I Watch Films: Dune (2021)

Dune

They mine spice on Arrakis, a desert planet known as Dune. The spice prolongs life, offers prophetic visions and allows navigators to travel through space. (It also gives regular users very blue eyes).

House Harkonnen used to hold Arrakis as a fief but now the emperor has given it to House Atreides. This is a trap. Duke Leto Atreides is too popular with the great nobles. Harkonnens will sabotage the spice harvesting machinery, the native Fremen will raid the Atreides, spice production will fall and the Duke will be delegitimised. That’s what everyone thinks, including the Duke, but he thinks he can make it work through befriending the Fremen and embracing desert power.

Let me stop the plot there. If you’re really interested then you should read the book. If you don’t care but like a cool-looking slightly grim and serious science fiction film then yes, watch it. What it doesn’t do is delve into the depths. And why should it? It’s still deeper, cleverer and more interesting than most big screen SF.

Watch This: Some science fiction spectacle action thriller lightly flavoured by politics and ecology
Don’t Watch This: Some fey kid who is the chosen one on a desert is just bad news