Dune 2021 film review: The spice must flow, but it stops abruptly

Enlarge / Denis Villeneuve's vision of Dune appears to be heated not by scorching desert suns but by a ton of Hollywood hotties. That's one way to get the spice to flow. (credit: Warner Bros.)

I left my first screening of Dune (2021) convinced that I would watch it again soon.

For a film that spends much of its time in a barren desert wasteland, Dune's cinematography consistently dazzles. And despite a sizable cast of seemingly important characters, Dune does a good job establishing empathy and likability across the board-without losing the story's thread. Lead actor Timothee Chalamet also comfortably surmounts whatever massive expectations series fans might have about the Dune universe's latest "chosen one."

But that's not to say it's a perfect or even great film-a fact that shouldn't necessarily ring alarm bells for anyone familiar with David Lynch's cult-favorite effort. And while Denis Villeneuve's ambitious take is certainly anchored in a familiar story, marked by identical storytelling beats, it works hard to differentiate itself from the 1984 film, as if to make it easier for fans to love both of them.

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