Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Dune 

This film is a visual masterpiece! Now I have been excited to see this film for months as Denis Villeneuve is one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our generation. So when I heard he was helming the film I was so excited as I have watched his body of work over the last couple of years as I remember when he did Prisoners way back when and being totally blown away and then he did Sicario in 2015 and being totally in awe of his eye for storytelling and incredible visuals that immerse you into the world the story is set in. Dune is a story that is incredibly complex and rich with backstory and history either from the book or the film adaptations that came before it most notably the David Lynch take on the story. Denis takes this incredible story to life with truly breathtaking visuals and a stellar cast of actors all of which all give strong performances. Dune is not just visually gorgeous but it is narratively fascinating and Denis delivers a truly beautiful adaptation of the story in such an engaging way that will have you asking for what happens next the moment the film is over. 

Firstly, The execution of the books is masterfully done. This is a story that’s been around since the 1960’s and is the most influential science fiction novel that inspired the minds of Star Wars, 2001 Space Odyssey and Game Of Thrones. So the amount of character background, narrative depth and just the environment of which is set in is written to the bone in detail. So for Denis to delve into such deep rooted fictional lore is no easy task and he was able to make the narrative easy to follow for mainstream viewers who had not read the book but also keep the fans satisfied by giving great satisfying fan service. So it never felt  exclusive but instead felt inclusive for both the fans and mainstream viewers. The film does though end on a cliff-hanger that will have you demanding a sequel to find out what happens. Another great balance of this film is its ability to showcase beautiful visuals without compromising the depth of the narrative for its beautiful imagery there is a great balance of both. 

Secondly, the performances from the whole cast was terrific! You had solid work from actors like Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin and even Jason Momoa who has a small role but really crackles in the screen time he does have onscreen. The standout performances though that make the film is Oscar Isaac and Timothee Chalamet who give incredible performances that will have you stunned! Now Oscar Isaac is an actor who always gives his all to his craft and who I also feel is severely underrated in terms of being recognized for his dedication to acting. He brings a fantastic emotionally passionate performance as Poe’s dad to the screen in such emotional sincerity and gripping honesty that feels truly authentic. Then you have Timothee who gives a very emotionally restrained performance but is still so powerfully executed onscreen. He brings this discount emotionally to the character that is written very heavily about Poe and he delivers the authentic personality of this person to the screen in fantastic emotional strength and charismatic energy. Overall everyone in the film gives great performances but it’s Oscar Isaac and Timothee who steal the film with their captivating performances. 

Lastly, Dune is a film that is visually gorgeous and stays faithful to its complex source material without it becoming at any point confusing for the causal viewer. It’s a masterful film that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible with the best sound system. Now I see IMAX films all the time for big budget movies and theirs probably a handful of them I can name that is meant for that kind of viewing experience the ones that come to mind is like Gravity, interstellar and Now Dune as it’s a film that is for sure one of the most immersive theatre experiences I’ve ever had and you feel truly transported into the world your watching. The film is brought to great life by Denis and surrounded with solid performances from the cast including a truly interesting narrative. Dune soars and gives truly a cinematic experience and story that is groundbreaking from a visual standpoint and narrative wise it’s truly a  masterpiece. I recommended everyone go see this film. 

This film centres around Poe who’s family makes a deal with a very highly rich competitor to try to work together but when things go south he has to find a way to save his family’s legacy and his own 

Rated PG - 13 : Some Disturbing Images|Sequences of Strong Violence|Suggestive Material

