Dune: Part One (2021) Dir: Denis Villeneuve
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With the second part of Denis Villeneuve's vast and epic science fiction trilogy imminently arriving, it felt only right to revisit the opening act, and see if it holds up to the relatively mountainous praise I gave it two years ago. Frank Herbert's series of books are as daunting as they are famous, but that did not stop Villeneuve from throwing his weight behind this on-screen adaptation, some fourth years in the making.
The auditory experience of the film is a rather mixed affair. The score of Hanz Zimmer is exquisite, as one would expect of the great composer. However, the sound design was a little bit off for me, something I recall having an issue with last time I watched the film. There were parts of the film that were far too loud, and others not quote loud enough - at least for my ears.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser provides an, at times, magisterial array of visuals, which was not so easily done, with the bulk of the film taking place on a desert world. I know the cinematography wasn't to everyone's taste, but I personally was impressed. I felt that Fraser and Villeneuve created a stunning film, which never failed to emphasise the scale of the world.
One thing I certainly grew more critical, or at least aware of, was the writing. The exposition is rather clunky, and the final third of the film loses so much momentum, due to a combination of writing and pacing issues. However, these problems were not too egregious, and only slightly took away from my enjoyment. The film was strongest in its loudest moments, in many respects - the action stood above the rest.
Timothée Chalamet leads an impressive array of talent, in what was, in my view at least, one of his strongest performances so far. I thought he worked off of his co-stars very well, and he did not feel at all out of place in the role. On the contrary, I only see his performances as Paul improving from here-on-in.
I grow more fond of Rebecca Ferguson's acting the more I see her - I didn't remember her much from my previous viewing, but I enjoyed her a lot this time around. I felt she was, for much of the film, the most interesting person on-screen.
Oscar Isaac had a powerful and commanding presence to him, as he flexed his ever more respectable acting muscles, and brought to the fore a [----] performance, befitting such an important role.
Josh Brolin and Jason Mamoa both provided some excellent moments in their supporting roles, particularly Mamoa, who I felt was very likable. Stellan Skarsgård and Dave Bautista had very little screentime, but both felt extremely memorable, thanks to some big performances from the pair.
There were a number of other smaller roles that I enjoyed, or at least felt deserved mentioning - those being the performances of Zendaya, Sharon Duncan-Brew, Stephen McKinley, Charlotte Rampling, David Dastmalchian and Javier Bardem.
Overall, while my spice-tinted glasses may have cracked a little before my more cynical and educated eyes, I still have a lot of appreciation for this opening foray into Frank Herbert's indomitable science fiction saga. Some aspects of the film might have seemed worse upon a revisit, but others certainly seemed better as well.
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