The time has come for you to book your Cineworld tickets for Dune, the gargantuan adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic novel. The author's 1965 text is regarded as a landmark work in the science-fiction genre, as well as a key influence on Star Wars, and already gave rise to a much-maligned 1984 take from David Lynch. However, the 2021 adaptation, from Blade Runner 2049 helmer Denis Villeneuve, promises to right those wrongs.
Villeneuve adapts the first half of Herbert's story, bringing us the complex battle for the desert planet Arrakis. The planet is the only known source of the spice melange, a coveted substance with extraordinary properties that is capable of powering interstellar flight. Onto Arrakis comes House Atreides, which is preparing to take up stewardship. However, they are being set up for betrayal by the Padishah Emperor, who collaborates with the outgoing stewards, the vicious Harkonnens, to destroy the Atreides clan.
It falls to the young and inexperienced Paul Atreides (Timotheé Chalamet) to seek survival in the desert wastes with his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). The latter belongs to the Bene Gesserit, a collective of seers and witches who have been experimenting with bloodlines to bring about the arrival of a new messiah known as the 'kwisatz haderach' (translated as 'the shortening of the way'). Paul and Lady Jessica's destiny crisscrosses with that of the Arrakis nomads known as the Fremen, particularly Chani (Zendaya), whom Paul has been seeing in his dreams. The Fremen are the ones capable of perceiving and utilising the influence of the monstrous sandworms that burrow beneath the desert surface.
It's a complex and spellbinding tapestry, brought to life by some of Hollywood's finest actors and craftsmen. Bolstering the cast are Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Charlotte Rampling and Dave Bautista. Behind the camera, the film has enlisted Rogue One cinematographer Grieg Fraser, The Dark Knight composer Hans Zimmer and several other luminaries to do justice to Herbert's work. Painted on a lavish scale with a budget estimated at $165 million, it promises to be an immersive experience, particularly in IMAX.
The critical response from the recent Venice Film Festival was extremely positive: The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin described the film as "science-fiction at its most majestic, unsettling and enveloping".
Click here to book your tickets for Dune, opening in Cineworld cinemas nationwide on 21st October.
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