REVIEW: New ‘Dune’ has a great sci-fi plot, but too much screen time

Dune premiered in theaters on Friday, Oct, 22 as a movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s book, “Dune.” The film creates worlds through the universe in a reimagined humanity and way of living. Main character Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) is the son of Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) in the House of Atreides. Paul’s father is preparing to assume a new position on a young planet named Arrakis, despite his men and advisor’s words of concern. Even his family believes this position of power and order could very well be a trap, yet Leto settles anyways because of the planet’s wealthiness and supplies. The events following after exceed anything that Paul could have imagined. 

The runtime of this film was two hours and 35 minutes, resulting in it feeling too drawn out with a lot of unnecessary screen time. Furthermore, the film felt dry and overexposed. “Dune: Part 2” is already announced and set to release in 2023, even though they could have fit the rest of the book in the first movie if they had not used so much filler time. 

Although this movie was drawn out, there were details included that were appreciated by fans and almost essential to the film, such as the visuals. The lavish clothes that Paul and his family wear attest to their wealth and position of power. This was noticed from the beginning, and became clear through a prominent difference between them and the people of Arrakis. 

Further, the complexity of the universe that Frank Herbert created is impressive, and represents the hardships of the different cultures and people spread through the planets.

Pieces of the film seemed to be of a different genre; an illustration of this is when Paul was delivered to the reverend mother Gaius Helen Mohaim (Charlotte Rampling) to test the strength of his powers. The mood of the scene gives off a horror and thriller feel. In “Dune” written by Frank Herbert, the ‘Mentats’ are like Paul and have the same abilities as him. They’re trained to become masters of logic and minds, making sense of the dreams and visions throughout the film. 

Overall, the movie was well-done with great visuals and a thorough sci-fi plot, paired with some hints of thrill. With these things considered, the biggest flaw was the film being extended in places it shouldn’t be, making it a bore at times. So, unless you loved the book or are a huge sci-fi fan, it may not be for you. Or, it may be for a relaxed night at home, but not for a whole outing to the movies.