Dune (2021)

Director: Denis Villeneuve. Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling. 155 min. Fantasy/Adventure.

• Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Arrival) is again handed a project with very high expectations (Blade Runner 2049), and again, delivers better than expected.
• Another one of those huge fantasy stories people call "non-filmable" (as proven by the failed 1984 version, directed by the great David Lynch). But last time, the termed was used for Lord of the Rings ... and we saw how well that turned out. This is the first of two parts (Part Two slated for October 2023), and I'm predicting this is going down the same successful path LOTR did.
• Aside from a well-paced screenplay, meticulous character development, and breathtaking cinematography, what's fascinating was that the practical effects and CGI effects could not be differentiated - the transition is seamless, and you could not point out which scene is computer imagery. The technology is finally there: Villaneuve achieves what many richer and well-equipped filmmakers before him could only dream of. Special effects here serve as a background to tell the story, as they should - not as a foreground to merely dazzle. The scenes where the giant earthworms show up, are scenes to behold.
• I was always suspicious of Timothée Chalamet's acting abilities. Here, he proves to be the right choice for the Luke Skywalker-like lead. His latter-half scenes with his movie mom, Rebecca Ferguson (a most unique mother and son pairing, for action sequences, that is) are some of the most memorable. Dune has great casting choices, but Chalamet is the best.  
• Frank Herbert wrote his grand novel in 1965, and taking into account story elements such as central desert planet (Tatooine?) or the use of a certain voice pitch to order people against their will (Jedi mind trick?) makes you wonder how much George Lucas was inspired by Herbert to write Star Wars several years later. The magnificent documentary Jodorowsky's Dune should give you an idea. 
• Curious Islamic references: the "Lisan-al-Gaib"(the tongue of the unseen; i.e., the prophet), and the "Mahdi" (the Savior, the Messiah), used as synonyms for what other fantasy stories/movies call "The One" who brings order.
• Dune should be watched on the biggest screen available/imaginable. Anything less is a mistake. Again, the great David Lynch provided a hint years ago, here. 
• The movie is incomplete, and since I'm not sure how Part Two and the entirety of the saga will turn out, I'm hesitant to give it a full 10/10 score. Nevertheless, this may end up as my favorite movie of 2021. We'll see.

MoGo's rating: 9/10

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