Dune (2021) Review - A Passion-Filled Attempt..And That's It

This is the biggest departure that Villeneuve has taken as a filmmaker. And I commend him for trying to create a functional world with this almost impossible source material to adapt.

Because I applaud the efforts and the passion clearly behind this. Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me as much as it is for others; mainly from an emotional level.

There is a long distance between you and the characters. The emotional impact is almost non-existent here as you really find your attention and draw only coming from the performances being given, which are clearly committed and solid for the most part.

Chalamet did not engage me as much. I'm not a big fan of his as he isn't as appealing or engaging as a leading man. He has one or two good moments here but beyond that I felt he wasn't emoting enough to create a well-rounded and engaging Paul. His demeanor and attitude in his roles have always been an issue for me and it's once again an issue here.

While I think the score itself is filled with grand energy and spirit, one of the problems the film suffers from is its reliance on that music. Almost every scene has the score playing in the background and it takes away the emotional development the film is searching for. Literally, if you remove the music, the scenes would mean more and hold legitimate weight. Because as it stands, it comes across more dry than pure.

However, the biggest issues that Dune holds is in its pacing and its structure. I saw the IMAX presentation months back when they showed the opening minutes and I was hoping that it was just condensed for that presentation. When I saw the same beats play out today in the theater (which I will talk about in a sec), I knew then how I was going to feel about Dune once it's done. It's also a bit jumpy with its storytelling. Because there are too many characters to develop, introduce and interact with. And the story tries to give time for all of them but you just feel more lost than understanding of why we go all the way to this other plot to then introduce a character and then coming back to the main story at hand. It's a bit jarring and bizarre; especially knowing the filmmaker we have here.

Villeneuve is one of my favorite filmmakers working today and I honestly believe, of the movies I've seen of his, that this is my least favorite work of his. His previous work is more emotionally satisfying, engaging and more visually interesting than this. This feels like a departure but in a bad way where it just feels standard and not the style of the filmmaker that I know and love. Beyond the way it builds tension, I don't see Denis Villeneuve here and that really bothered me.

Besides some impressive sound design, you could watch this from home and get the exact same feelings. The theater didn't make the movie any better or any worse. The scope of it all can very much be digested and felt just as much from the comfort of your home.

So, because of a real lack of emotional engagement, destructive pace and jarring structure, while Dune does hold some technical efforts that are appealing and enticing, this adaptation and rendition of the story just plays all too familiar and does not create an environment that is well established, investing and distinct enough to become the epic that it clearly is wanting to be.

It's not terrible as there's good craftsmanship to be had in certain areas. It's more disappointing considering the talent involved and thinking more of what it could have been. In the end, it's fine. But I hate saying that coming out of this.

Grade: B-