Denis Villeneuve is a genius.
What I mean by that is, in fact, not reflected in "Arrival" which is his best feature film yet. The genius of Villeneuve is not in his ability to make great movies, but in his cunning which he uses to mask all his projects into potential masterpieces. "Dune" is so magnanimous in its presentation and ambition that I almost did not see its political ramifications and social standards--not to mention its flaws.
From the very start, Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser--who worked on other showers like "Rogue One" and "Zero Dark Thirty"--form a lethal duo and their mission is to sell you this movie as the herald of what might be this Century's own Star Wars Trilogy. This is completely delusional and highly unlikely, although it's admittedly too early to tell. At the beginning, "Dune" behaves like a slideshow, passing through its heroes and villains, manifesting its visual acuity in order to impress and to force the viewer to sink his/her head in its lore which has popular culture ambition. This is impressive and intimidating, but also leaves a dry taste and it stops being impressive after it sinks in.
Eventually, "Dune" finally shows its teeth in its social views which are predominantly populist and leftist, but also highly Islamophilic. But this is a science-fiction picture so it has blockbuster potential. Villeneuve is aware of that, so he made sure not to get too philosophical or insistent--he has no intention of becoming a Hollywood martyr and has no obligation to do so.
Even so, there is a sense of revolution in the air. It's all contained in the old story of the American colonist falling in love with the indigenous world he was sent by the powers that be to destroy and conquer, therefore rebelling against the said powers. Here, the American colonist is the young prince Paul (Timothée Chalamet) to the noble family Atreides; the indigenous world is the plum planet Arrakis which contains the most valuable asset in the galaxy, known as spice--a drug that extends life and enhances mental abilities, also used in space navigation; and the powers that be are all encompassed in the mysterious Empire whose so-called emperor makes all the decisions.
But while "Dune" follows this recipe to perfection, its hero is never alone. Paul is most of the time in the company of his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) although their relation--at least in this first third of the trilogy--doesn't get much beyond the stage of the rebellious teen hating his mother only because it's a phase. There is more to them than that, but not much effort is made here.
"Dune", in the right hands, could be the big machine's greatest nightmare--a sprawl of socialist subliminal messages while being far from idealistic and closer towards reality. Yet I doubt that is the direction is going to take here. It's too valuable from a financial standpoint to ever be put in the proper hands and while as a blockbuster Villeneuve is more than qualified to handle it, I am afraid is set to become the very thing it's fighting against.
What I mean by that is, in fact, not reflected in "Arrival" which is his best feature film yet. The genius of Villeneuve is not in his ability to make great movies, but in his cunning which he uses to mask all his projects into potential masterpieces. "Dune" is so magnanimous in its presentation and ambition that I almost did not see its political ramifications and social standards--not to mention its flaws.
From the very start, Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser--who worked on other showers like "Rogue One" and "Zero Dark Thirty"--form a lethal duo and their mission is to sell you this movie as the herald of what might be this Century's own Star Wars Trilogy. This is completely delusional and highly unlikely, although it's admittedly too early to tell. At the beginning, "Dune" behaves like a slideshow, passing through its heroes and villains, manifesting its visual acuity in order to impress and to force the viewer to sink his/her head in its lore which has popular culture ambition. This is impressive and intimidating, but also leaves a dry taste and it stops being impressive after it sinks in.
Eventually, "Dune" finally shows its teeth in its social views which are predominantly populist and leftist, but also highly Islamophilic. But this is a science-fiction picture so it has blockbuster potential. Villeneuve is aware of that, so he made sure not to get too philosophical or insistent--he has no intention of becoming a Hollywood martyr and has no obligation to do so.
Even so, there is a sense of revolution in the air. It's all contained in the old story of the American colonist falling in love with the indigenous world he was sent by the powers that be to destroy and conquer, therefore rebelling against the said powers. Here, the American colonist is the young prince Paul (Timothée Chalamet) to the noble family Atreides; the indigenous world is the plum planet Arrakis which contains the most valuable asset in the galaxy, known as spice--a drug that extends life and enhances mental abilities, also used in space navigation; and the powers that be are all encompassed in the mysterious Empire whose so-called emperor makes all the decisions.
But while "Dune" follows this recipe to perfection, its hero is never alone. Paul is most of the time in the company of his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) although their relation--at least in this first third of the trilogy--doesn't get much beyond the stage of the rebellious teen hating his mother only because it's a phase. There is more to them than that, but not much effort is made here.
"Dune", in the right hands, could be the big machine's greatest nightmare--a sprawl of socialist subliminal messages while being far from idealistic and closer towards reality. Yet I doubt that is the direction is going to take here. It's too valuable from a financial standpoint to ever be put in the proper hands and while as a blockbuster Villeneuve is more than qualified to handle it, I am afraid is set to become the very thing it's fighting against.