CypherSeeker7

In 1984 we got a film that failed miserably at the box office as well as critically, but left an undeniable cult-classic taste in our collective mouths and has been looked over fondly as the years have gone by. In 2001, we were given a mini-series that, while had it's shortcomings in terms of production and budget, gave us the truest look into a decent adaptation of the beloved book series that we have ever gotten. Denis Villeneuve's Dune - Part I is a solid, well produced attempt at adapting Frank Herbert's epic work, yet much is still left to be desired as well as the continued quandary that has followed it. Is Dune, with all of it's narrative complexity, depth, and grandeur, able to be adapted at all? The strengths of Villeneuve's attempt come in his eye for cinematography, visual effects, sound design, music, and general casting. Standouts include Stellan Skarsgaard as the Baron Harkonnen, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Jason Mamoa as Duncan Idaho, as well as Oscar Issacs passionate interpretation of Duke Leto. Timothee Chalamet's performance as Paul will undoubtedly polarize some as well as Zendaya's limited screen time as the love interest Chani. Hans Zimmer's score dazzles and accompanies the film beautifully. Greg Frasier's cinematography remains inspired work. Yet the strengths begin to fail as the massive weight of the narrative and key details, characters, and sequences are watered down from their source material or vanish entirely for the sake of the 2-1/2 hour runtime. To the uninitiated, this presents the film as hollow and lacking of context. Villains are nothing more than villainous for the sake of it. Sci-Fi action explodes and enthralls as it always does. For those who have been fans of Herbert's masterpiece and were hoping the film would deliver the ultimate incarnation of the book, those people will more than likely find it just as hollow as it's narrative. Following this is a subjective critique of the films visual style. In it's attempt to be futuristic, the film sticks to a modern, vogueish color palette of greys, beige, black, and browns. To put it bluntly, the film isn't nice to look at most of the time. Some will see this film as a firm first chapter in what is planned to be a trilogy, and Credit should be observed and given to Villeneuve for the decision to break the first novel into two parts. Yet even with good intentions, Dune: Part I stands on fragile foundational pillars, with audiences undoubtedly splitting their responses in many directions, but a bright future for it's intended next chapters could bring levity to the doubtful. Final Score: 6.5 out of 10.