Movie Review: Dune (2021)
Rating: 2 Stars
All-star cast? Check. Experienced writers and director? Check. Insane blockbuster budget? Of course. Yet somehow the end result is less Star Wars and more Waterworld.
And yet I recall being intrigued by Waterworld. Dune had to work a bit harder to grab my attention and in the few moments it did, the film would drag along shots and scenes to the point I was ready for a snooze.
The first hurdle is finding likable and relatable characters to gravitate to. Casting Jason Momoa as your friendly neighborhood meathead seems like a good idea in theory but his role as the hilariously named Duncan Idaho is plain and dry. This becomes a theme as the violence picks up, my investment in who lives and dies did not.
What about Oscar Issac as Duke Leto Atreides. I liked him as the awfully named Poe Dameron in the most recent Star Wars trilogy. Leto is a caring father on an important political mission in a distant marriage balancing his strange relationship with his hormonal son. There’s an early scene where Leto is ‘dadding’ it up with his boy Paul (Timothee Chalamet) and he comes across more as an older brother than his father.
Speaking of Star Wars, Dune reminded me of Phantom Menace. Politics is the name of the game in this galaxy far far away and there’s an unseen emperor with their hand on the pulse of it all. There are varying motives for the species and races between self-preservation and complete power and control.
Dune introduces as much as it can throughout its first hour and change. The big baddies are the Harkonnen led by their leader known as the Baron. The Harkonnen are an oppressive bunch but their motives are unclear outside of they’re bad for the sake of greed and villainy. For some that may be enough but for a movie that stretches out its depth, the Harkonnen are a shallow entry. Dave Bautista cast as the lead Harkonnen henchman was easily the best casting choice in the film.
Dune follows the adventure of Chalamet’s Paul to a desert planet that is rife with spice. Spice is the universe’s most sought-after resource and the planet Arrakis is abundant with it. The emperor makes a power play to put the noble House Atreides in command of Arrakis after the brutal Harkonnens were told to get lost. I’m sure that went over well at the big council board meeting off-screen.
Paul splits his time combat training with Aquaman and Josh Brolin and with his mom who conceals a darker side to Paul’s upbringing. Paul is presented with a hero’s journey which clocked out as the least intriguing element of the film. Chalamet lacks passion and energy in the role that’s either attributed to how the character is written or how Chalamet is meant to portray him. No matter which, Paul is not a sympathetic figure.
Dune presents a universe filled with secrets and brims with fantasy sci-fi originality. The body shield mechanisms, while not fully explained, add a visual dynamic to the fight scenes. The helicopters look like dragonflies but the sand crawlers might’ve been poached from A New Hope (or maybe it was the other way around?). The emperor may’ve outlawed traditional guns or blasters because most ground soldiers fought with swords.
Dune is well-shot, the music is well-produced, and the special effects are all up to par. There’s enough world construction built in Dune Part One that makes me curious for Dune Part Two but my expectations are mild. The trouble with building out two films is that Dune Part One lacks a satisfying conclusion. Dune Part One is a beginning, middle, but no end. Not even a cliffhanger.
Dune is directed by Denis Villeneuve who has previously directed Blade Runner 2049 (on my shortlist of movies to watch), Arrival (the sci-fi movie critics praised excluding myself), and Sicario. Given that Dune Part Two was likely funded while Dune Part One was in production, Villeneuve directed this film too safe for my taste. With the promise of more Zendaya to come, Part Two was inevitable. The question is can this revitalization of a film famously panned in the 80s come to fruition as a blockbuster franchise in the 21st century? I have my doubts as this opening is more cult classic material than franchise material.
