Dune

 

Dune

Seventy year old men should not watch Part One movies since seeing Part Two may be a bit tenuous. This is the first part of the epic 1965 sci fi novel by Frank Herbert. There are two books running 800 pages in all. The 1984 version of Dune was a box office flop. Dune was one of those 1970’s college campus must reads like Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse Five (I never read Dune).

This Dune has a lot of energy and an A rated cast. The plot is dense but it boils down to some basic elements: feudalism, palace intrigue, colonization, exploitation and a sprinkling of Zen. It is best to watch this movie in chunks. Dune is a great visual movie. The special effects are spectacular with futuristic spacecrafts traveling between planets. The battle scenes are different from other sci fi films in that they involve hand to hand combat. The costumes are unique and a key part of the movie. I am confident Dune will receive Oscar nominations for costume and art production.  

Timothee Chalamet plays Paul Atreides the ducal heir. He is still willowy but gives a strong performance.  He does not have the muscle mass of an epic hero. In one scene he disrobes to put on a desert survival suite and his back looks a portable xylophone. Oscar Isaac is focused and gives his usual strong performance. Jason Momoa provides an ample dose of arched eyebrows. Zendaya has a few scenes at the end of the movie but she does what she does well, smolder. With the exception of Chalamat there are too many diverse scenes for one character to have a sustainable dramatic impact, which is not a bad thing.

If you are a sci fi fan this is a must see. The movie’s visual effects alone are worth seeing. I did not watch the epic credit roll at the end because after 156 minutes I had to do what seventy year old men need to do.