This week brought a one-two punch that many movie & sci-fi fans have been eagerly waiting for – a new trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, as well as an exclusive 30-minute IMAX preview, showcasing the first 10 minutes of the film and then some. I was fortunate to catch this preview at the AMC Lincoln Square in New York. Now that a couple of days have passed, I’ve had time to process what I saw.
While October 22nd feels like a long time to wait until its release, I can say with confidence it will all be worth it. This isn’t just the adaptation that Frank Herbert’s book deserves. No, it’s also the in-theater experience that passionate moviegoers need at this moment.
When was the last time you were swept away by a film in theaters?
Back in 2017, I found myself walking out of an IMAX theatre in Burbank with a couple of friends. Tears were rolling down my face, and my body was shaking. We had just finished watching Blade Runner 2049 – one of the few films that I consider to be a “religious experience”. I’ll admit, I went in very skeptical. I was afraid a sequel to one of my favorite films would be tarnished by modern Hollywood conventions. The brooding, existential ruminations of an artificial consciousness that left their mark on my teenage self would be subject to excessive explosions and mishandled treatment of the world and its inhabitants. Instead, my expectations were met and exceeded in so many ways.
In a span of two hours and 44 minutes, I became a Villeneuve fan. This led to me watching the film 6 additional times in theaters, and many more times once it came out on Blu-ray. I continued to ask myself: “After a project like this, what would he do next?”
Fast-forward to 2021 – after the film being pushed back an entire year, Dune is finally seeing a release.
With the buzz generated from this week’s big marketing push, many people are now interested in buying a ticket to Arrakis. Some of the incredible images shown during the IMAX preview are still etched into my mind. Like the spice-laced sand dancing across the arid landscape and sweeping views of the majestic planet Caladan. As well as the inhuman terror of House Harkonnen. The way the frames filled the IMAX screen left me speechless! This film has found a way to depict this universe in a way that feels tangible and immersive in a way like I’ve never seen.
On top of that, snippets of Hans Zimmer’s score were just icing on the cake. Zimmer has created a unique soundscape that will transport audiences into another world. I usually have hesitancy that lightning can’t be caught in a bottle twice with this level of excellence, but now I’m very certain this film will put any and all hesitancies to rest.
Once more, with feeling…
In a way, this moment feels like it should have been seized by Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Had it not been rushed and intermittent fashioned, maybe it would have? While that film succeeded in large-scale imagery, it ultimately alienated its audience due to overbearing exposition and surface-level character work. It didn’t feel like the right opportunity to reunite moviegoers in a way that was accessible. In the areas where Tenet fell flat, Dune has the chance to succeed.
It’s been fun to see Warner Bros. roll out their 2021 lineup with the day-of ability to stream on HBO Max. This is allowing audiences to watch their new releases from the comfort of their own homes. I’ve enjoyed many of their releases at home and was grateful to do so. Dune, however, stands firm as a notable exception. This film was engineered to be experienced in a theater on the biggest screen possible. If you have the chance to see this film, I recommend you do your best to see it in IMAX. We may not get the chance to experience sci-fi at this scale for a very long time.
I can’t continue to wax poetic about Dune without acknowledging the obvious: we are still very much in a global pandemic.
I worry the circumstances we are all living through will pose a threat to this film’s success. A friend of mine recently made a good point: If Dune succeeds, then its potential to be the next Lord of the Rings will come true, and we will see the IP show up across several mediums around the world. If not, then Hollywood will have another reason to not invest in big-budget sci-fi endeavors. And sadly, we may not experience something like this for a long time.
Obviously, I don’t want to ask you to compromise your safety for a moviegoing experience. But I will ask for your hand in supporting bold and brave storytelling in an industry that’s shifting in ways that will throw both audiences and creators for a loop. We’re going to need all the help we can get. If you are someone who is willing to take the leap (and are ideally vaccinated), then I hope to see you at the theater this fall.
Dune releases in theaters and HBO Max October 22nd, 2021