Just as the planet of Arrakis destroys all those too weak to brave its scorching deserts, the task of adapting Dune has been the bane of many a director. The siren call of Herbert's iconic sci-fi novels has lead to a series of flops, broken dreams and poor casting choices.
Will Denis Villeneuve be the one to conquer Arrakis? By the end of Dune's 158 minute rune the signs are certainly promising. While Villeneuve's big-budget science-fiction features have always shown promise, there has always been something that they've lacked. Despite big name casts as well as polished special and visual effects, features such as Arrival and Bladerunner 2049 were hamstrung by confused scripts. But here the flaws have been discarded while the old strengths really shine.
Villeneuve's film sets a new gold standard for production design, reaching heights unseen since the glory days of Weta Workshop. Mindbogglingly gigantic, by turns inhuman and intimate, his crew have managed to capture the essence of Herbert's sci-fi masterpiece. The scale is well served by Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser, who is quickly becoming Hollywood's go-to man for sci-fi spectaculars. The costume and prop design plays homage to the best of Lynch's adaptation while striking off in their own direction. The Harkonnens in particular have received a much needed make-over, giving the villains of the piece a much needed sting in their tail. The sets are particularly impressive, and nothing else does a better job of showcasing Dune's distinct mixture of the far-future with the ancient past.
The amazing art direction of Dune is further aided by the awe-inspiring locations, from the fjords of Norway to the deserts of Jordan and Dubai, that help create the alien worlds seen in the film. On top of that the sound direction for the entire film is phenomenal, and if you want the best experience then be on the look out for a cinema loud enough for you to feel each thrum of the bass in your bones. There’s a haunting, otherworldly quality to it that really elevates the entire picture.
There's no getting around the fact that Dune is a lengthy film, with some pacing issues appearing around halfway through its epic run time. After the midway VFX extravaganza Paul is pursued into the desert in a series of scenes that, while engaging individually, are framed a bit too climatically for their place in the narrative. With each climax it seems that the film is about to end, only for the celluloid to keep on spinning. It's a marked contrast to the first half of the film, where Villeneuve immerses his viewers into the world they're about to inhabit for the next two hours and thirty minutes with a patience that is rewarded with real engagement, but after the series of false climaxes in the film's closing hour you find yourself wondering when the film is actually going to end.
The acting is surprisingly convincing for the genre, and even Jason Momoa, whom many fans have taken as a something of a white elephant, delivers a decent, if typical, performance. Rebecca Ferguson almost steals the show as Jessica Atreides, whose expanded role in the action comes as an interesting twist to the source material.
Villeneuve has already delivered what might just be the blockbuster of the year with his Dune. With a sequel already in the works, the way has been prepared.