DUNE : Tuesday 7th December 2021.

'DUNE' which I saw at my local independent movie theatre this week is an M Rated American epic Sci-Fi film Directed, Co-Written for the screen and Co-Produced by Denis Villeneuve whose previous feature film offerings take in 'Incendies' in 2010, 'Prisoners' in 2013, 'Sicario' in 2015, 'Arrival' in 2016 and 'Blade Runner 2049' in 2017. This film is based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert and is the first instalment in a planned two part adaptation with 'Dune : Part Two' now slated for an October 2023 release. Originally scheduled for a late November 2020 release, the film was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, instead having its World Premier at the Venice International Film Festival on 3rd September this year ahead of its international release in mid-September. It was then released in US cinemas and streaming on HBO Max on 21st October, and went on general release in Australia only last week. The film has so far generated largely positive critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$383M off the back of a US$165M production budget. 

Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) of House Atreides, the ruler of the planet Caladan, is assigned by the Emperor of the Universe Shaddam Corrino to replace House Harkonnen as fief rulers of the planet Arrakis. House Harkonnen have presided over Arrakis for the past eight hundred years and so this news comes as a bitter disappointment to them needless to say. Arrakis is a harsh desert planet and the only known source of 'spice' in the universe, a valuable substance that bestows its users greater vitality and expanded consciousness. It is also critical for interstellar travel as it allows Spacing Guild Navigators to use a limited form of foresight to safely navigate through interstellar space. The reality is however, that Shaddam is scared and jealous and intends to have House Harkonnen stage a violent and bloody coup to retake the planet with the aid of the Emperor's Sardaukar troops, eradicating House Atreides once and for all, whose influence threatens Shaddam's control. Leto is reluctant but but can see the political advantages of controlling the spice planet and forming an alliance with its native population, skilled desert dwelling fighters known as the Fremen.

Leto's mistress Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is a disciple of the Bene Gesserit, an exclusive sisterhood whose members possess advanced physical and mental capabilities. As part of their centuries-long breeding regime, the Bene Gesserit instructed Jessica to bear a daughter whose son would become a male Bene Gesserit, a messianic superbeing with the power of second sight necessary to guide humanity to a better future. Instead she gave birth to a son, Paul (Timothee Chalamet). Throughout his life, Paul is trained by Leto's aides, Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), and the Mentat Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson), while Jessica trains Paul in the ways of the Bene Gesserit. 

Paul confides in Jessica and Duncan that he has recurring dreams of the future. Because of these dreams, the Emperor's Truthsayer the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) visits Caladan and subjects Paul to a deadly test to assess his impulse control, which he passes. Mohiam instructs House patriarch Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) to spare Paul and Jessica during his coup on Arrakis, to which he responds that he, will not harm them. 

Some two weeks later, House Atreides arrives at Arrakeen, the fortress stronghold on Arrakis, where Duncan and an advance party have been learning all they can about the planet and the Fremen. It is unknown who remained on Caladan to oversee and protect the Atreides home planet in the meantime. Leto negotiates with the Fremen's chieftain Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and meets the Imperial ecologist and Judge of Change Dr. Liet-Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster). Kynes informs Leto, Paul, and Halleck of the dangers of spice harvesting, including giant sandworms which can grow up to four hundred metres long and which travel under the desert sands and are attracted by vibrations and sounds on the surface. During a flight, they spot a sandworm approaching an active spice harvester with a stranded crew on board. Leto and his team rescue the workers with barely minutes to spare before the sandworm swallows the harvester. Paul's exposure to the spice-laden air triggers more intense visions of the future.

After an attempt on Paul's life by a Harkonnen agent, Leto places his army on high alert. Suk doctor Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen) disables Arrakeen's protective shields which allows Harkonnen and Sardaukar troops to overwhelm the Atreides forces, and ultimately destroy Arrakeen. Yueh incapacitates Leto and tells him he had no choice but to make a deal to deliver him to the Baron Harkonnen in exchange for freeing his captive wife. Yueh replaces one of Leto's teeth with a poison gas capsule and is killed by the Baron after delivering the Duke. As Leto lies naked in  chair at the end of a long table and in an incapacitated state he murmers, and the Baron leans in to listen. Leto bites down on the fake tooth and releases the poison gas, killing himself and members of the Baron's court almost immediately, but the Baron survives. 

