Dune

*Backlogging everything I watched on holiday * I just finished reading the Dune novel a few days before rewatching this for the first since I saw it opening weekend. Denis Villeneuve’s direction is absolutely masterful and incredibly true to Frank Herbert’s innovative and unique vision. This was such a special experience and created so many goosebump moments time and time again, I haven’t had a film have such a deep impact on me for a while. Certain scenes like the Gom Jabbar sequence gave me a tangibly visceral and reaction through my entire body which I’ve only experienced a handful of times, full on spine-chilling and hair-on-end. What stands out to me most is the fusing of sound and vision. Hans Zimmer delivers an absolute career highlight score as he does almost every time, constructing a vast otherworldly language. Every single piece of music builds a rich musical dialect unique to each theme or tribe of people, from the gutteral darkness of the Harkonnens to the visceral cries of the Fremen. Zimmer’s score paired with the intricate sound design throughout creates a colossal tapestry of an alien world that overlays the mind-blowing visuals. The world is so meticulously designed with an immensely vast scale and vibrant colouring that builds such a rich otherworldly atmosphere that feels like nothing we have known. Villeneuve’s vision pays homage to the pioneering world that Herbert envisioned all those decades ago, with elite-level performances across the board that do more than justice to his characters. Dune is Hindered slightly by some pacing issues (although this is true to Frank Herbert’s meticulous world building), but it still delivers a masterful pioneering science fiction vision driven by the unstoppable force that is Villeneuve’s and his entire production team, a pure showcase of generational creative talent. A modern masterpiece in every sense of the phrase.