Booked out seats at movie theatres, constant online chatter and famous Hollywood actors. 

What was all this talk about? 

I wasn’t too intrigued when I first heard about “Dune” from my sister. It sounded like any other “Star Wars” type space movie. Main character goes on a perilous journey across the galaxy and saves the universe and so on. 

“Dune,” directed by Denis Villeneuve but originally written by Frank Herbert in 1965, follows a young boy named Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) in the distant future. His family is tasked with ruling and protecting the planet of Arrakis, a desert planet with the most valuable substance in the universe: spice. 

Where do I even get started? Everything about this movie was truly out of this world (don’t mind my pun). As someone who enjoys cliche sci-fi movies here and there, “Dune” is definitely a film that breaks that stereotype for the typical outer-space action blockbuster.  

The plot itself is immersive, with intense action scenes, intriguing plot-twists and overall wonderful storytelling. An example could be the first scene, where we see the Fremen, the people of Arrakis, in war with the Harkonnens, their enemies, who had been ruling their planet for the past 80 years. This scene really lays down what type of setting the characters are in, and allows us to understand certain motives and plot points later on. Although I really enjoyed the storyline,  “Dune” did find me getting confused at points, because of its complex and slightly slow plot. With a runtime of 2 hours and 35 minutes, that is kind of expected. 

A thing to note before going to see the movie is it only covers the first half of the original book, so if you intend to see a full story, then you will probably have to wait until the next movie is announced, or read the book in the meantime. 

Plot aside, every shot was a visual masterpiece. The directors truly did an amazing job coming up with intricate and detailed sets, paired with good quality camerawork, that proved to look amazing on screen. “Dune” had me glued to the screen, appreciating all the artistic elements throughout every scene. 

The music in the film is also something notable. With famous composer Hans Zimmer, the soundtrack did not disappoint one bit. The music was intricate and intense in every scene. “Dream of Arrakis” stuck out to me the most, with it’s fast-paced and suspenseful score. Angelic vocals, loud trumpets, pounding drums and other instruments allowed the soundtrack to stand out from others. 

Overall, I would give this movie an 8/10. Visually, it is outstanding and is definitely  unique in the sci-fi section. The storyline is captivating, but it was hard to understand at points, which is why it’s not a perfect 10/10. Aside from that, I highly recommend watching “Dune.” 

Looking back, I can definitely understand all the talk online about this movie, because it truly did not fail to surprise me.