Duncan escapes and steals an ornithopter (a flying machine with the body of a helicopter but the wings that oscillate rapidly like a dragon fly). Harkonnens soldiers capture Paul and Jessica and take them into the desert where they will be dumped to die. However, Paul and Jessica overpower and kill their captors using a Bene Gesserit ability known as 'the Voice', a means of controlling the actions of others through verbal commands. Finding a survival kit left for them by Yueh, Paul and Jessica spend the night in a tent, which by daybreak is buried under the sand. Paul experiences more dreams, this time of a 'holy war' raging across the universe in his name. The next morning, they make their way out of the buried tent and continue their journey in search of the Fremen.

The Baron, recovering from the poison gas attack, gives command of Arrakis to his over zealous nephew Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista) and orders him to sell spice reserves while the price is still at a peak and restart production to recover the cost of the coup. Paul and Jessica are found by Duncan and Kynes and head to an old unused aquifer station but are quickly tracked by Sardaukar. Duncan and a number of the Fremen sacrifice themselves to allow Jessica, Paul, and Kynes to escape the aquifer on foot. Kynes separates and is ambushed by three Sardaukar soldiers, so she lures a sandworm by thumping with her fist on the sand. The sandworm duly arrives and quickly devours them along with her. Paul and Jessica escape in an ornithopter and fly through an 800kph sandstorm, ultimately crash landing deep in the desert. 

Running to a rocky outcrop they manage to evade a sandworm and there meet a group of Fremen, among them Stilgar and Chani (Zendaya), the girl seen by Paul's in his dreams. Fremen warrior Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun) protests their admission into thier encampment and is killed by Paul in a ritual duel to the death. Against Jessica's wishes, Paul insists on joining the Fremen to fulfil his father's goal of bringing peace to Arrakis, and preventing a holy war spreading across the universe in his name. 

'Dune' is an epic film in just about every sense of the term. From the stunning visuals, the action set pieces, the character development, the cinematography, the ensemble cast, the world building and the Hans Zimmer composed thumping soundtrack this ticks all the boxes and must be seen on a big cinema screen to truly appreciate the scale and spectacle of what Director Denis Villeneuve has delivered. At over two-and-a half hours in length, sure the movie lags in places but it moves along at a swift pace and never leaves you wanting, and whilst some critics have commented that it only covers half of Frank Herbert's novel, that is the Director's intention as the opening credit says 'Dune : Part One'. Aside for being a Sci-Fi spectacle for the ages and all ages, the film has emotional heft and delves into the human psyche as much as it does the grandeur of the set designs and the manner in which the action scenes play out. For a universe set some eight thousand years into the future however, one thing that left me scratching my head was why, oh why, with all their advanced technology, world building prowess and interstellar travel capabilities, do they still go into hand to hand battle with swords and daggers? Clearly, ours is not to reason why . . . ! Bring on 'Part Two'.

'Dune' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THOR : archive from 14th May 2011.

The fourth film in the Marvel Universe hit our big screens this week with the arrival of 'THOR'. Contained within an all star cast and an accomplished Actor/Director at the helm, and with the backing of a solid comic book storyline and a solid Studio. I must admit I went into this not expecting much, but came out pleasantly surprised! With a budget of US$150M Ken Branagh has crafted a solid rendering of the Marvel Comic Book which subsequently went on to generate US$450M at the global Box Office and give us the sequel 'Thor : The Dark World' in late 2013 with 'Thor : Ragnarok' now due for a late 2017 release. 'Thor' has had a troubled history going back as far as 1991 when Sam Raimi developed a concept for a big screen adaptation. After kicking around in film development hell, it went to various studios and Matthew Vaughn over the successive years before landing at the feet of Kenneth Branagh . . . and the rest, as they say, is history!

With Australia's Chris Hemsworth as our Viking God like hero Thor, the story kicks off on a land far far away in Asgard where Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is about to give his throne to his son, & heir Thor. But, the celebrations are interrupted by an attack from The Frost Giants who seek to retrieve the long held 'Casket of Ancient Winters' from the Asgardians and return it to their own realm. Thor goes in hot pursuit despite the wishes of Odin to Jotunheim to retrieve the casket and confront their ruler. Thor, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and three others are outnumbered and outmatched by the mighty Frost Giants, until Odin arrives and brings things to heel.

Returning to Asgard, Odin is none too pleased and banishes Thor for his disobedience to the third rock from the sun, AKA Midgard AKA Earth, now stripped of his Godly powers to live as a mere mortal joined only by his hammer, Mjolnir, with which to protect and defend himself. Travelling through a wormhole he descends to Earth landing in New Mexico where he eventually teams up with travelling astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her small entourage of Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard).

When Mjolnir is found by the locals protruding out of a crater in the nearby desert, S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) is dispatched to investigate. When Thor locates his magical hammer (which only he can wield) he seeks to retrieve it but discovers he is unable to lift it, having seemingly lost his former powers. He is captured, manages to escape, resigns himself to life as an Earthling and settles down to a romance with Jane Foster.

