If there’s a critique of extreme wealth and privilege encoded into Herbert’s series—a commentary on the comfortable numbness of the ruling class, and the kind of violent comeuppance that it takes to shake them out of it—Villeneuve and his collaborators aren’t terribly interested in developing it. The only shades of gray are in the cinematography.
— Adam Nayman (The Ringer)
Denis Villeneuve delivered his version [of Dune] for Warner Brothers, one that was menaced by Covid delays and a simultaneous streaming release, but which became a global hit in cinemas after the lockdown years. We took off our masks to watch the desert rebels put on theirs.
— Roger Luckhurst (Sight & Sound)
Why, for all of its unparalleled immensity, does watching Dune amount to the cinematic equivalent of being handed a novelty-sized check made out for six dollars? Why is the scope of Villeneuve’s dream betrayed by the dull shallowness of its reality to the point that his film’s most astounding effects — which are every bit as tactile and transportive as those in Blade Runner 2049 — feel more like optical illusions? Why does this Dune feel so small?
— David Ehrlich (IndieWire)
Synopsis: Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.