--- title: "Dune: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/dune/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/dune" critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dune (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 62 from 14 reviews: 7 positive, 3 mixed, 4 negative. The reviews lean towards praise for Dune, chiefly for the scale and care of Villeneuve’s filmmaking. Critics repeatedly single out the production design, spacecraft and desert landscapes, with sound design and Hans Zimmer’s score helping make the setting feel unfamiliar and imposing. Several also welcome the attention to colonialism and religion. Performances receive praise, particularly from Radio Times, which finds Chalamet and Ferguson’s central relationship emotionally persuasive. The sharpest division is over whether that spectacle sustains a satisfying drama, and the spread of opinion is wide. Even favourable reviews frequently find the Part One structure frustrating, with too much left unfinished. More doubtful critics describe laborious exposition, thin characterisation and a loss of momentum as the film progresses. The New Yorker goes further, rejecting the visual approach itself as rigid and finding that the cast has little dramatic depth to work with. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2021. Villeneuve’s adaptation of the sci-fi classic is a colossal spectacle and a moment of triumph for the director, superior to David Lynch’s 1984 version because it allows the story room to breathe. The critic singles out the film’s astonishing visual sensibility, compelling sound design and score that together create an immersive experience of an alien universe. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/20/dune-review-denis-villeneuves-awe-inspiring-epic-is-a-moment-of-triumph) ## Radio Times — Josh Winning Rating 4/5. Villeneuve pulls off a muscular coming-of-age tale on an epic scale, fusing spectacle with intricate plotting and emotion while eradicating memories of the 1984 version. Chalamet and Ferguson shine in the central relationship, backed by a booming score and searing visuals, though the film feels incomplete as only the first part. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rd97dg/dune-part-one/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 3 September 2021. Villeneuve has delivered the adaptation Frank Herbert’s book deserves: sprawling, spectacular and politically resonant in its critique of colonialism, with precise storytelling, visual fireworks and god-level world-building. The sandworms and supporting cast (especially Stellan Skarsgård) stand out, though it lacks an ending as Part One. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/dune-2021) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2021. Villeneuve’s gloriously unfriendly take renders the rival aristocrats and space witches on an awe-inspiring, alien scale, preferring immersion in a richly rendered universe over familiar swashbuckling adventure. It is carried far on spectacle alone, including impossibly still spaceships, the Hans Zimmer score, and the menacing Baron Harkonnen. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/dune-movie-review-denis-villeneuves-turn.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2021. Festival review. The critic praises the film as a magisterially brooding and transporting vision with masterful craft and spectacle that brings the novel's world vividly to life. He singles out the seat-rattling action sequences and philosophical undertones but notes it could benefit from more imaginative excess or madness. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-09-03/dune-review-denis-villeneuve-frank-herbert) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 3 September 2021. Festival review. The critic calls the adaptation spectacular in its world-building and often engrossing but ultimately runs out of storytelling steam, feeling like a franchise setup that loses emotional investment. He singles out the majestic vastness and visual motifs while faulting the shift to a woozy, amorphous second half. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/dune-review-spectacular-and-engrossing-until-it-isnt-1235051928/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating C-. 3 September 2021. Festival review. This is a lifeless spice opera told on a comically massive scale that ultimately feels small, with a screenplay that mines little substance from Herbert’s novel despite its thunderous approach. The result is uniquely dispiriting given Villeneuve’s prior affinity for stories about transcending cyclical violence. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/2021/09/dune-review-denis-villeneuve-1234660459/) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2021. The critic finds the film numbing and overly focused on elaborate world-building at the expense of character and intrigue, resulting in a literalist and disappointing compression of the source novel. Some technical achievements in visuals and sound are noted, along with one lyrical moment with a desert mouse. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/just-deserts-dune-review-denis-villeneuve/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 2021. The critic finds Villeneuve's adaptation disappointingly dull and unimaginative compared to Lynch's visceral 1984 version, prioritizing plot clarity over visual or emotional richness. He singles out the rigid, hermetic images and the way the film reduces its strong cast, including Timothée Chalamet, to ciphers without dramatic depth. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/review-a-dune-sanded-to-dullness) ## Empire — Ben Travis 3 September 2021. The critic hails Villeneuve’s film as the adaptation science-fiction devotees always dreamed of, an absorbing and awe-inspiringly huge spectacle that establishes its world with precision. They single out the astonishing production design, scale and jaw-on-the-floor awe for praise, while noting the Part One structure leaves the story half-finished. