3 Reasons To Buy Dune

‘Dune’ is a staple in popular culture. Its relevance has stood the test of time, but audiences have been craving a solid adaptation for decades. Sure we got David Lynch’s film back in 1984, but the film was lacking, trying to compact too much story into a 2 hour runtime. Finally in 2021, Denis Villeneuve directed the first chapter in a new trilogy of films with ‘Dune’. This was my most anticipated film of 2021, after Villeneuve directed Blade Runner: 2049, I was so excited to see what he would do with this material. He is a phenomenal filmmaker and creates one of the most starkly beautiful films in recent years. Today to celebrate the release of ‘Dune’ on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD, I am hear to tell you the three reasons why you need to add ‘Dune’ to your collection! So, without further ado, here we go! 

The world-building – Dennis Villeneuve is a master at world building. He continues this with ‘Dune’ creating a deep and lived in world with plenty of character and backstory. This helps establish a realistic backdrop to the conflict. The complexities surrounding land, the political angle and the make-up of the conflict are all so thoroughly explained and established, without bombarding the audience with exposition. The film brings a lot of real world issues to the foreground, providing social and political relevance, which are staples of Frank Herberts original novel. For the world alone, you need to check this one out!

The cast – ‘Dune’ boasts one of the best ensemble casts of recent years, with the likes of Timothee Chalamat as Paul, Rebecca Fergusson as Lady Jessica, Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto, Zendaya as Chani, Jason Mamoa as Duncan, Stellan Skarsgard as the Baron, Josh Brolin as Gurney and Javier Bardem as Stilgar. This cast is stacked and each of the cast members fit their ‘Dune’ counterpart almost perfectly. Chalamat’s Paul is very green around the gills, he is the audience being introduced to this massive world and all the politics that come with it. I love how this is conveyed in the film. Chalamat brings a level of uncertainty and levity to the role that lesser performers wouldn’t have. He is great. But for my liking, Rebecca Fergusson as lady Jessica is incredible. She holds own on screen with some heavyweights of acting and her character feels very real given the situation. I really loved her take on the role.

The visuals – If you have seen any of director Denis Villeneuve previous films, whether it be Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival, Enemy or his 2017 masterpiece Blade Runner: 2049, you know that he has a distinct style but also an understanding of the world he is creating. He blends the practical with CGI seamlessly, creating such a good looking film. This is probably most prevalent in in ‘Dune’ as he is creating a fantastical world set on a distant planet. The visuals here are stunning, with Villeneuve highlighting the scope of this story through stark visuals. We see how big this world is, through gorgeous locations, scary monsters (the sandworms of course), and realistic looking equipment that don’t feel out of place. I love the colour pallet here, using drab tones and desolate textures, that add to the story, making the locations almost feel like characters themselves. The film looks gorgeous on 4K UHD as well, so if your TV has the capabilities you need tow watch it on 4K!

‘Dune’ is a modern science-fiction masterpiece. Its everything fans of the novel wanted and then some. We have the first chapter in a trilogy that establishes everything we need to know and gives us some of the best characters we have seen on the big screen in quite some time. I can’t wait to see more of this story and for the trilogy to be complete! 

Buy Dune on DVD, Blu-ray & 4K UHD here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here