list/discuss/rate - your recently watched movies

By taking an almost unfilmably complex story and grounding it with some existential humanity, Villenueve & team reproduce Frank Herbert's fantasy-opera with more affection for the novel though less allegiance to it, and take license & liberties where cinema should.   The film, a mere half of the book, is rendered with a painter's eye and photographers' filtered light building a world of elegant geometry, the narrative laced with all the classic myth that inspired Herbert and vibrating with Hans Zimmer's massive score.   An enveloping two-and-a-half hours and worth seeing on as big a screen and sound-system as possible.

I have been captivated by Dune since first reading the trilogy as a spotty 16 year old. I have revisited the novels many times since, far more than other sci-fi. I used to be a big sci-fi and fantasy fan, but read far more factual stuff these days. Dune, though, always resonated with me with its themes of power, a mass of mankind habitually following whatever or whoever made life supposedly easier, and the Golden Path where the ultimate tyrant set mankind free from his own tyranny and its own indolence following a death of sorts brought about as a result of his own breeding programme, itself modelled on and stolen from a sisterhood whose machinations helped bring about the tyranny in the first place. Together with the very strong environmental message and the danger of over reliance on one substance for modern comfort and life (for spice, read oil), this has always been to me the stunning example of intelligent writing about modern political and social life placed in a faraway future.

I was deeply disappointed by Lynch’s effort. It was virtually incomprehensible. The Sci Fi Channel effort was worthy, but suffered from the budget. It is universally accepted that together with Foundation (I have struggled with the tv adaptation of this), Dune was almost impossible to do justice to on the big screen.

Well, no more. I think Villeneuve has done a terrific job. By refusing to make a movie of the novel in one fell swoop, with the second part now going into production, he allowed the story to breath and for an audience, even one unfamiliar with the complex political and religious nuances, to gain an understanding of the basic plot. The ensemble cast is really good. I particularly liked Jason Mamoa as Duncan Idaho (I have a soft spot for both. See is a truly marvellous series), and the Harkonnens were provided with a true malevolence as opposed to cartoon type fatty villains. Chalamet made a very good Paul Atreides, whilst Rebecca Ferguson gave a truly wonderful performance as Jessica, providing her with not only the required regal beauty, but also exposing the human doubts and fragility which made her the target of Bene Gesserit suspicion and hostility.

As might be expected these days, the effects were stunning, and not just the ubiquitous sand worms, but the whole space fleet and spice mining machinery. The battle scenes were especially satisfying.

All in all, this film was one to be cherished. A minor quibble for me was the casting of a female as Liet Kynes, a modern affectation which made no sense at all, aside from a nod to Hollywood sensibilities. The cast was already perfectly diverse, as it had to be given the melting pot of humanity at the heart of Dune.

I might add, at the risk of upsetting Dune purists, that the role of Brian Herbert as executive producer, and Kevin J Anderson as creative consultant undoubtedly assisted the film to be as true to the spirit of the novel, but a watchable version, as it is possible to make.

This will, I believe, be regarded as a classic of the science fiction genre. An intelligent and sweeping adaptation of a hugely influential book, for which it gets a 5 star rating. I can’t wait for the second part, and eventual adaptations of the remainder of the trilogy, and thence to my personal favourite, God Emperor (now THAT would seem to be impossible to film!).