K.T Simpson
Two things to take away from last night’s premiere of “Dune” at the Venice Film Festival? It IS worth seeing on the big screen (so Denis Villeneuve’s recent comments that TV doesn’t do it justice may have merit) and though it’s lacking in parts, it’s visually arresting and a welcomingly ambitious production.
The film screened to the press earlier in the day and unspooled that night at the premiere – a screening that ended up with a wonderful 7-minute standing ovation from those in attendance.
Here’s some of the reviews from the attending media :
“Denis Villeneuve’s movie is the film interpretation that fans have been waiting to see for decades.” – Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend
“For science fiction devotees, especially those who have long-worshipped Frank Herbert’s dense tome…Villeneuve’s Dune is the adaptation you always dreamed of.” – Ben Travis, Empire Magazine
“For all its amazing imagery and A-list stars and very cool interpretations of the nerdier aspects of Herbert’s book, this version of Dune doesn’t fully coalesce.” – Scott Collura, IGN
“I’ll always love Lynch’s Dune, a severely compromised dream-work that (not surprising given Lynch’s own inclination) had little use for Herbert’s messaging. But Villeneuve’s movie is Dune.” – Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
“Thankfully, Dune isn’t particularly hard to follow.” – Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist
“Villeneuve’s true talent is less in the staging of violence than in the queasy anticipation of it… That gift serves him well enough in Dune.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
“For all of Villeneuve’s awe-inducing vision, he loses sight of why Frank Herbert’s foundational sci-fi opus is worthy of this epic spectacle in the first place.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire
“Much like the haunting Blade Runner 2049, the director has taken the time to explore numerous characters without sacrificing the main story and themes.” – Jimmy O, JoBlo’s Movie Emporium
“Think of it as Game of Thrones in space or Star Wars if it never got off Tatooine.” – Steve Pond, The Wrap
“Cinematographer Grieg Fraser has outdone himself from frame to frame, set piece to set piece, creating jaw dropping pieces of art that are impressionistic, sensational, and other worldly.” – Roger Friedman, Showbiz 411
“Chalamet confirms on a grand scale what arthouse audiences have long known about his charisma.” – David Crow, Den of Geek
“Dune is so aesthetically rich and monolithic that a few brief, misguided stabs at Marvel-style humor early on feel almost like blasphemy.” – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
“Dune” kicks off its U.S run October 22 on HBO Max and in theaters, and plays Australian Cinemas December 2.
