Dune

This is an article “Dune” by Marc Primo

Release date: 21 October 2021 (USA)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Language: English

Production Companies: Legendary Pictures

Producers: Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve, Cale Boyter, Joe Caracciolo Jr.

Spoiler alert: Fans of the best-selling Dune novels have been waiting for the new film adaptation that generated so much hype, and it has finally arrived after numerous incarnations of the pop culture favorite. From David Lynch's original, Alejandro Jodorowsky's halted work, and this new vision from Dennis Villeneuve, the Dune film series has made its mark as one of the best sci-fi tour de force in movie history.

Through this review, we'll attempt to go into the depths of the Dune iceberg by reviewing the string of work that led to the current adaptation. Fans may somehow reconcile the contrasting views conjured through the years into one more precise journey, covering this cultural gem's most shallow theories down to its deepest.

It's safe to say that not everyone has a full grasp of the Dune legacy, whether via print, film, or any other medium. For this retrospect, however, let's focus on the premier artists that applied their genius to Frank Herbert's timeless novel. For fans of the new Dune movie, read along to find out if all the decades of 'spicing up dreams' were enough to deliver a satisfying adaptation of the celebrated classic.

A visual feast cut in the middle

Fueled by a strong cast of stars that include Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, and Dave Bautista, the new adaptation from Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) was pegged as a sure hit early on. With its captivating work in cinematography courtesy of Greig Fraser (The Mandalorian, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), the new film is a fantastic visual journey of epic proportions that will provide followers with a memorable cinematic experience.

Inevitably, however, fans will compare Villeneuve's work with that of past directors like Lynch and Jodorowsky, who themselves presented their vision of the sci-fi masterpiece.

The first Dune film was released in 1984 and directed by no less than David Lynch (Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet), and is arguably the best 'dream theme' director of all time. Though the film flopped and was even labeled one of the worst films of all time, it has cemented itself in the annals of sci-fi film history with its unique and imaginative depiction. Despite its massive budget and big stars that included Sting, a young Kyle MacLachlan, Sir Patrick Stewart, and Oscar-winner Linda Hunt, Lynch somehow failed to capture the fans’ imagination. For Herbert’s part, he had earlier given his seal of approval to Lynch’s work. Nonetheless, every critic at the time knew that cramming everything into a two-hour feature would compromise the novel’s depth, make things predictable, and sacrifice a big chunk of the story’s magic.

Perhaps, one of the first lessons all filmmakers learn when shooting movies in Hollywood is that big money and star power are not enough to guarantee a gem. The same could have been applied to Villeneuve's work, as the director apparently opted to skimp on the magic halfway through the cult classic. Still, it somehow surpasses pop culture standards, a feat that Lynch's depiction failed to achieve.

Jodorowsky's Dune

Then, there was surrealist Alejandro Jodorowsky's (El Topo, The Holy Mountain) foiled work which, to many fans, proves to be what could have been the most promising adaptation of all. Sharing visions from Salvador Dali's work, Jodowrosky showcased his vision via the documentary Jodorowsky's Dune, which featured the shaman filmmaker's perspective filled with visual madness that could have made it one of the most iconic films of all time. Unfortunately, various Hollywood studios rejected the film project, which came $5 million short of its target $15 million budget.

Jodorowsky's vision for Dune is similar to a delirious trip that the director compares to the 'coming of a god.' Despite not having read or, at least, familiarized himself with Herbert's novel, the unfinished work commissioned Dali, one of the most prolific sci-fi writers of the era Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Total Recall), and actress Amanda Lear (Dallas Buyers Club, Oliviero Rising, Loggerheads). They all were part of the director's dream team.

More than anything, the failed project would have also given audiences a taste of surrealist art from H.R. Giger and Jean Giraud, whose genius Jodorowsky had adored for years. Summing up what might have been, with the members of his dream team having considerable roles in making such hits as the Alien franchise and The Fifth Element, many fans couldn’t help but weep at the unrealized nostalgia.

Dune: Part I

Years later, when Lynch's adaptation broke into cinemas, Jodorowsky enjoyed his redemption by labeling the work 'awful.' Decades later, the director once again shared the same sentiment towards Villeneuve's work.

After its debut on HBO Max and select theaters, Villeneuve's Part I was critically acclaimed at the Venice and New York Film Festivals. However, the new adaptation has yet to be completed, with a sequel already in the works. Fans are being warned early on that the film will be open-ended, but are assured of stunning visuals as a consolation.

In the first part, the dominant Atreides and Harkonnen clans greedily harvest spice – the most valuable commodity in the universe, over the desert planet Arrakis. The young princeling Paul Atreides (Chalamet) is enchanted by Arrakis, but never more than how a blue-eyed Arrakis warrior (Zendaya) frequently visits his dreams.

His passion for the desert planet often veers his focus away from how his father (Isaac) forcefully spoon feeds him with politics, or how his royal witch mother (Ferguson) teaches him magic. The space epic progresses with Paul at the core of all the majestic visuals, as if attempting to share Jodorowsky's vision of how a messiah is coming to bring peace and balance to the universe.

To Villeneuve's credit, Part I is rich with imagination and a haunting pace that allows audiences to feel both its ominous and hopeful vibes, at least for the first part. Its integration of medieval and futuristic details that, when combined, present the oddest imagery of evil nuns in robes, barbaric armies in jetpacks, and the cyberpunk atmosphere of granite and luminous sand grains make everything electric.

Factor in Hans Zimmer's throbbing score of bagpipes and drone sounds as if simulating every viewer's heartbeat and blood flow, and you have a sci-fi film that doesn't need to beg for pop culture approval. Once Part II is ready for release, only then can fans tell whether Villenueve’s adaptation simply meets expectations, or dethrones Jodorowsky’s version as the all-time fan favorite.