SPICE WORLD
Denis Villeneuve lays the foundations for a satisfying version of Frank Herbert’s Dune saga by creating a jaw-dropping universe
FRENCH Canadian director Denis Villeneuve certainly thinks big with his visually breath-taking adaptation of Frank Herbert’s supposedly ‘unfilmable’ sci-fi tome.
We meet Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), who is selected by the Emperor to assume control of harvesting
Spice on the desert planet Arrakis, taking over from sworn rivals House Harkonnen led by Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard).
“The most valuable mineral in the universe” is integral to interstellar travel but mining the precious orange dust is fraught with peril.
Duke Leto, his concubine Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and son Paul (Timothée Chalamet) relocate to Arrakis, meeting the superstitious desert-dwelling people called The Fremen, whose eyes glow blue from exposure to the highly addictive Spice.
The young Atreides experiences visions of a young Fremen woman, Chani (Zendaya), as he trains with weapons master Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) and sword master Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa).
Alas, these warriors are powerless to prevent Baron Harkonnen and his nephew Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista) from staging an assault on Arrakis to exterminate House Atreides.
Dune – or more accurately Dune Part One – is a feast for the senses, combining live action and impeccable digital effects to realise vast new worlds.
Villeneuve and his team are determined to showcase every penny of a reported £120 million budget with lavish production design and at least one nailbiting set-piece devoted to the film’s biggest stars: the hulking sandworms.
Unlike David Lynch’s ill-fated 1984 version, which attempted to distil Herbert’s entire novel into one movie, Villeneuve’s script co-written by Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth retains narrative clarity by only addressing the first half of the book.
By design, the picture therefore lacks a dramatic resolution but this opening chapter is well constructed and anchored by the fiery mother-son dynamic of Ferguson and Chalamet.
The running time does feel a little excessive, but allows space to flesh out flawed characters before the battle is joined.
“This is only the beginning...” coos Zendaya’s desert warrior to co-star Chalamet.
Let’s pray Dune mines enough takings at the box office to make her promise a reality.
Villeneuve’s script ...retains narrative clarity by only addressing the first half of the book.