Dune (2021) *

 

Directed by:  Denis Villeneuve

Starring:  Timothee Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Javier Bardem

I don't know how long-awaited this remake of the 1984 flop based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel has been awaited or whether it was awaited at all.   Ready or not, here is the 2021 version and it is a boondoggle.   I saw the 1984 version in bits and pieces.   Nothing of what I saw made me want to double back and watch the entire movie.  

I viewed the entire 2021 version.   I remember when watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy that I wished they provided the audience a list of characters and places so we could keep them straight.  Dune sorely needs that.   Even the voiceover narration in the beginning of the film does not help.   I was able to ascertain that there is a galaxy-wide fight over desert planet Arrakis which produces spice, a profitable hallucinogen.   A young man named Paul Atreides (Chalamet), son of an honorable duke (Isaac) is Destined to lead the way in the fight against the Emperor and Baron Harkonnen (Skarsgard) either to gain to control of the planet to take over the spice production or to destroy it.   I couldn't quite gather exactly what the endgame was.   The list of what I was unable to gather from Dune is extensive indeed.

Dune, directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner: 2049), is visually stunning with first-class production values and a stellar cast of terrific actors, but to what end?   The actors recite lines with conviction as if they know what's going on, but we in the audience are lost in a sea of clunky dialogue, no forward story momentum, and no payoff we care about.   I suppose we are supposed to be happy for Paul as he Fulfills His Destiny, whatever that destiny entails, but we're left feeling indifferent about Paul and the entire movie for that matter.

This is only part one.  A Dune Part Two will surely follow and maybe then the pieces will come together and the morass of characters and plotlines will coalesce into something tangible and enjoyable.   Doubtful, but you never know.   That's why I go to the movies, because I try to be an eternal optimist.