Dune Movie Review: Villeneuve Nails Frank Herbert's Sci-Fi Epic With A Memorable Score

Written by Frank Herbert in 1965, Dune struggled to find a worthy adaptation of the seminal sci-fi novel that inspired many in the genre across all mediums of art over half a century.

Although there have been forgettable adaptations both in David Lynch's 1984 film and a limited TV series in 2000, and the daring but overly-ambitious attempt by Alejandro Jodorowsky that never took off, I believe Denis Villeneuve has finally delivered the colonialist and prophetic world of Arrakis. At least, part one of it for now.

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Already having proven his forte in sci-fi adaptations with Arrival and creating massive set pieces in Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve yet again reinforced that he has an innate ability to breathe these narratives to life in a way that only he can, especially in terms of epic, mind-boggling scale. Dune showcases gigantic space vessels big enough to eclipse a planet. However, it's when the humans interact with such humongous vehicles and transport ships you realise the true scale of things in this fantasy. The giant sandworms of the desert also remind you how puny humans are in this world.

The clever cinematography equally contributes to creating this contrast of size. I can now fully empathise with Villeneuve's strong refusal to simultaneously release the film on HBO Max. It would be criminal to not watch Dune in theatres and cinema halls, doing justice to its grand vision and amazing soundscape.

The background score of a film exploring a completely new world with powerful cultural inclinations is itself a gargantuan task. Especially for such an ambitious project that has been shrouded with controversy for decades. So it had no scope for failure. Hans Zimmer was tasked to compose the sounds of the desert planet. And he delivers!

From the moment the film begins, the score pulls you into the world and fully immerses you. Only when there were moments of silence was when I realised there was in fact a score playing. Whether it's the screeching pain during Paul's Gom Jabbar test, the scheming Bene Gesserit witches, the brutality of the Harkonnens, the nobility of the Atreides, or the tension of an impending sandworm attack, Zimmer complements the visuals with his inimitable, world class score.

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Readers of the novel will know how in-depth Herbert went to describe Arrakis. This involved the ecological and environmental aspects of the desert planet which makes it so valuable across the entire universe. I'm speaking about the spice and its importance not only towards the Imperium but to the planet's locals, the Fremens, as well. Multiple galactic factions and races are present in the story where the Fremen have a strong backstory of a culture and religion inspired from the Middle East.

Then there's the smorgasbord of characters that I'd admit became a little difficult to keep track of while reading the book. Finally, there's the central story around the prophecy of the one saviour that continues throughout the series. There's a lot to digest and pay attention to in Dune's civilizations.

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An attempt of packing so much together was the reason why its film adaptation witnessed such a bumpy journey throughout. Villeneuve strikes a good balance of not over-indulging the details and not skipping the primary plot of Paul's messianic journey. The director's creative liberties are only limited to storytelling while keeping the source intact. I'm glad with the choice of not repeating the narrator-delivered exposition technique used in Lynch's film.

Instead, Villeneuve chose to tell us more about Arrakis via Paul learning about the planet through an encyclopedia and during situations where he has to apply his knowledge such as how to walk on the sands to prevent a sandworm attack. The prophecy of Lisan al-Gaib is crucial to the story and I loved how it is gradually revealed by several Fremen whenever they encounter Paul.

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Villeneuve had the advantage of the current technological advancements in visual effects to properly create the worlds using real locations and computer graphics in conjunction. All the vehicles, costumes, weapons, and buildings feel just like the way Herbert describes them in the novel. The highly skilled cast come from major blockbuster franchises and go on to fit their roles quite strongly in Dune.

While reading the description of Paul Atreides, Timothee Chalamet was obvious and expected for the role considering his recent popularity and amazing performances. Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Zendaya as Chani, Jason Momoa as Duncan, Stellan Skarsgard as Baron, Dave Bautista as Rabban and Javier Bardem as Stilgar felt perfect in their roles.

A fresh audience which hasn't read the book won't be left overwhelmed by the film. While there are certain traits that haven't been explored for a few characters, there's still the second part to look forward to, that would hopefully be a trilogy if things go well for Villeneuve.

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Dune has always been on top of recommendations for readers who love the sci-fi genre. I avoided the novel all this time primarily due to the size of the entire series that spans six books. However, when the film adaptation by Villeneuve was announced, I used this as the perfect opportunity to jump into the first book. Since the cast was already revealed when I began, it was easier to put a face to them and read through. If you're planning to read, all I can suggest is to push through the first couple of hundred pages. It is purely world-building until that point, and the story picks up brilliantly after it.

Whether you watch the film before or after reading the book, I think Villeneuve has constructed a cinematic masterpiece of Herbert's vision and brought it to life with a powerful background score, insane visual effects and set design, and a strong cast and crew. My only gripe with the film is the build-up in the final act only to end on the segue to the upcoming part two of the film. It did leave me wanting for more and to stay in the world of Dune but it didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion as a standalone film. However, if you've been waiting for Dune since you read it, you definitely have to watch it on the big screen.