The first official reviews have come out for Denis Villeneuve's Dune, and so far,
it is being hailed as a cinematic masterpiece from the filmmaker. There have been lots of
reactions coming out of the world premiere of the film at the Venice International Film Festival,
and I'm going to be breaking down all of it in this video. But before I get into it,
if you want to see much more videos on DUNE leading up to its release date,
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But without further ado, let's discuss the official reviews and reactions for Dune 2021.
So the reviews for Denis Villeneuve's Dune are extremely positive and there are many
points that they stress on in regards to what they liked and also what they thought could
have been better. Now of course it's key to stress that the only review that matters is
your own, but reviews can serve as a good method of hype, that let's be honest, for
the film to be successful and a sequel to be greenlit, is needed. But what are the critical
reviews saying and what are the points they bring up. Well, there are a lot of positive reviews and
multiple reactions claim that the film is a science fiction masterpiece and the adaptation
is one have always wanted. Eric Eisenberg from Cinema Blend says that “Denis Villeneuve’s movie
is the film interpretation that fans have been waiting to see for decades”
along with Ben Travis of Empire Magazine adding that, “for science fiction devotees,
especially those who have long-worshipped Frank Herbert’s dense tone… Villeneuve’s
Dune is the adaptation you always dreamed of”. It's especially great to know that what people
considered as a book that was once unfilmable is now being considered a cinematic spectacle
that brings the adaptation to life in such a perfect way. Jimmy O from Joblo said that
“It honours the source material in the most satisfying way possible.
Dune 2021 is a modern-day work of art”. And the way this was going to be tackled successfully
was of course bridging the gap between blockbuster and independent film techniques. Xan Brooks of the
Guardian highlights that Dune is “the missing link bridging the multiplex and the arthouse",
ending with the phrase "Good heavens, what a film". This is something that in particular
I found exciting to read because one thing I've always loved about the work of Villeneuve and say,
Christopher Nolan, is that for the most part, they do a great job of balancing the blockbuster
and the indie approach. To know that Dune is probably going in this route is something that
is awesome to hear because it's the way I personally pictured a good adaptation.
You've got to relate to general audiences but then also challenge them if you want
to create something that is new and memorable. And by the sounds of it, Dune does just that.
The critics also add to it being a successful adaptation with Jimmy O also saying,
“this first chapter explores a very complex and detailed story with clarity and style.
More importantly, it does so without sacrificing the impressive detail of
Frank Herbert’s original vision.” Eric Eisenberg further states that “Denis Villeneuve and his
collaborators have cracked the code with their approach… extraordinary in its ability
to directly translate the source material across mediums without compromise.” However
Justin Chang of the LA Times said that “A more significant casualty is the book’s
layered interiority, its skill at turning unspoken perceptions and motives into drama;
the writers have managed this material without mastering it”. And there are a few reviewers
who have pointed that out, but of course, being able to manage something that is so
packed and dense, you are always going to have to sacrifice certain elements.
But for the most part, reviewers say it is a very satisfying adaptation of Herbert's work, which
is of course a big thing we book readers want to hear. But if you haven't read Dune,
is it ok to go into this film if you haven't. Well according to many, this
is again another strong success of Villeneuve's adaptation. Rodrigo Perez of The Playlist says
that “Thankfully, Dune isn’t particularly hard to follow",
and Ben Traviss states that “though there’s plenty to establish,
Villeneuve makes surprisingly light work of it all… Dune is never as formidable as it
threatens to be”. SO hopefully, based on these statements, Dune is an adaptation that will
satisfy the range of viewers with its approach and adaptation of the material.
So how is Villeneuve as a director in regards to adapting the film, how does it compare to
his other work and is it reminiscent of anything else? Justin Chang says that
“Villeneuve’s true talent is less in the staging of violence than in the queasy anticipation of it…
That gift serves him well enough in Dune. Like Blade Runner 2049 and
especially Arrival, Dune is another unusually philosophical speculative fiction that ponders
the difficulties of language and coexistence.” Perez adds by stating, “It’s an arthouse
blockbuster in the vein of his Blade Runner 2049, but even less concerned with commercial appeal,
which is admirably bold”. This seems less in line with what other people have said,
but I guess the good thing coming out of these reviews is that everyone is impressed in different
ways and with varied aspects of it. Jimmy O also mentioned that “much like the haunting
Blade Runner 2049, the director has taken the time to explore numerous characters without
sacrificing the main story and themes”. Richard Trenholm of CNET also his thoughts in that “If
you loved Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, then Dune is perhaps Denis Villeneuve at his Villeneuviest”.
