Dune : Première Partie

Before I start, I am not very knowledgeable of Herbert's saga, having read only the first DUNE book when I was a kid.

Denis Villeneuve has really delivered an interesting, character building, and visually spectacular sci fi opus. While he had already proven himself in handling delicate material with Blade Runner 2049, I think Dune strikes an even better balance, partly due to the phenomenal source material, which however poses more challenging tasks to the writers and director due to the inherent political backdrop of the storyline.

Even the stellar cast, which are all very recognizable faces and could take away from the world building of the movie deliver excellent performances, and Timothee Chalamet (of whom I am not always the biggest fan) seems born to play the role of Paul Atreides.

DO NOT listen to predominantly American professional reviewers who accuse the movie to be a slow burner and a slog towards the end: in the last few years the "Marvel pocorn" movies have dominated the big budget landscape and the reviewers are just not used to immersing themselves anymore in an actual story.

The cinematography and Hans Zimmer music. An experience that should be obtained by all. Those spaceships accompanied with the music will remain for long time in my mind.

Yes books are read but this movie gives a good impression of the worlds created in our minds.

This movie is the most spectacular, gorgeous and coherent aesthetic experience made available to movie-goers in a long time; it deserves to be seen in Imax. The acting is flawless, of course.

The story telling is faithful to the book and it serves the purpose of setting up a universe that is hard to setup, that said it is flawed as some rare moments fall short of what I have come to expect from Villeneuve.

This movie needs a director's cut release if it is to transcend these shortcomings and become a classic, and I do hope to see more of the profound themes of the Dune universe in the next movie.

A work of art, the cinematography, the music the designs all beautiful. Two and a half hours that passed like nothing and makes you crave for more. The pacing may seem a bit slow at first, but it blends perfectly into the telling of the story. The characters are well writen and played and even some minor inconsistencies within these characters is overshadowed by the pure beauty of the cinematography and the impressive storytelling. Great Movie. Hoping for Part two soon.

I'm a long time fan of the dune universe. Have read all the books multiple times and of course I've seen Lynch's version. This version is a lot better. Excellent world building, visually stunning and full of star power. It moves slow, which on the plus side gives it the chance to go into detail, but on the negative side means by the end it's not even at the halfway point of the first book. So it ends at the moment the mythology is just picking up. Which made me leave the cinema wishing to see part two, which unfortunately they haven't even started filming.

So IMHO the reviews giving this movie a 10 or calling it the movie of the year are overly positive. It's a visually stunning start to a potentially mind blowing universe, but mainly an introduction to that universe. Maybe when the story is finished (wouldn't surprise me if they need three movies for the first book) it will be mind blowing and perfect, but for now this movie is a great introduction to the duneverse. Good, but not great. Yet.