The highly anticipated sci-fi film Dune made over $350 million at the box office nationwide. The film was finally released on October 22 to the public after being pushed back due to the pandemic. Dune, set in a futuristic society, follows the story of young Paul Atreides as he travels to the most dangerous planet in his universe to ensure the safety of his people. This film is based on the bestselling book franchise Dune written by Frank Herbert. The novel was an instant hit and was proclaimed to be the world’s bestselling science fiction novel. Being such a well-known series, fans of the novel were very excited to see the 2021 adaptation of the film. 2021’s Dune isn’t the only screen adaptation of the celebrated novel, as there has been one other attempt in 1984 directed by the famous auteur David Lynch. The 1984 film was considered a flop and very unstructured, so fans were a bit nervous to see what the 2021 adaptation would have to offer.
Denis Villeneuve, a Canadian director, took on the job of bringing Dune to screens. Villeneuve has been a fan of Frank’s Herbert Dune since he was very young, so it was a dream opportunity to adapt the novels into a film. The film stars Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet in the role of Paul Atreides and former Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac as Paul’s father, Leto Atreides. Timothée Chalamet was highly praised for portraying the beloved character of Paul and portraying him accurately with respect to the source material. The film has also gained a rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.2/10 on IMDb. Due to these high ratings, people presume that Dune will have a high chance of winning at the Oscars. The film was very highly praised by critics for its stunning visuals and CGI effects. The visual effects of the film were phenomenal and it was very captivating. It was said to be one of the best visually crafted films of this year. The film does a magnificent job of worldbuilding and pays attention to small details which bring the whole story together.
Viewers of the film that haven’t read the novels may find the film a bit confusing at times, since the majority of the beginning was mostly worldbuilding. The world of Dune, like many other sci-fi media, is complex, and it isn’t always easy to grasp the main concepts of the film. Some fans of the novels felt like some of the characters were watered down, and that the producers tried incorporating too many details into a two-hour film making it a bit difficult to follow. If viewers aren’t paying close attention while watching, they may miss a crucial detail in the plot. Overall, Dune received many good reviews and the second part of Dune is said to be released on October 20, 2023, so stay tuned for what more Dune has to offer!
Sources:
https://www.vulture.com/2021/10/denis-villeneuve-dune-interview-sandworms-and-sequels.html
https://deadline.com/2021/08/timothee-chalamet-interview-dune-venice-film-festival-1234824699/
https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/dune-part-2-release-date-cast-plot-details/
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dune_2021
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a38067377/dune-movie-differences-book/
