Dune (2021) Review
After being delayed so many times, the second remake of Dune has dropped in theaters and on HBO Max. Going into this movie, I haven't seen the 1980s remake or read the book of Dune. I only watched the trailers that they put out, that is it. That was my knowledge of the material going in. So how is this movie? Let’s get started!
The Good:
For me the best thing about this movie is the world building. Denis Villenuve crafted this interesting world filled with science fiction elements. This movie feels like if Star Wars and Game of Thrones had a child...this movie will be that. So that certainly helps make the world feel interesting in its nature. But the whole world is filled with rich and interesting mythology. And you understand these different houses and nations that populate this world. In my mind, this might be the best world building in any movie of the entire year. And quite frankly, some of the best that I’ve seen in a while for a movie.
I think it is also safe to say that this is one of the best looking movies of the year, maybe even the best. And I feel like I’ve seen that about other movies, but I do think it is true for this movie. I don’t know how much of this movie was practical and how much was visual effects. But the whole movie looks incredible, the budget is $165 million and you can tell that they used it very well. Even the production design for the different buildings and locations in this movie is great. I sure hope this movie gets a bunch of Oscars for the technical awards, and I’m sure it will do that.
Another strong point for the movie is the cast and the characters. All of the characters are given something unique and distinct about them that makes them pop. That unique thing I mentioned could be a character trait, personality, or the way that they look. Another thing that makes the characters work is the cast they got for this movie is pretty great. Some of the stand-outs would be Jason Momoa and Timothee Chalamet. I’ve enjoyed Jason Momoa in a number of things, but here I think it’s his best performance. I feel like this is a role, where you see him get to act a bit more. But when he’s Aquaman it feels like he’s playing himself but as a human fish. Here you see the more dramatic side that he can bring to a role. But he still gets the swag that he brings to a role. Timothee Chalamet is great as the central character for the movie. You buy him as this guy that is trying to save his people and he goes on this journey. But like I said, everybody in this movie is quite good.
And there is some really good action inside of it, and some of it looks really cool. The action is large in scale, some are big sweeping battles with different nations fighting one another. Others are just two people fighting in a room. They give the heroes of this movie this cool shield technology that has this glitchy look about it and it makes some of the action look really cool. One of the fights between Timothee Chalamet and Josh Brolin early on in the movie is very cool.
Finally, the score for the movie is pretty fantastic. It’s done by the great Hans Zimmer and it fits the tone and vibe of the movie. And what’s cool about it, is that it uses different instruments. So certain melodies use bagpipes, others use the piano. No matter what it is, it’s a great element to the movie.
The Bad:
While I think the story has this great epic vibe about it. I do think the story has some big issues. The big thing is that it feels like half of a story...because it is. This movie was adapted from a book, but the book was too long to squeeze into one movie. So a part 2 might be coming, but this is essentially only half of the book. And since you know that going in, the ending of the movie isn’t satisfying and it feels incomplete. And I really do think that holds this movie back from being a better movie. I would have been fine if they resolved part of the story in this movie, but left some things dangling for part 2. But they didn’t, and that was my biggest issue with the movie.
Also, with the story we do have here it’s pretty hard to follow. So much so that even after watching the movie I still don’t know what the plot was. If you were to ask me what the plot of the movie was, I couldn’t really tell you. Maybe that’s just me but after you watch a movie, you should be able to describe what it’s about. And I couldn’t watch this movie, because it’s trying to set up so many things for part 2.
Finally, this does tie back to what I just mentioned. But since there are so many characters and plot lines in this movie, it can be a bit tricky to remember who is who. And what character’s motivations are through-out the movie. With Rebecca Ferguson’s character it felt a bit unclear as to what she brought to the story, and why she was going with Paul on this journey. Once again, maybe that was just me not fully understanding the movie.
Final Thoughts: In general, Dune is a movie with a bunch of great things about it. The world building, look, cast, action, and music are pretty fantastic. But with the story only feeling like half of a story, as you move into the final moments of the movie it’s not a satisfying end. I’m even wondering if this project would have worked better as a 6-part mini series on HBO Max. So I’m not sure if this movie will get better or worse upon re watch. But as is, I was pretty frustrated with this movie.
The Score: 8.3/10 (B)-Here’s the thing I’m not sold on my rating for the movie. In a couple of days, it could move up or down.
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