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dune-2021/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins 3 September 2021. Festival review. Villeneuve has crafted a stirring adaptation that does justice to the source while maintaining a slick pop-movie form, with breathtaking visuals and a focus on the mother-son relationship between Paul and Jessica. It is a stately, exacting film more in the tradition of David Lean than modern blockbusters, though it is only Part One. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/dune-venice-film-festival-review) ## Screen Daily 3 September 2021. Festival review. Villeneuve delivers an impressive space opera on a massive scale with stunning visuals and epic grandeur that dwarfs most contemporary sci-fi. It is brainy and brooding rather than crowd-pleasing, with strong performances across the cast, though it represents a commercial risk as the first of two instalments. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/dune-venice-review/5162818.article) ## Sight and Sound — Philip Kemp 25 October 2021. The critic praises Villeneuve for avoiding the pitfalls of the 1984 Lynch adaptation by steering clear of excessive fidelity and voiceovers, delivering a visually striking and well-cast film with state-of-the-art effects and a brooding score. It succeeds as far as it goes but is only Part One, leaving the story incomplete without a guaranteed sequel. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dune-succeeds-avoiding-excessive-fidelity-original-novel) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 3 September 2021. Festival review. The film offers cinematic spectacle in its landscapes, architecture, hardware and spacecraft, along with a strong ensemble led by Timothée Chalamet, but it struggles with dense world-building and arcane details that risk alienating viewers. Storytelling lacks clean, propulsive lines, leaving much of the narrative feeling like laborious setup for a sequel. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/timothee-chalamet-in-denis-villeneuves-dune-film-review-venice-2021-1235005184/) ## The Independent — Clarisse Loughrey 20 October 2021. The critic calls Villeneuve’s adaptation spectacular and of such literal and emotional largeness that it overwhelms the senses, positioning it as this generation’s Lord of the Rings. They single out the film’s grounded approach to the source material and its handling of colonialism and religion for praise, while noting a casting issue with the Fremen. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dune-movie-review-zendaya-timothee-chalamet-b1941796.html) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland 20 October 2021. The critic finds the film huge, gripping and gorgeous with strong visual dynamism, production design and a strong cast, calling it an engrossing epic. They single out the lame, half-hearted ending that exists only to set up a sequel as the main complaint. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/dune-review-timothee-chalamet-uk-release-date-cinemas-sequel-film-movie-1257620) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4.5/5. 3 September 2021. The critic calls the film an astonishing, immersive spectacle and visual feast that successfully captures a weird and thoughtful epic on a grand scale. Strong world-building, tactile production design, and committed performances, especially from Chalamet and Momoa, are highlighted as making it a transportive experience. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/dune-review-sci-fi-legend/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2021. The adaptation is ambitious and jaw-dropping in its spectacle and craftsmanship, particularly in scale and action sequences, but feels incomplete as it ends abruptly and leaves narrative threads dangling. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2021/09/14/movies/dune-review-denis-villeneuve-timothee-chalamet-sequel) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C. 20 October 2021. The critic finds the film visually impressive and well-crafted in world-building but emotionally hollow and distant, lacking investment in characters despite strong performances and production values. [Read the review](https://collider.com/dune-review-timothee-chalamet-zendaya/) ## Polygon — Roxana Hadadi Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2021. The film is visually stunning with impressive production design and action sequences but suffers from emotional emptiness, rushed character development, and flat world-building that fails to connect elements cohesively. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22733349/dune-review-denis-villeneuve-timothee-chalamet/) ## /Film — Jeremy Mathai Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 26 October 2021. The critic finds the adaptation overly literal and rushed despite its fidelity to the novel, resulting in a weightless film that misses the book's philosophical and political depth. They single out the effective early invented scenes on Caladan but criticize the handling of major plot points and supporting characters for feeling inconsequential. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/643530/dune-proves-that-a-faithful-adaptation-doesnt-always-make-a-great-movie/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond 3 September 2021. Festival review. The critic praises Villeneuve’s faithful adaptation of the novel as a spectacular and defining version, highlighting the focus on human elements, impressive visuals, score, and strong cast performances, especially Chalamet as Paul. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/video/dune-movie-review-timothee-chalamet-denis-villeneuve/) ## The Wrap — Steve Pond 21 October 2021. The review finds the film dazzling yet frustrating, spectacular but often slow and humorless, praising its technical achievements, scale, and dark beauty while noting the heavy exposition and bleak tone. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/dune-film-review-timothee-chalamet/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/dune.md