Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part One" is now out on home video; I snapped it up and watched it last night. It's a much-reduced experience to watch it on the small screen, but there's still some grandeur there. One thing I really enjoy about Villeneuve's approach is how we get the feeling that the Atreides family is going knowingly to its death, that there's a slow, painful inevitability about how events unfold. Duke Leto understands perfectly well that Arrakis is a trap, but he goes through the motions of trying to get spice mining going, anyway. Lady Jessica, Leto's concubine, is aware of the many dangers that lie ahead, but she continues to do her duty to both the Bene Gesserit order—which shapes history from behind the scenes—and to the Atreides family. Even Paul continues marching forward despite his premonitory visions, despite knowing he may soon find himself at the head of a bloody jihad. The movie's slow rhythm contributes to this sense of crushing circumstance, so I have to give Villeneuve full credit for excellent editing contributing to appropriate pacing.
Hans Zimmer's score is generally quite good, although there are moments where he reverts to his old superficiality. He hasn't totally shaken off his younger self, but overall, he's now a much more mature composer than he had been back in the 90s. While his scores will never be as iconic as those of John Williams, Zimmer was not a bad choice for "Dune."
Just some thoughts upon rewatching a good movie.
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