Dune is a notoriously difficult text to adapt onto the screen. The novel is genius but it is also dense and heavy with worldbuilding. A book that favours political conversations over action, something film audiences may not always appreciate. Yet, I feel Denis Villeneuve’s version lives up to the feel and themes of the book whilst making it cinematic and exciting for viewers.

The film focuses on a portion of the first book, and I think this is a smart move from Villeneuve. It would be nearly impossible to fit all of Dune into one movie, and I say that as a person who also loves the 1984 film adaptation. I guess that may reveal some of my bias. I am a Dune fan and I love it in all forms, even when it’s bad.

Regarding the plot, there is a lot to explain. The movie does a good job going into the worldbuilding, so I can be brief here if only to entice you to watch it for yourself. Dune is an imagined future where humans are spread out amongst several far-away planets. They have conquered faster-than-light space travel but rely on a substance called spice in order to accomplish this. Spice is only available on one planet, Arrakis.

There is much more to this backstory that includes the distrust of computer technology, an intricate breeding programme amongst elite families and universal magical powers like seeing the future. Explaining it all would take a novel and it’s far more interesting to read/watch yourself.

The story we witness actually begins with the Atreides family who has just been ordered by their space society top dog, Emperor Shaddam, to take over Arrakis and its spice production. This makes the family many enemies. Mostly we see the story through the eyes of 15-year-old Paul Atreides, an important character as his family is very influential, but also because he is the chosen one.

Our Paul is played by Timothée Chalamet, although not what you’d expect as a hero role, Chalamet really is a great casting and captures the nuances of Paul’s character. Paul is an outwardly confident yet insecure teenager who must face a coming of age alongside a calling to save mankind itself. Chalamet has the necessary regality as a Duke’s son and yet has a connection with the audience that is needed to really root for him.

There are so many other great performances here. Rebecca Ferguson did amazingly as Lady Jessica and Stellan Skarsgard was a spectacular villain (but he kind of always knocks it out of the park). On top of that everything from editing, to wardrobe, sound design and more was phenomenal. It really added to the world-building in a way just as detailed as Herbet’s writing and was gorgeous for the viewer’s eyes and ears too.

Dune is an epic piece of cinema. It’s powerful, brooding and a total spectacle. I do recommend this as a watch for anybody who even has a slight inclination towards the sci-fi or fantasy genre. I also recommend it to anyone who just likes cinematic films. However, I will admit it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it’s worth a sip anyway.

Putting Dune into two halves is smart, however, I understand people’s disappointment with the consequences of this. Mainly to do with the lack of Zendaya in the film. She took centre stage when it came to promotion for the movie, yet her screen time only reaches 7 minutes. Shamefully small when you consider the 2-hour and 35-minute run time.

I get why people would be upset with that. We all want more Zendaya on our screens, she is a great actress with a lot of talent. Her character, Chani, is much more relevant in the latter part of the book and so I see why she wasn’t heavily featured in this film. To force her in more would be wrong. However, I think the marketing was a bit heavy-handed and could have scaled back in order to not cause the uproar it did. As awkward as the whole thing is, I look forward to seeing Chani (and Zendaya) shine in part two!

My favourite part of the book and 1984 movie is the Bene Gesserit. I think this powerful group of women acknowledge gender issues and symbolises some of the real-life struggles women face when it comes to the glass ceiling. All the while, the Bene Gesserit are still incredibly influential and vital to society and the story. Not only that, but they are just fun. Their magical powers, their compex structure, and their mission to push mankind into a golden age, it’s just fascinating to read and watch. I also really enjoyed their depiction in the movie. Although their outwards appearance dosen’t exactly match the books, it gives the an air of mystery that represents their book counterparts more than it directly follows it. The spirit is all there which is what matters.

It’s difficult to say if Villeneuve will reflect many of the book’s themes. Herbert’s Dune series examined so many topics including religion, damage to the environment and the deconstruction of the hero’s journey. As the 2021 movie is only part of the novel, it’s hard to say now if the film will be quite as thoughtful. It is only the set-up of themes which can only be fully appreciated once the story is over. I can see some threads already as the film does discuss environmental issues via conversations around spice production on Arrakis.

I think now is a good time for this environmental conversation. Sci-fi is always a reflection of real life, and as climate change continues to threaten our planet’s existence, media is the best way to bring attention to this. Fictional stories can help people make sense of similar issues in their reality, so Dune in 2021 is extremely appropriate.

I hope this exciting space film inspires people in ways Frank Herbert would have wanted.