A science fiction fanatic’s dream. After enduring years of pushbacks due to the pandemic, Dune has finally been released. This adaptation of the first half of Frank Herbert’s popular novel was directed by Denis Villeneuve and tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), an intelligent and gifted young man born into a powerful family. Paul’s father, Duke Leto (Oscar Issac) leads the House Atreides with his wife Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). This family has been entrusted with the mission to collect a spice called melange, the most desired resource in the Galaxy, as it enables faster than light space travel and hallucinogenic effects. Dune is packed with many amazing actors, such as Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Stellan Skargârd, Dave Bautista and Josh Brolin. However, Chalamet and Ferguson definitely take the cake for the best performances in this science fiction epic. Their mother son dynamic was extremely powerful and made me even more invested in the outcome of the film. Ferguson delivered a very emotional performance so I was able to empathize with her character much more than the many others in the film. Although I feel Chalamet wasn’t quite on the same level as Ferguson, he did have some great moments. There was a scene where had to emote and seem like he was in immense pain and it was very powerful, making it one of my favorite scenes in the movie. A big let down for me was Zendaya’s few appearances in the movie. She was made out to be a prominent part of the film through trailers, social media and promotions which had me under the impression that she would be Chalamet’s co-star. I was really let down when I was halfway through the movie and remembered Zendaya was supposed to be in it. Although she had few appearances, I would say she does the most with the screen time she’s given. The film was also quite long, racking up a run time of two hours and thirty minutes. Villeneuve still manages to tightly pack every minute of the film but I would have preferred for some of it to be shaved down and an extended cut to be released in the future. The cinematography of Dune is phenomenal thanks to Greig Fraser. His personal close-ups add so much emotion to scenes, along with his wide shots of the Arrakis desert really standing out and making this one of the most beautifully shot films I’ve seen in recent years. There isn’t a dull shot throughout the film, which is surprising since it takesplace almost entirely in a desert. Much of this can be attributed to the fact that most of the movie was filmed in an actual desert, making it more realistic for both the audience and the actors. What I was looking forward to the most before seeing this movie was hearing the score by world renowned composer, Hans Zimmer. He delivered some top tier music, like always, and I felt it always matched the tone of the scene. There were loud, jarring parts and soft, quiet moments that perfectly captured the emotions felt by the audience and characters. His addition of a female choir gave an angelic tone to some scenes that I really enjoyed, making the score my favorite aspect of the movie. Dune is a phenomenal movie with an amazing cast, gorgeous cinematography and an interstellar score. I can definitely see many awards in its future and expect it to make an immense impact in the film industry for years to come. I give it 8/10 stars.