Denis Villeneuve's "DUNE"
Movie Review by Dennis D. McDonald
I confess: I was disappointed by Denis Villeneuve’s Dune.
Yes, it’s visually spectacular, its special effects are amazing, and it does a great job of synthesizing more than half of Herbert’s novel.
But there’s something missing.
One possible reason for my disappointment is that I have always loved David Lynch’s 1984 version which I have watched many times. I also enjoyed the SciFy channel Dune series as well. So I’m somewhat spoiled and expect great things when it comes to famous novels like Dune.
Yet, despite the phenomenal visual splendors and spectacular production values of the Villeneuve version, I felt let down.
Lynch’s casting in my opinion was superior. Villeneuve’s casting, while competent, lacks the gravitas and quirkiness of the Lynch characters. For example, I found Rebecca Ferguson, whom I loved in Dr. Sleep, unconvincing as the new Lady Jessica. Her use of “the voice” during her and Paul’s ‘thopter ride to the desert was, I felt, rushed and unconvincing. Perhaps one issue is that Ferguson simply looks too young to be Paul’s mother and spends most of her time looking troubled, not regal.
While the special effects of this new Dune are overall superior to Lynch’s Dune, I still find much of Lynch’s imagery just as effective; even the views we get of Villeneuve’s sandworms don’t really improve that much over Lynch’s. Also, I found in many cases that Lynch’s set design was simply more imaginative and weird. There is nothing in Villeneuve’s vision to compare, for example, with the entry of Lynch’s Guild Navigator into the emperor‘s throne room. Also, Lynch’s views of the Harkonnen home world Giede Prime are way more evil and twisted and probably reflect Lynch‘s fascination with the character of Baron Harkonnen who is only adequately portrayed now by one of my favorite actors, Stellan Skarsgård.
Readers by now will note that I have not commented on how “well“ Villeneuve’s version represents Hebert‘s book. I don’t really think I can answer that question. It’s been many years since I read the novel (which I loved) and its many sequels. I’m also a firm believer that movies based on fiction cannot and should not be identical. The media are different with different tools and strengths for storytelling.
Still, I look forward to seeing part two of Villeneuve’s Dune and hope it gets made. But I wouldn’t be disappointed if he tried to make it a bit weirder and quirky than part one.
Review copyright (c) 2021 by Dennis D. McDonald