Timothee Chalamet : Timothee is one of the best actors of his generation and once again delivers another astonishing performance. He plays Poe a character who in the books is very emotionally restrained. Now Timothee has shown many times how talented he is of an actor from his breakout performance in Call Ms By Your Name to his incredibly overlooked work in Beautiful Boy to even his small role in Lady Bird. He’s a fantastic actor who’s shown outstanding amounts of emotional depth in each of his performances so to see him here in Dune pull back from exploding in emotion it’s an interesting shift for him. Here he is more emotionally closed off and it’s a performance some would say seems very quite emotionally but he makes up for his emotional depths in other ways. As his performance as Poe he has thrust onto his shoulders the family legacy he has to carry and he seems at the surface as he’s not up to the task of such a responsibility as he questions and even doubts if he can. It’s not that he can’t or is unable to he is fearful and terrified of letting his family down especially his father who he looks up to and as the film progresses we see him really open up and embrace what he has to do and we see him shed layers upon layers of emotion and it’s so well presented onscreen by Timothee. His mother puts Poe through the ringer and he is emotionally and physically having to live up to a lot and Timothee shows that emotional hesitation within the character without feeling the need to explode in a fit of rage but instead show him crack overtime and show bursts of that in a very subtle way. Now his work in the film is truly fantastic and I cannot wait to see how he evolves with the character over the next film as they’ll be so much more to explore emotionally with Poe and Timothee hooks you the moment you see him in this film with how he goes from this kid who badly wants to fight to then taking on a family name and what that means and it’s shown in such emotional honesty by him you can’t help but get wrapped up in his performance. Timothee Chalamet gives a truly solid performance it’s not one of his all time best but it’s one that shouldn’t go overlooked for sure. 

Oscar Isaac : Oscar Isaac gives a performance that is one of his best! Now this actor is truly one of cinemas most underrated actors probably ever as he’s given great performances for years that never get the recognition they deserve. Here he plays a father with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He plays a supporting role this time around and he is truly the backbone for this story as he gives Poe the motive and sheer drive to take on the family’s legacy. He plays the role mostly very calm and emotionally reserved and he makes sure everyone stays in check without having to loose his cool. Now that being said when the situation business wise goes sour you do see him become more emotionally open with his performance and you can see him wearing his heart on his sleeve for his son. As he makes choices that make not be the smartest in terms of longevity for his people but he instead makes emotional choices that may not have the greatest outcome but it speaks volumes of who he is as a person by doing that. Oscar Isaac brings a sense of emotional honesty that can be felt in every frame he is in as Oscar commits fully to the role delving into deep waters emotionally and seeing the sheer concern in his eyes and the heartbreak in his voice. The moment he is onscreen you cannot look away it is a performance that is not a big part but one that makes a damn lasting impression that I hope does not go overlooked as I think Oscar Isaac gives an outstanding performance as Poe’s father. 

Denis Villeneuve : Denis Gives one of his best directed films with Dune! As I mentioned previously I believe he is a genius that has brought some of the most visually striking images to film ever. Here he takes a book that is loved by many and he not only stays faithful to its source material but truly delves deep into the world it is set in and gives one of the most immersive film experiences I have ever seen. As yes the material is complex and easily confusing but Denis gives the context you need to follow along all the while showing this narrative on some of the biggest scale’s I have ever seen a film do. Now this film I would go as far as saying it is the 2001 Space Odyssey for this generation as it is a film that has the narrative fully soaked to the brim in detail which he shows greatly. Then he packs the action and emotional depth of the characters while leaving the audience aching for more as he made the brilliant choice of not cramming the whole book into one film. He has split the book into two films and I think that is such a brilliant move narratively as it dose not come across as a reason just to make more money but it makes sense from a narrative point of view. Films that have benefited from splitting it into two parts or more is Lord Of The Rings, The Godfather and even How To Train Your Dragon. And all of those films made it work as by splitting it up you give the source material time to breath without feeling the need to have to rush it and so what he accomplishes with the first part of this epic story is truly incredible. He shows some of the most striking images I have ever seen put to film and then getting truly solid performances from the whole cast and delivering a film that gives a faithful adaptation of the book while also satisfying mainstream audience members. Which is not easy to do and Denis has given a visual cinematic masterpiece that I would say is in terms of his direction the best he has done so far overall truly genius directing by Denis.