kelvynchin

Morgan Galen King and Philip Gelatt's animated film is strictly for fans of fantasy epics and barbarian flicks, with a strong Conan the Barbarian vibe throughout - an epic tale of magic, bloodshed and tragedy as a cosmic flower of enlightenment from ancient Gods is used instead by tyrannical and megalomaniacal forces. Cue a centuries spanning saga of bloodcurdling violence, with witches, titans, kings and gods and all sorts of unworldly terrors and slaughter. The animators opt for rotoscoping for the human characters, and while some may find this jarring, I actually thought if fits very well with the story being told.

It's great, but only if this kind of tale is your cup of tea to begin with. Absolutely not for kids.

Dennis Villeneuve's Dune (Part One) is an epic and glorious version of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi, and fully deserved to be seen - more than once - on the big screen. The sets, FX and production design are majestic, the storytelling strives for (and for the most part) achieves mythic scope, and it is truthfully a story that unfolds unhurriedly. Timothee Chalemet makes a good Paul Atreides, and there are great supporting turns by Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson and Dave Bautista. Zendaya makes for a radiant Chani, and the thunderous middle eastern laced percussive score by Hans Zimmer just adds to the overall feel of the pic. An instant classic, although I did find some of the action sequences a bit too dark. Here's hoping Part Two gets greenlighted.