Our Managing Editor Jason Gorber brings us his first, spoiler-free look at Denis Villeneuve‘s rendition of Frank Herbert’s epic Dune ahead of the film’s screening at TIFF 2021. The films’s all-star cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Chang Chen, Stephen McKinley Henderson and so many more. With impressive visuals, committed performances, and a killer score from Hans Zimmer, here’s what stood out:
Read on for Jason’s first social reactions, then revisit Villeneuve’s film catalogue ahead of his TIFF Tribute Ebert Director Award presentation next week:
I welcome people to embrace SPACEJESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in all its seriousness and sand-blasted density, and it would genuinely be a shame if Denis isn't allowed to finish the second bit of the book where things truly get epic. #Dune
— Jason Gorber (@filmfest_ca) September 8, 2021
I applaud decision to not rush things and let atmosphere of Araxis breathe, and am not one to indulge in vagaries of studio greenlighting. Still, it works as a standalone piece, though may for some feel a beginning with an anticipated close still very much tentative. #Dune
— Jason Gorber (@filmfest_ca) September 8, 2021
For the record, Jodorowsky's #Dune would've been a sandy, sordid mess that would have made LOGAN'S RUN look like STAR WARS, and applauded with likes of LISZTOMANIA by very small group of fiends (myself included). Lynch's is an outright failure. So, quibbles aside, Denis delivers.
— Jason Gorber (@filmfest_ca) September 8, 2021
Dune opens in theatres October 1.
Follow along for our latest coverage including reviews, interviews and more, live from TIFF 2021 and join in on the conversation on Twitter and Letterboxd.