Back on Asgard other forces are at work conspiring against Odin, and Thor back on Planet Earth. Loki has discovered that in fact he is not Thor's brother but is Odin's adopted son, and in fact his father is Laufey - King of the Frost Giants. In all his rage Loki offers Laufey a deal in exchange for his ascension to the throne of Asgard, while Odin has been sent into a deep sleep, and Thor is in exile in some other far away place. When a number of Odin's loyal followers get wind of this plan, they hatch their own plan to alert Thor but must travel through the 'Bifrost' - an intergalactic bridge that connects two worlds - that is guarded by the all-seeing all-hearing Heimdall (Idris Elba).

Loki though gets word of the plan and sends a giant killing robot like machine to dispense with Thor and those that have followed, and so back in sleepy Hicksville, New Mexico a battle royal breaks out between Thor, his returned mates from Asgard, and Loki's killing machine - mayhem and wanton destruction ensues, including Thor being taken out and subsequently knocking on death's door. At this though his powers return and he is able to wield the necessary forces over Mjolnir as his strength returns and thwart the robotic killing machine sent by Loki.

As Thor and his buddies return to Asgard through the Bifrost, Loki dispenses with Laufey and puts a spin on recent events to convince Odin that he is a worthy successor to the throne - especially now that Thor is out of the way . . . or so he thinks! As Thor & Loki clash back on Asgard, Odin eventually intervenes saving Thor, as Loki falls into an abyss caused by the destruction of the Bifrost which he had intended to use to destroy Jotunheim. Thor reconciles with Odin, but comes to terms with the fact that he is not yet ready for the throne, while back on Earth love interest Jane Foster, seeks a way to open up the portal to Asgard.

Also starring Renee Russo (as Odin's wife and Thor's mother Frigga) and uncredited cameo's by Samuel L. Jackson (as Nick Fury of course), Jeremy Renner (as Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye) and watch out for the obligatory appearance of Stan Lee. A solid first instalment for this superhero and future 'Avenger' and worth a look on DVD & BluRay now, if you missed it on the big screen.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO : archive from 13th January 2012.

I saw 'THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO' last night on opening night. From the very impressive opening titles sequence you know this is Hollywood and David Fincher all over. You would have to wonder why though would Fincher retell this story just two years after the European original came out Directed by Niels Arden Oplev making Noomi Rapace almost a household name and propelling her career ever northward - together with that of Michael Nyqvist too it must be said. In their respective performances as Lisbeth Salander and Michael Blomkvist respectively, they made their roles their own well and truly, but the three originals combined made just US$215M whereas Fincher's alone made US$232M . . . I guess that's why in the final analysis, and proof positive for the studio that backed it!

It must be said that Fincher has done a good job at retelling this blockbuster story again with Daniel Craig passing in a solid performance as Blomkvist (and as far removed from Bond as you could possibly get) and Rooney Mara as Salander playing it more youthful especially early on when she is having all manner of shit thrown at her, but when retribution comes knockin' she is confident, astute, brutal and very much a woman in control of her emotions.

There is a strong support cast here too (which would account for the US$90M budget) including Christopher Plummer as Henrik Vanger - the man who hires Blomqvist to investigate the disappearance 40 years ago of his young niece whilst not discounting the "thieves, misers, bullies - the most detestable collection of people you will ever meet . . . my family"! There is Stellan Skarsgard as Martin Vanger, Joely Richardson as Anita Vanger, Robin Wright as Erika Berger, Steven Berkoff, Goran Visnjic and Geraldine James amongst others all adding weight to the supporting cast.

You know the story and quite possibly have seen it before in the earlier rendition of this Stieg Larson's highly acclaimed first book in this 'Millennium' series. As such there are no surprises here, but it is well shot, well executed and moves along just fine - and, we know that David Fincher has a strong pedigree for hard nosed thrillers of this type

A strong cast backs up the story well but I did feel that Noomi Rapace made Salander her own and was edgier, grittier, and more determined than Mara proved to be, although she settles in well as the tattooed new age punk cyber hacker as the film progresses. This film won the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Film Editing and was nominated in the Best Actress in a Leading Role, Cinematography, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories. It also picked up two Golden Globe nominations and two BAFTA nominations with a total haul of 29 award wins and 67 other nominations.

Certainly well worth your ticket price, but Fincher just fails to pull anything different out of the bag in a story that has already been very well executed and you know what's coming. I'm still left asking 'why'? You be the judge!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-