By Jack McLaughlin
“Dune” is the adaptation of the grand sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert. The film follows the plot of the book, which is about the character Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, coming to the planet Arrakis with his family in order to take control over the precious resource indigenous to this planet.
It has been a long time since I’ve been this excited about a movie being this good, and “Dune” has the potential to be the best movie that’s come out this year.
Right away, the most impressive thing about this movie is how it looks and sounds. The filmmakers have done an excellent job making this world look as real as possible and this helped completely immerse me in the experience.
The soundtrack, done by Hans Zimmer, is one of the rare instances where I actively listen to it outside the movie. I found myself looping the whole soundtrack instead of listening to my regular music.
Of the expansive soundtrack recorded for the film, the tracks I return to most often are “Arrakeen” and “Ripples In The Sand.”
These aspects make the film feel grand, a big experience that requires the biggest and loudest theater to enjoy to the fullest. I made an effort to seek out this type of theater, and it was worth the long car ride filled with traffic and even a near accident.
Without the technical achievements this movie made, you are still left with an engaging story with resonating performances all across the board.
The highlight performances that are stuck in my head come from Timothée Chalamet, Jason Momoa, and Stellan Skarsgård
Chalamet carries the important task of being the protagonist for this grand story, and is able to properly convey a character that must suddenly take a great deal of responsibility due to the circumstances he is placed in.
His performance, especially in the second half of the movie, made me finally understand why people are in love with this actor.
Jason Momoa portrays the character Duncan Idaho. His performance adds a much needed levity to the grand and serious story that is being told.
He also has one of the best moments in the movie, an emotion-filled action scene toward the end, that
cements the character as one of the best.
But truly the most engaging performance for me was Stellan Skarsgård’s portrayal as the Baron.
His creepy performance, which perfectly accompanies his terrifying design, is one of the best parts and only made me want to see more of him.
If I had to find something that disappointed me in this movie, it’s the ending. This film is posed as part one of a bigger narrative, and the ending reflects that with a pretty abrupt conclusion.
When the film ended, I snapped up from my seat and was genuinely shocked that it had already been two and a half hours.
The director, Denis Villenueve, has made a name for himself over the past few years for his Sci-Fi movies that heavily deliver engaging stories and gorgeous special effects. “Dune” follows this trend as it’s the best project he’s worked on, and my new personal favorite of his.
“Dune” succeeded in making me want to learn everything about this world. After seeing the movie, I now have a desire to seek out the books and join the people who are now anxiously waiting for the second half of the story to be adapted.
It’s been too long now since there’s been a movie that I’ve deemed absolutely necessary to see in theaters, and if you’ve been avoiding going for the past year, I highly recommend this as your return to the theaters instead of streaming it.
Rating- A: It may just be the best movie that’s come out this year.