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’ll see if he succeeds and thus whether or not there will be a Part 3.
I harp on this because it’s hard to evaluate the film on its own merits beyond commenting on its overall technical brilliance. The cinematography is gorgeous, the visual effects are flawless, the sheer scale of things is immense. I find Villeneuve films remote and unengaging but his visual style, his “eye,” is impeccable.
It’s that feeling of “remote and unengaging” that haunts me, though. Dune, the novel, is one of those books I’ve read over and over. It was one of the first that when I finished it for the first time, I turned back to page one and immediately started over again. I know and like every character in the book. I am never, ever going to approach anyone’s characterization of them from a neutral point of view. Even given that, however, I was amazed how much I just didn’t care what happened to anyone in this film.
I can’t help but compare it to prior attempts. David Lynch’s 1984 overall disaster of an adaptation started with sheer brilliance. Caladan, the home world of House Atreides, was crashing seas and rich woodwork; you could feel the transition when they arrived you Arrakis, all dry and desert. The casting was beyond impeccable, even as it began to unravel the moment we shifted to Giedi Prime to meet the villains, House Harkonnen.
And ditto for the 2000 SyFy miniseries adaptation, officially known as Frank Herbert’s Dune, only here Baron Harkonnen was perfect. All hail Ian McNeice and his brilliant performance.
In this film, everyone is...okay? Everyone does a fine job, I just couldn’t be bothered to care. While Timothee Chalamet, as our protagonist Paul Atreides, is much, much better than I expected, given what I saw in the trailers, he’s still far too emo for me to want to have any engagement with. I’ve seen it argued that he captures Paul’s angst very well, but what works on the written page doesn’t always work on the big screen. This film, and his portrayal, is a case in point.
Jason Momoa plays Duncan Idaho playing Jason Momoa. He’s fine, he’s fun, but he just feels vaguely off-putting. The worst bit of casting is Zendaya. From her opening narration of the film to her having the film’s last words, she’s dreadful. I’m horrified that Villeneuve has said she’s the focus of Part 2. Maybe he’ll pull a great, or even adequate, performance out of her; I won’t hold my breath.
And what in the world is Javier Bardem doing? After four viewings I’m still trying to figure that out. His portrayal of Stilgar is all over the place.
A standout for me is Babs Olusanmokun as Jamis. He rocks, he truly does. Jamis has a small but pivotal role in Paul’s development and Olusanmokun knocks it out of the park. That said, I’m confused as to why he speaks to Paul in his visions.
If you’re a serious fan of the book, be warned that several significant characters are reduced to names. These include Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson), Dr. Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen), and Shadeout Mapes (Golda Rosheuvel). These characters do things but are otherwise just background noise. This is especially criminal in the case of Thufir and Yueh. The entire notion of the Mentat, as represented by Thufir, is gone; also gone is the entire depth of Yueh's character.
Some sacrifices must be made when you compress a long and dense novel into a film. However, Villeneuve went into this project assuming he would make at least two films. This one clocks in at 2:35; assuming Part 2 is at least that, that’s over five hours of screen time. The 1984 adaptation, even in its original theatrical release, managed to flesh out these characters; the 2000 miniseries is 4:25 total and also did these three justice.
Here, not so much. What you do get it endless shots of…nothing. Slow motion, lingering shots of...stuff. The film focuses on things to the detriment of people. The influence of David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia is clear, but Lean never forgot that his film was about Lawrence and the people he comes to love. With his adaptation of Dune, Villeneuve can’t pull that off.
The problem, of course, is that this is only the first half of the story. This is all setup and absolutely no payoff. When combined with Part 2 (and maybe even a Part 3), in the end this may all work out and become the masterpiece so many already believe it is. Right now, it’s not. My fear is that Part 2 will be Endgame to Infinity Wars, a payoff that destroys the setup.
I wonder if they, the ones who call this "masterpiece," are like me and so many others, starved for intelligent films, especially intelligent genre films, so much so that even a hint of one brings us to ecstasy. Dune (2021) has promise but this is a very rough start.
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