Stop Frame

Question: When does a film feel both slow and frantic? Answer: When it’s Dune as made by Denis Villeneuve. Summary: Really? Do you need this? It’s a film based on a book first published in 1965 and in continual release ever since. There have been two previous attempts to film it, first as a feature film in 1984 and then as miniseries in 2000. Fine, a summary: In the far-flung future, the House Atreides is given control of the planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, the only planet in the known universe where mélange, spice, is found. Spice is needed for, among other things, interstellar travel. Thus, he who controls the spice controls the universe. Plans within plans, betrayal within betrayal, ensues. Well, sort of, since Villeneuve’s film only covers around the first 40% of the book. It doesn’t so much end on a cliffhanger as just…end. Part 2 has (finally) been greenlit and is scheduled for October 2023. Meanwhile, Villeneuve has openly campaigned to made the book into three films, so we