Hello My Movievaures! I hope you had an amazing week. I’m really excited and quite emotional too, to be writing about one of the most expected movies of the year: Dune. What can I say? This movie has it all: based on an incredible book, directed by one of the most renowned filmmaker in this genre and with a skilled casting in vogue at the moment. All of this being said, was this movie up to the exactions? I would say Yes!…and no. Let me tell you why!

As I said before, Dune is based on the first book of the same name from Frank Herbert published in 1995. This series of books was an incredible success, surprisingly as Sci-Fi novels are not normally praised by the general public. This can be explained by the extraordinary universe Herbert created, with a combination of futuristic societies and feudal rules that allow for a complex political intrigues, as well as monumental acts.

We follow Paul, from house of Atreides, a powerful family reigning over the ocean world of Caladan. After an imperial demand, His father, Duke Leto has accepted the stewardship of the lucrative planetary fief of Arrakis, previously managed by the Harkonnens, a long time enemy of the Atreides. This inhospitable desert planet is the only source of spices, crucial for interstellar voyages, putting it at the center of political and economic plots, for which house Atreides will pay the price with blood.

Paul will therefore face the fall of his life as he was used to, confronting the consequences of betrayal while discovering his central role in a prophecy that will forever change the future of the known universe. It is not easy to summarize the plot, as the involvements and political games are all different for each House and natives of these different planets. However, you don’t need to have a thesis on extragalactic political science to understand what is at stake for the characters, and that is the power of Dune.

The movie is two and half hours long and it felt like minutes. It was an incredible experience all along. However, do not expect a Sci-fi opera with lots of action and choreographed fights. It is a contemplative film, with breathtaking visuals, magnificent music and profound dialogues. Indeed, there are some spectacular combats that really stuck me in my seat (especially because I chose the 4DX experience), but the most powerful scenes are the ones where the actors lead all the energy with their expressions and few words.

As expected, the acting in the movie is splendid. Each and one of the actors portray perfectly a version of Herbert’s characters. I was not completely convinced by Timothée Chamalet as the main character, but he actually did an impressive work. With few words, but striking statements he manages to impersonate this young, calm man, with inner strength and hidden powers that will show him his destiny. Zendaya of course is as good as usual and even though she only spent a few days filming, her presence is captivating.

However, my favorite character/actor in Dune is Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica. Not only her backstory is fascinating tainted with religious education and dark mind control powers, but her role as a mother is endearing and profound. She loves Paul, but she also wants him to become this messiah which can put her in some difficult situations. She is also balances perfectly the coldness of her personality and the robustness & fire of her acts. Oscar Isaac also impressed as Leto Atreides, The Duc and father of Paul. He is honorable, a fighter, but also a loving parent and husband. Both Jessica and Leto will do everything in their power to save Paul.

Of course, there are many other characters worth mentioning, but if I continue writing I’ll be finishing a novel here. I will just finish by saying that the anti-heroes are absolutely frightening in all sorts of ways, which actually causes a real sense of danger. This leads me also to one main point in Dune: we actually get to understand really deeply, but also simply everyone’s motivations. This is very powerful, as many movies fail to explain characters drives which is essential to feel connected.

Finally, I will clear up something that I said at first: the fact that this movie didn’t really met the expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this movie. It was a very emotionally charged moment, that I will probably remember for a long time. But Dune is not for everyone. It is a very poetic movie, with many slow scenes, focusing on the visuals more than anything and a calm rhythm that can actually be boring for some of you. I don’t want to sound snobby, I just know that what will attract the wider public is the casting, but the tempo, little dialogue and complex storyline will block many of you.

In short, Dune is an experience in itself. The visuals, the acting, the storyline, the music, everything syncs up perfectly to create a new masterpiece. However, this movie is not meant to be mainstream, as Marvel movies can be. Of course, this doesn’t mean there is any moral superiority to like Dune better than superheroes movies. Each movie has its own purpose. Nevertheless, I believe many people will go and see Dune hoping it to be something that it is not. And I would really hope that it will be a success enough to allow Villeneuve to create a series of films around this marvelous sci-fi story.

This is all for today My Movievaures! This was a pretty long article and to be honest I could have written even more. I was really excited to be writing about this movie that will clearly be in my top 10 favorite movies of all times. Anyways, let me know in the comments down below your thoughts on Dune, and follow me on Instagram where you can also comment on my post. I’ll see you next week for a new article on The Movievaures.