Dune – A Re-Review in Brief

Before we start, quick plug, I’ve got a new audiobook out, The First Ambassador to Crustacea. It’s a short science-fiction comedy about an ill-fated trip to a psychic crab planet. There’s action, heavily armed lobsters, and it’s narrated by the fantastic Joel Simler. The book is available for $3.99 wherever books are sold, and if you have Spotify Premium, it’s included in your membership! Ok, back to the re-review!

This Movie IS For

• People who really like sand (sorry, Anakin)
• Those looking for a bizarre, but somehow grounded sci-fi experience

This Movie is NOT For

• Fans of bang, bang shoot-em sci-fi (that’s probably coming at least a little bit in Part 2)
• Individuals who don’t enjoy soundtracks that are driven by a woman wailing against an unsettling backdrop

Brief Review With Spoilers:

I saw Dune when it came out in 2021, but with the second part rapidly approaching (my review), I thought it was worth a revisit. This is also my first watch after reading the book it was based on. Overall, my opinion of Dune is relatively steady; it’s a wonderful film with an incredible score and beautiful imagery. The action is phenomenal, but the film is carried by the unsettling tension between its characters.  

Dune would have been easy to mess up—see David Fincher’s 1984 fever dream starring Kyle MacLachlan and Sting—the book has a very loose sense of time and the flow of events, so to bring it into a cohesive narrative over two and half hours is impressive. Dennis Villeneuve and the writers chose their scenes carefully and managed to make a straight narrative out of circular source material. A lot of the book was cut for time, but it leaves the film centered, and I didn’t miss anything that much.

On my second viewing, I have one complaint, and it’s the ending. Multipart movies always struggle to stand on their own, and Dune is no exception. Paul’s fight with Janis feels like an anticlimax. The whole scene passes in a blink and less than five minutes later, the credits are rolling. In the book, the fight is far from a sure thing and drags out in a moment of wonderful tension. I understand Dune was already two and half hours long—and I hate myself for saying this—I could have used another five minutes. Instead of standing on its own, Dune now hinges on the success of its sequel.

Luckily, there is a phenomenal cast ready to bring that second film to life. If the newcomers can pull off half of what the first film’s actors did, we’re in for a treat. After reading the book, I am stoked for what comes next. Dune: Part 2 has some truly unhinged plotlines to deal with, and a series of insane action set pieces to work through. March can’t come soon enough, and you can bet that I’ll be seeing it on the biggest screen possible.  

4.5/5 Stars – How dare you pull a Fellowship of the Ring and make me wait three years for closure.

More info about how I rate things here.