff to each other could’ve been conveyed more visually.
Other than that, it’s easily one of the best films of the year.
I’ve seen some people critiquing it for being incomplete, which is true, but this isn’t just a set up for a future film.
It feels like a whole meal, there are pay offs in this, and the characters progress (even if, yes, their arcs are still incomplete).
8.5/10