Dune

Art by Matt Lyon

Rejoice, Dune fans. Director Denis Villeneuve’s deft hands bring just enough spice to make Dune: Part One (2021) a flavourful, must-watch sci-fi, even as the underlying threat of no guaranteed sequel risks bringing it all down.

Sandwiched somewhere between the low expectations of Dune related film projects and the high expectations of Villeneuve’s accustomed masterpieces, the Frank Herbert adaptation had many wondering just how would the novel’s complex world and political machinations translate onto film this time around. 

The answer is fortunately quite well. The film makes careful choices in tightening and streamlining the source material, to provide a cleaner introduction to the main players, and the games they are all playing under the surface. Narrative moments are reworked and reorganized masterfully, with the only major loss seemingly being the inner monologues instrumental to showcasing just how aware of their surroundings characters like Jessica or the rest of the Bene Gesserit truly are, even as chaos threatens them at every turn.

Villeneuve’s biggest strength perhaps is his inspired world-building. The mundane limits of most directors are left far behind as the Canadian director takes on a scope so big seeing it in anything other than IMAX would be a disservice. The contrast between worlds like the Harkonen’s Giedi Prime, the Atreides’ Caladan or the dunes of Arrakis are clear, deliberate and informative of the characters that populate them. Its Star Wars with a darker edge.

The pace of the film picks up quickly, roaring toward a climactic second act, before slowing down for the last third where Villeneuve seems to be taking his biggest risks. He dedicates the film’s final section not to resolution, as most movie-goers would expect, but instead to anticipation. The characters fall into place for new challenges that won’t be tackled in this movie, but instead in a sequel that as of now has not been confirmed or guaranteed. A gamble that hasn’t paid off yet.

With the doubts of successfully creating the world of the Dune series assuaged, the new question instead is whether or not a movie should be judged by its promise and potential or limited to being held accountable for what it can show during its runtime. For Dune, the answer seems to be both. While the possibilities of a sequel are exciting, even without a part two, Dune’s two hours and 35 minutes are jam-packed with breathtaking visuals, a sharp screenplay and an increasingly tense score (courtesy of the talented Hans Zimmer). The film is effective in leaving the audience wanting for more. All that’s left to see is whether we will get that in a return to theatres or a visit to our local library.

For now, if you're a fan of the book, rest easy. Fear is the mind-killer as they say, and with Dune, there’s no reason to be afraid of another failure. This one’s a success.

4 out of 5