Dune

I've watched this movie three times so far and I feel it's solidly in 4-5 star territory. The casting is excellent; aurally and visually it's gorgeous; the dialogue is excellent. On rewatching, the pacing seems unnecessarily slow at parts, but that slowness enhanced the first viewing because it gave time to take in the layers of what was going on. I've read the entire Dune hexalogy, and have read the first one about three times. The first Dune starts off very slowly, with a lot of time spent on world-building and introducing players. Villeneuve tries to condense as much of that as he can, dropping visual hints to people who've read the books. These cues, like the desert mouse and the dye on the lips of the mentats, would be pretty opaque for someone who was only watching the movie. Overall, I get the sense that Denis is a huge fan of the books and tried to make a movie translation of the book that is faithful to the spirit and events, without, for example, spending pages on the importance of water. This first movie is probably not worth a rewatch for someone who doesn't already enjoy the series. It will come across as slow, atmospheric, beautiful, and confusing. The excellent performances are really what make it work. The next Dune, which hopefully concludes the first book, should be more enjoyable for a general audience.

So let me start by saying that of you have not read books you WILL get frustrated and hate this movie. No exceptions. Dune is a complex saga and has never been able to translate into a movie. This is why the first attempt at this failed. If you have read the books then continue to read. As a big Dune lover i find this second attempt falling short. I am a bit torn between the two movie versions as now that we have two of them, it worth watching both in order to get closer to the depth of the series. IMO Dune would need to be almost an equivalent to a Marvel Cinematic universe in order to do it justice. At least 6 movies by my count. If only Disney had bought the rights .....

At the time of writing this review, I've only read half of the first book, and yet I cannot understand why people who've also not read them in the reviews seem to hate it. I went to see it a half-dozen times in theaters; this is NOT a movie you want to miss out in IMAX. It has been masterfully crafted; it shows, doesn't tell, and doesn't rush. It communicates plot, context, and emotion through the soundtrack and the visual aesthetic just as much, and even a bit more, than it does through the dialogue. A massive cinematic universe; beautifully portrayed, wonderfully conveyed, and perfectly structured as the collossal story that Frank Herbert intended Dune to be. I cannot wait for Part Two; this has been without a doubt one of my favorite Sci-Fi movies out there. Well done, Mr. Villeneuve.