DUNE (2021) The Popcorn Junkies MOVIE REVIEW

Dune (titled onscreen as Dune: Part One) is a 2021 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve with a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve, and Eric Roth. It is the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, primarily covering the first half of the book. Set in the far future, it follows Paul Atreides, as he and his family, the noble House Atreides, are thrust into a war for the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, between the native Fremen people and the enemy invaders, and former rulers of Arrakis, the House Harkonnen. The film stars an ensemble cast including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. Dune has been considered an "unfilmable" work due to its breadth and complexity of plots, and prior attempts, such as David Lynch's 1984 film, did not perform well with critics. Following a failed attempt by Paramount Pictures to produce a new adaptation of Herbert's novel, Legendary Entertainment acquired film and TV rights to the science fiction novel Dune in 2017. Development began shortly after, with Villeneuve expressing interest in the project and officially signing on as director in January 2017. He worked with Roth and Spaihts to write the screenplay, breaking it into two parts and incorporating an updated 21st century adaptation of the 1965 novel. Filming took place from March to July 2019 at various locations including areas in Budapest, Jordan, Norway, and Abu Dhabi. Dune premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2021. Warner Bros. Pictures theatrically released the film in 2D, 3D, and IMAX internationally on September 15, 2021, and a later release in the United States on October 22 and on HBO Max on October 21. The film was generally well-received for its visuals, scope, and ambition. It has grossed $129.7 million worldwide against a production budget of $165 million.