Dune Review
The issue with adapting something deemed unfilmable is that invariably you end up compromising on the source material at some point. There are numerous cinematic examples to point to this. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings dropped characters like Tom Bombadil, and Ang Lee compromised on the relationship between Pi and the tiger, Richard Parker, in his adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel; all for the sake of cohesion. It’s not an uncommon fallout from adaptation and so it’s unsurprising that the same has occurred for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune.
This adaptation of the Frank Herbert science fiction classic follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet in smoldering form) as he and his family are thrust into a war over the desert planet Arrakis. Here they must survive amongst the native Fremen, imperial politics and their enemies the House Harkonnen. The ensemble cast includes Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Jason Momoa, Zendaya and many more. The ensemble cast all do fine work here though the standouts are Mamoa, who effortlessly is absorbed into Villeneuve’s filmic world, Skarsgård who bulges with contempt and Sharon Duncan-Brewster who balances the right amount of torn allegiance and imperial indifference.
Narrative compromise is rife in this cerebral adaptation. When it works it streamlines the more complex aspects of Herbert’s story, when it doesn’t however it threatens to buckle the film under its own vast weight. Make no mistake, Dune is worth watching. It’s an epic achievement of production, an esoteric space odyssey with enough aplomb to justify the hype. Achievements aside, the narrative compromises that Villeneuve and co-writers Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth make at times lean towards the excessive. Readers of Herbert’s work will note the extended opening sequence on the Atreides home planet, Caladan. Where Herbert was swift and concise with information when needed, Villeneuve and Co. seem content to let the audience figure it out to often the film's detriment. The impact on the narrative as a whole means that the film is weighed down by lore and concepts that some will need the cognitive ability of a Mentat to process all at once.
Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac and Stephen McKinley Henderson.
Like Apple TV’s recent adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, Dune finds itself in a similar situation. Both works are adapting science fiction classics which were revolutionary entries into the genre. However, both adaptations face the challenge of showing engaging worlds and introducing concepts which have been bastardised and ripped off in other works. So the challenge then is to forge a unique vision while still maintaining narrative cohesion. For both works it’s certainly a challenge they face with vigour. However, this does not always have to be a challenge, some aspects of Villeneuve’s film could do with taking from those who already were inspired by Herbert's work. George Lucas and Co. perfected the art of exposition with the Star Wars opening crawl, something which perhaps would have benefitted the overlong introduction on Caladan. Likewise what is Jabba the Hutt if not the worm version of Baron Harkonnen. Some concepts are made distinct enough to avoid comparisons, for example the Bene Gesserit voice here is soul piercing, avoiding comparisons to the Force. However at times it seems Villeneuve is too focused on making this Dune distinctly unique even when it’s not needed. James Cameron proved with Avatar that audiences will flock to an unknown world, and while Cameron’s film is certainly less highbrow (and achieving) than Villleneuve’s adaptation, it certainly fared better with explaining the intricacy of its lore than the film does with the world of Herbert’s novel.
In many ways, maybe that’s not a critique of Dune. While some of the more complex concepts of Herbert's novel may be too heavy for general audiences, the film certainly shows it has been made by lovers of the source material. Each scene drips with production value and artistry. The costume work by designers Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan is eye wateringly opulent, the production design by Patrice Vermette aches with grandeur, and the cinematography of Grieg Fraser effortlessly displays this beauty. This is work designed for the biggest screen you can possibly see it on and it’s worth it for the cinematic experience alone. Dune is ambitious in scope and in storytelling. Villeneuve has never been the most accessible of filmmakers and for many Dune will not be the work that makes him so. For audiences who found Blade Runner 2049 to be too dull for their tastes then Dune will seem like watching paint dry in comparison. This is not a science fiction blockbuster like Star Wars, it’s anything but. Violence and action in Villeneuve's films has always been fast and brutal, barely giving time for the audience to process the event. This can be seen in Sicario and Blade Runner and Dune is no exception. If anything Dune bears resemblance to Snyder’s Watchmen. Both adapted “unfilmable” works and at times struggled under them, however where Watchmen largely failed, Dune succeeds.
In short, Dune has the true makings of an epic but occasionally struggles with the weight of the source material. If anything it’s clear from the film that it is an opening act, one which attempts to avoid the pitfalls of an origin story and somehow manages to limp its way there. It’s at times obtuse but overall manages to succeed as a cinematic experience. It would be a travesty not to see Villeneuve and Co. return to finish what they started. After all, all good stories deserve a proper ending.
