RATINGS
DUNE
Frank Herbert’s Dune had turned into a sort of creative graveyard for filmmakers over the years, causing the beloved sci-fi novel to be labeled unadaptable. The first attempt was made by Alejandro Jodorowsky, who started his adaptation in 1974, working with artists including H. R. Giger, Chris Foss, and Jean “Moebius” Giraud for set and character designs, resulting in over 3,000 storyboard sketches. That version was never made since Jodorowsky would not edit his release down to a palatable Hollywood runtime of two hours or less, instead preferring a ten-to fourteen-hour film. David Lynch filmed an adaptation in 1984, but interference from producers Raffaella De Laurentiis and her towering father Dino would eventually choke off the funding to the increasingly expensive production, which led to the film’s incomplete, B-grade feel. Even so, Lynch’s version has some impressive production value and there’s a lot of fun to be had, making it a cult favorite. Now, Denis Villeneuve comes to this new adaptation riding high off the success of his last outing, Blade Runner 2049, and his ability to resurrect that franchise decades later suggested he might be the person to finally do right by Dune. In this first half of what is to be a two-parter, Villeneuve sets the tone by borrowing from the artwork Jodorowsky left behind plus some of the visual elements of Lynch’s film. He sets the drama in a gorgeous world of glistening spaceships and vast landscapes, all accompanied by a moody, often percussive score by Hans Zimmer. Part one tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the young son of a noble family whose father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), is entrusted with overseeing the planet Arrakis, where the galaxy’s most precious substance, the spice melange, is mined. A series of events, palace intrigue, and maneuvering follow as others vie for control over the spice. This is the Dune fans have been waiting for.
As you watch , you might think it has a very particular look, and that’s likely because it was shot on the Arri Alexa LF and LF Mini in 4.5K digital video, transferred to 35mm film, then transferred back to a 4K digital intermediate for postprocessing. It arrives on Ultra HD Blu-ray in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision HDR. With a MaxCLL (Maximum Content Light Level) of 787 nits and a MaxFALL (Maximum Frame Average Light Level) of 239 nits, this is not the brightest HDR release you will ever see, but the transfer is so gorgeous and the contrast so solid that you won’t miss the lumens. The intermediate step of transferring to
