BEYOND FEAR, DESTINY AWAITS.
Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) brings his wife (Rebecca Ferguson) and son (Timothée Chalamet) to a desert planet where he will oversee the valuable sourcing of a drug called ”spice”, but betrayal awaits them.
Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious adaptation of the notoriously difficult novel cuts the story in half, but is still vastly superior to the 1984 version. Impressive in every technical department, offering music, costumes, sound design and machinery that trigger one’s imagination.
Muscular, towering and grimly serious, the film has everything except genuine thrills and emotions. Stellan Skarsgård is game as the revolting Baron Harkonnen.
2021-U.S. 155 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. Screenplay: Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth. Novel: Frank Herbert. Cinematography: Greig Fraser. Music: Hans Zimmer. Production Design: Patrice Vermette. Costume Design: Jacqueline West. Cast: Timothée Chalamet (Paul Atreides), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), Oscar Isaac (Leto Atreides), Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem. Voice of Marianne Faithfull.
Trivia: Co-produced by Villeneuve. Filmed in 2019 and delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Followed by Dune: Part Two (2024) and a TV prequel, Dune: Prophecy (2024).
Oscars: Best Cinematography, Film Editing, Original Score, Production Design, Visual Effects, Sound. BAFTA: Best Cinematography, Original Score, Production Design, Special Visual Effects, Sound.