And when it comes to if it is reminiscent of anything else, there are some interesting
comments being made. Steve Pond from The Wrap weighs in by saying... “think of it as Game
of Thrones in space or Star Wars if it never got off Tatooine”. Now, of course, many of us
who have read the book know that Dune very much inspired elements of Star Wars and other big-name
properties, but I think the general consensus is pointing out that when it comes to certain
aspects, Dune has captured that level of fascination in its elements, just for an
adult audience in today's modern world. And to be honest, this is always a great thing to
hear in a landscape that is full of movies we have seen so many times before. Rodrigo
Perez states that “arguably [many of its elements are] all things that Star Wars features too,
but in Dune's case, it's just much more dense, sophisticated, and less
child-like.” Ben Travis also mentions that “Dune feels most reminiscent of The Lord Of The Rings:
The Fellowship Of The Ring” and Jimmy O adds that “much like the semi-recent
classic Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Rings in the LOTR trilogy, this
is only the beginning of the story… [and] Denis Villeneuve has created one of the best fantasy
features since Peter Jackson’s journey into Middle Earth.” But then again other reviews
like that of the Irish Times and io9.com bring up that “Historical comparisons are of no use.
None of us has been anywhere like this before. It sets a new standard for modern sci-fi epics".
So what we learn from this is that there is a huge sense amongst those
who've seen Dune, that is the kind of film that is going to be making the audience want that sequel
so badly, and of course, it would be such a shame if we didn't get it. The
HBO Max release in my opinion is definitely going to hurt it but I just hope that it
doesn't completely bomb and we don't get a sequel. Like I said in other videos, anything
around $350-400 million is probably enough to greenlight a sequel. But we'll only know
when the film does come out over the next month.
The last few points to mention in regards to the reviews is that there have been heaps of
praise for the production aspects including the visuals, sound and across the board
performances. Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 said that "cinematographer Grieg Fraser
has outdone himself from frame to frame, set piece to set piece, creating jaw-dropping
pieces of art that are impressionistic, sensational, and otherworldly". Justin
Chang and Eric Eisenberg also mentioned that “Dune [is] a symphony for the ears as well as a
feast for the eyes" and that “Dune is also an auditory journey, not only featuring
enveloping sound editing, but one of the best scores Hans Zimmer has ever composed". And I
must say, having listened to all of the sketchbooks for Dune by Hans Zimmer a few days
back, the composer is definitely on the verge of releasing one of his greatest soundtracks.
It's original, alien and inspired all at the same time, really capturing the sense
that we have been taken to a new and iconic science fiction world. As an end quote on the
film and cast Chang and Eisenberg mention that “as a visual and visceral experience,
Dune is undeniably transporting. As a spectacle for the mind and heart,
it never quite leaves Earth behind". “Everyone flawlessly gets at the core of who they are
playing. Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac are the triumvirate that leads
the cast, and they are all phenomenal". I mean expected some great performances across the board
so it's great to hopefully know that they have all brought something great to
all the classic characters from the novel that we know and love. But overall,
the reviews for the most part are heaping praise for Villeneuve's new adaptation and that it's
potentially the start of something really special. It's going to be interesting to
see what most of the general audience think when the film is released and whether they
consider it as another masterpiece by the filmmaker, and hopefully, if this happens,
the word of mouth will get more people into cinemas to see this adaptation. We can only
hope but I must say that Warner Bros have definitely done a better job of marketing
in the recent months. Let's hope it transpires into a decent theatrical run.
But they were the first official reviews for Denis Villeneuve's Dune. As I said,
at the end of the day, everyone's individual reaction is the most important and a review
aggregator or score shouldn't really change that. But there's nothing wrong with hype
especially for a film that need's to do well at the box office in order to warrant
a part 2. A lot of the reviews have also stressed this saying that the movie makes
you want to see the next chapter, so in my opinion, all of the hype from the reactions
is definitely something that's worthwhile. But again, nobody should let the hype affect what they
think of a particular movie. But let me know down below in the comments section what you personally
think towards the reviews and reactions, alongside whether it gets you even more hyped for the
release of the film over the next few months. For more videos surrounding DUNE leading up to its
release, then subscribe to the channel and turn on your notifications. Also if you enjoyed this video
remember to leave a like rating and follow me on social media
via the links in the description. I will be continuing to cover news and topics for DUNE,
alongside continuing my road to Dune series every week, so look out for all of these
uploads. But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make some noise.