Following the release of a fantastic trailer, Dune quickly became one of the most anticipated movies of this year. Many people, including me, were very interested to see how the star-studded cast would work together. You can use this article as the spoiler free advice if you are on the fence about watching this movie.

Review

Speaking of the star-studded cast, I thought the performances of each of the major actors were very good. Timothée Chalamet perfectly portrayed Paul Atreides, a character who is coming of age in a world where everything is changing around him. He is forced to deal with the idea that he is savior from an ancient prophecy of the Fremen people. In my opinion, Paul is one of the more interesting protagonists in any science-fiction movie I have watched.

Another character who I enjoyed was Paul’s father, Leto Atreides. Oscar Isaac was a great choice for this role and collaborates well with his son Paul. He is a great mentor for his son and greatly influences his actions later in the movie.  He is the only political figure in the movie who is able to show compassion, which is why the other house leaders want him dead.

Although it  seems almost every character is corrupt, Baron Harkonnen is a menacing antagonist who works in the shadows and betrays many people in order to get his way.  His motivations were not made fully clear in this movie, but I am  very excited to see more of him as a more prominent villain in the next movie.

However I was disappointed with Jason Mamoa’s character, Duncan Idaho.  Despite his little screen time, I thought he was a very interesting character who just was not developed very well. He offers some comic relief to a movie which is very serious, but I feel he could have been used for more as he is described to be  one of the greatest warriors in the galaxy. I just feel he could have been used for more than just someone who helped Paul escape.

It was also very underwhelming to find out that Zendaya’s character, Chani, only had around 10 minutes of actual screen time(apart from Paul’s dreams). The trailer made it seem like she would have been a more integral part in the plot of the movie, but she was used mainly as part of Paul’s development. However, it is likely that she will play a greater roll in the next movie.

Cinematography

This iteration of Dune possibly has some of the best cinematography out of any movie I have seen in the past 5 years. The explosions during the movie were outstanding and really showed the damage which is capable by technology in this universe. Some of my favorite shots were of the Atreides’ home planet, Caladan. The planet was brought to life with shots from the northern coast of Norway, which led to seem breathtaking views of cliffs and mountains.

Pacing

One of the main criticisms I have seen regarding the movie was its pacing. At times, I agree that it can be slow and dragged on by dialogue, but I think this is necessary to properly introduce the world and its characters. The slow pace allows for characters like Paul to be fully introduced to better explain the backstory to a world which many are unfamiliar with.

Without revealing too much about the plot, the movie is a great first installment to what will likely become a multi-film franchise. The movie would still be a decent movie if there were not another film to follow it, but with promise of a sequel this film provides great background to the world. Although, I have not read the books, I have seen that many people think this adaptation better follows the story than the previous Dune film.

If you are looking for a movie with a great story and cinematography, I would recommend this as a great movie to watch this weekend. I think this is what allows those who are not usually fans of science-fiction to enjoy this movie, as Villenueve not only tries to create a great adaptation of the novel, but also make a great movie. I hope this article will provide some insight into why you should(or maybe not) watch this movie.