So, we watched Dune the other night. Flipped on the HBO Max, fired up the big screen and dove into the latest movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. Was it perfect? No. But here’s my takeaway as a huge fan of the books: That’s about as good as we’re going to get. Enjoy it.
(RELATED: ‘Dune’ – Final Trailer (We’ll Be Needing That 2nd Movie))
The film is flat out gorgeous. Zero problems there. Art direction. Design elements are fantastic. Overall it’s what I wanted. I dug it. My problems with the production are really quite small. Not sure that Timothee Chalamet was the best choice for Paul. He’s good. He’s fine. Don’t get me wrong. But I’m not on board 100%. I’m 90% there. My only other criticism is the sound design. Can we please crank up the volume whenever someone starts whispering? Please? This goes for all of Hollywood lately. Talking to you, Christopher Nolan. That’s honestly my only beef with Dune. They did one hell of a job!
There is a ton to love here. This is what I wanted from a Dune movie. Some people are questioning where the filmmakers decided to end part one, but knowing the story and the book pretty well, I don’t know where else you could (or should have) ended it. The problem is in the source material. You want to give your hero some kind of victory at the end. So, I’m on board with what they chose. It is what it is. We just HAVE to have part 2 now. HAVE to. Don’t leave us hanging.
Special shoutout section! Javier Bardem put on a fucking acting clinic! Holy crap. Dude had a teeny scene where he meets Duke Leto and absolutely stole the show. The guy walked on screen for 2 minutes? And was the most interesting dude in the movie! Could not have enjoyed that more. Remember kids: There’s no small parts, just small actors! Ask Javier about that. And to whoever did the vehicle design, the FX. The art dept. Costumes, etc. You all just crushed it. And lastly the vehicles were super satisfying. The Ornithopters were everything I wanted and more! Now let’s get to work on part 2. Like immediately.