Dune (2021)

In the very distant future, the ruler (Oscar Isaac) of the planet Caladan is assigned to take the position of fiefholder on the planet Arrakis, a desert planet. He is accompanied by his concubine (Rebecca Ferguson) and their son (Timothee Chalamet), who has a destiny to fulfill on the desert planet. Based on the novel by Frank Herbert (previously filmed in 1984 and as a mini series in 2000) and directed by Denis Villeneuve (ARRIVAL). It's expertly made, certainly superior to the disastrous 1984 David Lynch movie (haven't seen the mini series) but I suspect I'm not the demographic for this kind of movie. It takes itself deadly serious as if it were actually saying something important. While it's enterprising in its attempted range, it's handicapped by its cumbersome source (the Herbert novel). The production values and special effects are superb but I wasn't impressed by dreary score by the Hans Zimmer factory. I'll catch up with DUNE 2 but I'm not looking forward to it. Hopefully, it will be more stirring. The large cast includes Javier Bardem, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling and Sharon Duncan Brewster (the film's best performance).