For most of my life, I've only heard passing mentions and saw brief clips of the 1984 film "Dune", based on the novel series by Frank Herbert. In 2021, a new adaptation was made featuring an all-star cast, including Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, etc. Given the intriguing setting and the positive reception, I decided to check it out to see what the fuss is about.
Plot: Set in the future where planets are colonized by a vast empire, young prodigy Paul Atreides finds himself thrust in a conflict between his noble family and a conspiracy threatening to kill them all over the desert planet Arrakis, which holds a precious "spice" that grants heightened vitality and expanded consciousness. His only hope is to survive, realize the meaning of his strange visions, and find the local inhabitants called Fremen to ally against their common enemy.
As I never read the novel or saw the old film, I will judge this by its own merits. The setting is pretty interesting; fascinating technology, power dynamics, distinct cultures, and the iconic giant sand worms are cool. The visual style is like something out of an epic documentary if it was done by Ridley Scott. The main cast is overall decent with a few relationships I found engaging, my favorite being Momoa's character Duncan as he brings a lot of charm to the screen. The action and effects hold up fairly well with much of it boiling down to sword fights (with combatants having energy shields), chases, and some explosions. With these positives, I really wanted to like this movie, but alas it falls short. The most damning aspect of the film is the pacing. At two and a half hours long, it is VERY slow. It relishes in its atmosphere, vast expanses, drawn-out dialogue scenes, and Paul having lots of vague visions. The basic story beats are good, but the film just crawls from one to the other. It comes across as being very self-indulgent, making me struggle to stay interested even when the action happens. With a few exceptions, most of the characters speak with low tones that can make things a bit tricky to pick up and the music is very monotone, further making this it drag at times. The story also ends on a cliffhanger, which, given that this is the first half of the book we're talking about, is understandable, but it felt like the storyline was suddenly cut off without much resolution and honestly I was glad it's over.
"Dune" 2021 had grand ideas, but failed to suck me in. On the upside, it made me a bit curious about the original 1984 movie. All in all, a mild curiosity and little more in my eyes.
Plot: Set in the future where planets are colonized by a vast empire, young prodigy Paul Atreides finds himself thrust in a conflict between his noble family and a conspiracy threatening to kill them all over the desert planet Arrakis, which holds a precious "spice" that grants heightened vitality and expanded consciousness. His only hope is to survive, realize the meaning of his strange visions, and find the local inhabitants called Fremen to ally against their common enemy.
As I never read the novel or saw the old film, I will judge this by its own merits. The setting is pretty interesting; fascinating technology, power dynamics, distinct cultures, and the iconic giant sand worms are cool. The visual style is like something out of an epic documentary if it was done by Ridley Scott. The main cast is overall decent with a few relationships I found engaging, my favorite being Momoa's character Duncan as he brings a lot of charm to the screen. The action and effects hold up fairly well with much of it boiling down to sword fights (with combatants having energy shields), chases, and some explosions. With these positives, I really wanted to like this movie, but alas it falls short. The most damning aspect of the film is the pacing. At two and a half hours long, it is VERY slow. It relishes in its atmosphere, vast expanses, drawn-out dialogue scenes, and Paul having lots of vague visions. The basic story beats are good, but the film just crawls from one to the other. It comes across as being very self-indulgent, making me struggle to stay interested even when the action happens. With a few exceptions, most of the characters speak with low tones that can make things a bit tricky to pick up and the music is very monotone, further making this it drag at times. The story also ends on a cliffhanger, which, given that this is the first half of the book we're talking about, is understandable, but it felt like the storyline was suddenly cut off without much resolution and honestly I was glad it's over.
"Dune" 2021 had grand ideas, but failed to suck me in. On the upside, it made me a bit curious about the original 1984 movie. All in all, a mild curiosity and little more in my eyes.