Mr. Movie | ‘Dune’ delivers epic sci-fi novel to the screen and frustration for fans

“Dune” casts Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides.

Set in 10191, Paul is a royal whose father is Duke, and is in a power struggle with an emperor and another family wanting more power. That means Paul’s dad and the rest of the family have to be eliminated.

All of this comes to a head as the Atreides family moves to the desert planet, Arrakis. It is there a spice called, Melange is produced.

Melange does all kinds of mind expansion stuff for those inhaling the substance. But best of all, it powers spaceships, can fold space, and do all kinds of cool things to allow easy space travel.

The planet inhabitants are called, Fremen. They barely tolerate the spice mining and are awaiting a savior to lead them to freedom.

Paul is part of a secret breeding program by the witch-like Bene Gesserit to produce that kind of messiah. The boy has visions and the same kinds of mental powers possessed by the Bene Gesserit.

So he just might be the Fremen’s savior.

Chalamet (“Little Women” and an Oscar nomination for “Call Me by Your Name”) is skin and bones, and the right build for the part. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s probably the best of the current young crop of actors. Not that he gets to show off much. He stares a lot and pokes into this and that, but there isn’t a lot of dialogue.

Such a waste.

Also wasted is a great cast of co-stars including Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgard, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Charlotte Rampling.

Most of the movie’s dialogue floats around Chalamet and is whispered by others.

Or if they actually talk, co-writer and director, Denis Villeneuve and his editing team drown out most of what is said with loud music and sound effects.

In spite of that, and a gazillion other flaws, “Dune” is a pretty good movie.

It’s what comes next that will irritate those of us liking the movie and wanting more.” Part 2 is just now in the shooting stage so we won’t see a conclusion until at least 2023.

What kind of planning is that?

Fans of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel already know how things go and how they end. Those who didn’t read Herbert’s legendary sci-fi masterpiece, and who — mercifully — missed David Lynch’s awful movie in 1984, don’t.

And they’ll now be waiting at least a year-and-a-half to two-years to get the conclusion.

Or, if they can’t wait, they can read Herbert’s book.

While I liked the movie, I can’t recommend the book. In 1974 a friend raved about the book told me to check it out. I grew up in the Tri-Cities and when I was a kid in the late 1950s and early 1960s this area had little else going for it but wind and sand. The book has way too much of both and the story is as dry as a desert.

Fortunately, Villeneuve’s movie isn’t.

What makes “Dune” work best is that it looks like a Star Wars movie. It is so much so that you’ll be looking for familiar faces from the famed franchise.

Since “Dune” also has a lot in common with Villeneuve’s Blade Runner sequel, “Blade Runner 2049,” you also might think you’ll see Harrison Ford.

This is not a complaint. Villeneuve is very good at this kind of movie.

The big letdown is a script penned by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts (“The Mummy,” “Dr. Strange,” “Passengers”) and Eric Roth (who won an Oscar for “Forrest Gump,” “A Star is Born”).

It is all over the place. Many critical scenes make assumptions that those plunking down money to see this are up-to-speed on Dune lore.

A lot of us aren’t.

Rated PG-13 for mature themes and some violence. It’s playing at the Fairchild Cinemas Pasco, Southgate 10 and Queensgate 12, at the AMC Classic Kennewick 12 and on HBO Max.

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 11:09 AM with the headline "Mr. Movie | ‘Dune’ delivers epic sci-fi novel to the screen and frustration for fans."