I should have listened to my gut instinct but didn't. The
end.
Here's what I liked: the interior design is really good and
the outfits are original and match the setting. The buildings
and spacecrafts look super cool, as does the protagonist.
Here's what sucked: everything else. It is remarkable just
how much masturbation is going on here.
This film takes itself way too seriously -- there
isn't any kind of self-awareness whatsoever. Did they actually
have fun making this sterile drag? It sure doesn't look like
it.
However, the score fits. It constantly rumbles and drones
around, regardless of what's happening on screen, creating an
ever-present atmosphere of self-adulation. Mechanical objects
move slowly with an infuriating heaviness and
momentousness. Everything is EPIC TO THE
MAX. And yet, Dune doesn't evoke any emotional connection
whatsoever -- watching it (or rather: looking at it) felt like
trying to memorize the Yellow Pages.
After an hour, I wished it was over. Thirty minutes later, I
left.