'Dune' Review Thread

Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (26 reviews) with 8.30 in average ratingMetacritic: 76/100 (16 critics)As with other movies, the scores are set to change as time passes. Meanwhile, I'll post some short reviews on the movie.Denis Villeneuve’s attempt to tame the notoriously difficult novel about an interstellar empire at war over control of a precious natural resource has no lack of cinematic spectacle — from its majestic landscapes to its monumental architecture, nifty hardware and impressive spacecraft. It also benefits from a charismatic ensemble led by Timothée Chalamet in intensely swoony form as the young messiah who might lead the oppressed out of tyranny. But it doesn’t quash the frequent claim that the book is unfilmable. At least not in part one of what is being billed as a two-part saga.-David Rooney, The Hollywood ReporterFor all of Villeneuve’s awe-inducing vision, he loses sight of why Frank Herbert’s foundational sci-fi opus is worthy of this epic spectacle in the first place. Such are the pitfalls of making a movie so large that not even its director can see around the sets.-David Ehrlich, IndieWire: C-Denis Villeneuve's adaptation has a majestic vastness, and most of it actually makes sense, but it's an act of world-building that runs out of storytelling steam.-Owen Gleiberman, VarietyDenis Villeneuve’s Dune is beautiful to behold, a faithful adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel. Or of its first half, that is. And therein lies the problem that the film faces, for in cutting this story into two parts, Villeneuve has front-loaded Dune with a lot of set-up and no obvious way to end things… and so it lingers, and eventually overstays its welcome. This is a technically brilliant, visually amazing movie with a top-notch cast and deep sci-fi concepts. A shame, then, that it feels like a drag in its back half.-Scott Collura, IGN: 7.0 "good"An absorbing, awe-inspiringly huge adaptation of (half of) Frank Herbert’s novel that will wow existing acolytes, and get newcomers hooked on its Spice-fuelled visions. If Part Two never happens, it’ll be a travesty.-Ben Travis, Empire: 5/5Good heavens, what a film. The drama is played out with relish by an ensemble cast and Villeneuve is confident enough to let the temperature slowly build before the big operatic set-pieces eventually break cover. He has constructed an entire world for us here, thick with myth and mystery, stripped of narrative signposts or even much in the way of handy exposition. He has handed us a movie to map out at our leisure and figure out on the run: apparently spitting on someone is an gesture of respect, while walking sideways like a crab is the safest way to proceed. After that we’re on our own, wandering in the desert, wonderfully immersed. It’s a film of discovery; an invitation to get lost.-Xan Brooks, The Guardian: 5/5It would be a travesty if we never got to see the second part of this story, but Part One has satisfying narrative threads with a logical endgame that leaves you wanting more. The set pieces, while sporadic, are exciting and the movie presents such a fantastic, robust sci-fi world, you could watch it a million times and find something new with each viewing. And yet, that dense, complex world exists solely to enhance a personal, relatable, emotional story. A story of a world where a boy grows to be a man with all sorts of unfathomable expectations — expectations this movie probably has on it too. But don’t worry, Dune is awesome in every sense of the word, and it’ll be a movie fans cherish for years to come.-Germain Lussier, GizmodoEven with its imperfections, “Dune” as an experience is awesome, with astounding special effects, great production design and a propulsive Hans Zimmer score. Insect/helicopter hybrid vehicles buzz around, Paul’s frequent future visions add a mysteriously neat vibe, and it’s hard to beat scarily mawed sandworms that could stretch across quite a few football fields. You’ll just need to hope for a "Dune" sequel – or head to the books – for it all to make sense. Sure, it's got Spice, but better storytelling would be nice.-Brian Truitt, USA Today: 2.5/4This version of “Dune” sometimes feels as if it aims to impress you more than entertain you; it’s grim on a staggering level, ditching most of the fun of sci-fi yarns in favor of a worldview that feels more like Villeneuve’s “Sicario” or “Prisoners” than his “Arrival.” But it’s also a formidable cinematic accomplishment, a giant mood piece that can be exhilarating in its dark beauty.-Steve Pond, The WrapVilleneuve, not the normally brilliant Lynch, was clearly born to bring this one home. A devotee of the novel since first reading it at age 14 and always having had it on his bucket list of films he would love to make, Villeneuve has gone faithfully, with co-writers Jon Spaiths and Eric Roth, to the heart and soul of Herbert’s vision in focusing on the human element of the futuristic story, set some 8,000 years or so from now when a crisis of ecology and the environment sparks a massive turf war between two families — the Great Houses of Atreides versus Harkonnen — as the battle for survival moves to an imposing planet named Arrakis, aka Dune as its native Fremen tribes call it.-Pete Hammond, DeadlineThe sheer awesomeness of Villeneuve's execution often obscures the fact that the plot is mostly prologue: a sprawling origin story with no fixed beginning or end. (The director has said that he only agreed to take on the project if the studio let him split Dune's narrative into two parts, and that he's still "very optimistic" the second will get made.) Minus the fuller context that Herbert's extended universe and dense mythology provides, the meaning of it all feels both endlessly beguiling and just out of reach: a dazzling high-toned space opera written on sand.-Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly: BPart two of "Dune" must happen so he can finish the hero's journey he started. Audiences deserve to see the conclusion of an action film so immaculately crafted and patiently paced, one that's more focused on inspiring reverent amazement through the simplicity of durable storytelling structures rather than the complexity of cinematic universe building.-Marshall Shaffer, /FILM: 9/10An astounding spectacle, vast in scale and ambition. Prepare to have your breath snatched away.-James Mottram, Total Film: 5/5PLOTIn the far future of humanity, Duke Leto Atreides accepts the stewardship of the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, the only source of the most valuable substance in the universe, "melange" (also called "spice"), a drug that extends human life, provides superhuman levels of thought, and makes faster-than-light travel practical. Though Leto knows the opportunity is an intricate trap set by his enemies, he takes his Bene Gesserit concubine Lady Jessica, young son and heir Paul, and most trusted advisors to Arrakis. Leto takes control of the spice mining operation, which is made perilous by the presence of giant sandworms. A bitter betrayal leads Paul and Jessica to the Fremen, natives of Arrakis who live in the deep desert.DIRECTORDenis VilleneuveWRITERSJon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth (based on Dune by Frank Herbert)MUSICHans ZimmerCINEMATOGRAPHYGreig FraserEDITORJoe WalkerBUDGET$165 millionRelease date:September 3, 2021 (Venice Film Festival)October 22, 2021 (United States on theaters and HBO Max)STARRINGTimothée Chalamet as Paul AtreidesRebecca Ferguson as Lady JessicaOscar Isaac as Duke Leto AtreidesJosh Brolin as Gurney HalleckStellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir HarkonnenDave Bautista as Glossu RabbanStephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir HawatZendaya as ChaniDavid Dastmalchian as Piter De VriesChang Chen as Dr. Wellington YuehSharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet-KynesCharlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen MohiamJason Momoa as Duncan IdahoJavier Bardem as Stilgar via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2VcsFIL