Dune: Watch or Avoid?

Dune: Part One is a 2021 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve with a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve, and Eric Roth. It is the first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, primarily covering the first half of the book. Set in the far future, the movie follows Paul Atreides(Timothée Chalamet) as he and his family, the noble House Atreides, are thrust into a war over the dangerous desert planet Arrakis. Paul, a brilliant young man, belonging to a high-standing family, must travel to this planet to fight in the war between native Fremen people and the enemy invaders, and former rulers of Arrakis, the House Harkonnen. Dune has a total run time of 2 hours and 35 minutes.

The film stars an ensemble cast including Timothée Chalamet(Paul Atreides), Rebecca Ferguson(Lady Jessica), Oscar Isaac(Leto Atreides I), Josh Brolin(Gurney Halleck), Stellan Skarsgård(Vladimir Harkonnen), Dave Bautista(Glossu Rabban), Stephen McKinley Henderson(Thufir Hawat), Zendaya(Chani), David Dastmalchian(Piter De Vries), Chang Chen(Doctor Wellington Yueh), Sharon Duncan-Brewster(Liet-Kynes), Charlotte Rampling(Gaius Helen Mohiam), Jason Momoa(Duncan Idaho), and Javier Bardem(Stilgar).  

Critic Reviews:

“I admire any director who is able to create a self-contained world on such a scale, but this is an epic for the eye, not the heart.”

-Peter rainer

“A spicy journey to an amazing future.”

-Matt singer

“You will be stunned and amazed by the astonishing worlds on the screen, one of the most remarkable examples of cinematic world-building magic ever made.”

-Neli minow

“The mixture of high-tech bombardment and hand-to-hand combat harkening back to Lawrence’s battle of Aqaba. It’s that same mix of grandeur and folly, this time on a cosmic scale.”

-Richard Whittaker

“Director Denis Villeneuve’s vision is evident in every frame.”

-James Berardinelli