Dune (2021)

**FABULOUS 🥇🥇🥇🥇 . . . . And , Oh , Yes . . . . Hans Zimmer's Score's Already Got "OSCAR" Written On It 😉 ; & EXPECT A WHOLE " HOST OF OTHER _MAJOR_ NOMINATIONS - AS WELL "**
This Is A **- _B I G_ -** Screen - MINI - Review. Picture Viewed Oct. 07, 2021 ; At Vox Cinemas , U . A . E
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Paul Atreides : " Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear, and I will permit it to pass over me. When the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain ".
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**1.** If you're one of the -Millions- of people around the world who loved Denis Villeneuve's hauntingly riveting 2015 thriller 'Sicario', ( yours truly included ) ; then strap in for 'one hell of an Interstellar ride, with an -{ EQUALLY }- **" INTERSTELLAR 🌠 "** CAST . . . . that -literally- presents itself like a Who's-who of Hollywood's "Best, And Brightest". This time around, the unequivocally -{ Prolific }- Academy Award nominated French Canadian director has taken acclaimed American author Frank Herbert's 1965 sci-fi thriller, ( once touted as the world's -Best- selling science fiction novel ), & turned it into a veritable masterpiece of a movie. -Make Sure- to 'keep a special eye out' for Rebecca Ferguson's completely "Stunning" portrayal of 'Lady Jessica Atreides' . . . . I can promise that you most certainly -Will Not- regret it.
**2.** Almost needless to say, the Music, Acting , Cinematography 🔥 , Art-direction, C.g.i, Dramatic pacing & the sprawling, lavish Set-pieces are all, well . . . -{ " Past Compare " }- .
When it comes to 2021's cinematic 'big budget" smorgasbord : if you want to see the -Very- best Popcorn Flick "Sensation" of the year, it's most unequivocally going to be Bond 25 : 'No Time To Die'. But, on the -other- hand, if you're more in the mood for some -equally- magnificent **"Artfilm Meets Blockbuster" ( no seriously )** fare . . . that may -Well- hold you in a state of 'Absolute Rapture' from start to finish, then 'Dune' should most -Definitely- be your first choice. Just make sure to come to said movie with a { Genuinely } open and unbiased --- Heart , And Mind 🙃 .
**3. " Final Analysis " :** The only -{ Pronounced }- lack you will feel, if any at all, is that of -{ Humour }‐ . . . . especially if you're someone who enjoys their big screen delights served with, well, a "generous" side of unrestrained -Mirth- . I counted -Literally- only about "3.5" barely plausible funny moments in the -Entire- flick. But the obvious reason for that is : it simply -Wouldn't- have worked within this sort of a 'Deadly Serious' dark, dramatic, & super futuristic setting ( 10,191 "a.g", to be precise ). So, having taken -that- aspect of the production into consideration ; it really ended up -_NOT_ - bothering me very much, AT ALL. Thus, in sum . . . . I was utterly **-{ MESMERIZED }-** by " Dune : Part 1 " and hence ; I chose to give it a **" Wholehearted, Adoring, MEGA-APPRECIATIVE 13 Marks Out Of 10❗" .**

I read Frank Herbert's book, Dune, when I was in high school and really don't remember it much except that it was great and a little scary. At that age, I probably didn't get the subtext message.
I never saw any movies of it so I decided to watch both the 1984 Dune by David Lynch and the 2021 Denis Villeneuve version sequentially. I'm going to talk about both of them here.
This may not be a popular opinion: Lynch's version is **brilliant** and the Villeneuve Dune is absolute **shit**. Here's why:
First, is the Villeneuve Dune slick? Yes, absolutely. I should hope so considering it's nearly 40 years after Lynch did his, for crissake.
Are the character's in David Lynch's version kitschy and over the top? Yes! That's one reason it's so much better! It's Sci Fi, duh! You watch Marvel movies and suspend disbelief for incredible, imaginary super powers? All of Lynch's characters are downright gritty and believable within this particular surreal fantasy.
By the end of the Lynch Dune, I had sympathy for nearly every character in the film. Even the villains caught my emotions. Paul Atreides character development was realistic and attractive.
Villeneuve's characters? I felt like my neighbor came over and asked, "Hey, can you come to watch my kid's junior high school play?" "Sure, Denis, just let me fill my 1-liter flask with tequila first."
Villeneuve's characters were so damned flat and lifeless that they evoked NO emotional response whatsoever. Although I occasionally sit through a bad flick, I can't remember recently watching a movie as awful character-wise, as the 2021 Dune. If I were an actor on that set, I would be silently screaming. How does a director even do this?
Oh, and where's the creativity? It's 46 years since George Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic, and Denis can't create one single, new, goddamn space machine 46 years later? (One could argue the hummingbird copter is new, but it's not so creative when you realize that we didn't even know how hummingbird wings actually worked until this millennia.)
But here's the real clincher: the screenplay. David Lynch gave us a complete story. Sadly, he didn't have the final cut and disowned his film when the critics panned it. Despite the fact that Lynch is a true artist and genius, the studio took 45 minutes out of the film. 45 minutes! Even ruined by the studio, even 40 years later, Lynch's film has a clear vision and carries the timeless message that Frank Herbert intended. I would LOVE to see the original cut!
Villeneuve, on the other hand, stopped abruptly in the middle of the book. I now realize that Denis is not about the story. Denis is all about the franchise money, and that sucks. As a result of the bad screenplay, this 2021 version doesn't even carry the socio-political statement it was supposed to have. I want my 155 minutes back.
I don't watch Part 2s, especially when it comes to void-of-creativity and void-of-character-development Hollywood movies. You can take your bad franchise and shove it up your sci fi black hole.
Admittedly, I loved Blade Runner 2049, but this is so disappointing, I may never watch another Villeneuve film again. Do yourself a favor and see David Lynch's version of Dune.