Stars: 5/5
“Dreams are messages from the deep.”
A masterful redefinition of the epic film. An otherworldly magnificent beast of a picture unlike anything in recent cinema. Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” is visual artistry that unfolds before the eyes with staggering tactility, mythic complexity and profound technicality. It’s a fully untamed, cinematic juggernaut.
This must’ve been what it felt like for audiences seeing the OG “Star Wars” in 1977 or “Fellowship of the Ring” 20 years ago; an awe-inspiring, giant movie of unseen proportions. It lives up to the hype and then some.
Once those opening drums started, I knew I was in for an immersive cinematic experience unlike any other. Chills shot down my spine multiple times and my eyes were glued to the screen for the entire runtime. Certain frames will be forever seared into my brain. Unprecedented in size, scale and sound, Villeneuve has crafted an epic brutalist picture that manages to juggle both a warm human story and intergalactic geopolitics whilst maintaining its spectacle. The landscapes are vast, the ships are huge, the characters are tenderly crafted and the behemoth scope is unparalleled. I have to say it was well worth the delayed wait.
Having read the novel by Frank Herbert beforehand, the fixed knowledge of what happens aided in my viewing experience, but this adaptation works extremely well for those unfamiliar. “Dune” translates perfectly from page to screen, hashing out the sci-fi jargon and heavy exposition organically and crisply while keeping a steady pace throughout. This film did Herbert’s book justice in terms of character, setting and story. Attention to detail was evident in the making of this film, especially through some of the smaller, more human moments.
The stark desert landscape of Arrakis is brought to life. It felt as if they had filmed it there. The world within the frame feels tangible and completely absorbing through the detailed, intimate attention from Villeneuve and DP Greig Fraser. As usual, Hans Zimmer delivered a euphoric score that is pulsating with texture in every beat & chord.  
The ensemble cast is fantastic with Timothée Chalamet proving himself as a capable leading man and an even better Paul Atreides, embodying the character with confidence and vulnerability. His character arc was by far the most intriguing, focused storyline. The supporting cast is full of standouts like Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, and the always-impressive Rebecca Ferguson. While the whole cast embodied their characters very well, certain characters served mere perfunctory purposes and are barely in the film, but it is evident that there is more to come for them in the sequel.
No character stood out to me more than Shai-Hulud itself. The Worm. The Old Man of the Desert. The sandworms are an entity in and of themselves and they were quite spectacular to see onscreen. Ranging from a ripple in the sand to towering beasts, the worms are unfathomably huge and every appearance of them is jaw-dropping. 
For a grand science-fiction film that wasn’t necessarily marketed as a part one, “Dune: Part One” holds its own as an excellent setup piece that manages to introduce this harsh world with sublime majesty and moodiness. It’s surely a slow work of blockbuster filmmaking, but the sheer opulence of this adaptation outweighs the methodical pacing. It is a Villeneuve film, so a slow burn is expected. 
Watching this film on a compressed streaming platform from the couch is an injustice. Without a colossal screen to project its visual prowess and bombastic sound systems to scream its symphony, streaming objectively hinders the impact of the film. It teeters upon sacrilege because there’s no way HBO Max or your living room television can capture the magnitude of this movie. There is no other way to see this than in the theater on the biggest screen possible, preferably in IMAX.
“Dune” is the cinematic event of the year, a sensory experience tailor-made for the widescreen, theatrical setting. Now, the wait to be seated for the sequel begins and part two cannot come soon enough.