Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Dune 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Spice lords unite.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 9, 2022

Sticking around in sci-fi after 2016's uniquely ambitious Arrival and 2019's bold Blade Runner 2049, director Denis Villeneuve returned with Dune, adapting Frank Herbert's celebrated 1965 novel long after David Lynch's 1984 version and a TV mini-series distributed by Hallmark Entertainment. Showcasing the director's knack for visual spectacle and featuring a game ensemble cast, Dune is an admirable attempt at reinterpreting Herbert's dense original story... or at least its first half, since the follow-up was only recently green-lit by Warner Bros. for an October 2023 release.

Surviving the narrative gamble of a potential stand-alone film had Dune not achieved theatrical success (as opposed to, say, Warner Bros.' all-in approach to the Lord of the Rings trilogy over two decades ago), Villeneuve's film was clearly well-served by the risk. This "Part One", as it's titled on-screen, adapts the original novel's first half and introduces its diverse characters within a futuristic universe of warring tribes; it's told largely from the perspective of teenage Paul (Timothée Chalamet), heir to the House Atreides and son of Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and the House's current Duke, Leto (Oscar Isaac). With his mother's help, Paul learns to gain control of his innate mental and physical powers that she gave him as a member of the Bene Gesserit; her superiors include Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling), who subjects Paul to a pain control test which he passes. Through his life, Paul has also been closely guided by several mentors including weapons master Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), doctor Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen), political advisor Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and swordsman Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), whose name will always be kind of funny. But Paul's relationship to his mother has always been the most critical bond.

The second matter at the heart of Dune concerns the House Atreides as a whole: at the request of Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV, Leto and his people are named as new controllers of the desolate planet Arrakis, whose valuable resource "spice" is an addictive substance that grants users heightened abilities and is a key component in space travel. They are set to replace House Harkonnen and its leader, Baron Vladim (Stellan Skarsgård), who have long oppressed the planet's native inhabitants known as Fremen. But all is not as it seems: the Emperor plans to send his own troops, the Sardaukar, to stage a coup with the Harkonnen and obliterate House Atreides soon after their arrival.

Dune carefully balances these two central narrative elements in a slow-burning but well-paced manner that allows new viewers to be fully immersed in its careful world-building. Director Denis Villeneuve's approach to the material shows a lot of respect for Herbert's original vision, although he has also updated certain elements in the hope of making Dune a call to action for younger generations. While the original book featured obvious themes of environmentalism, this adaptation takes it one step further by emphasizing over-exploitation of a key planet's resources. Paul's coming-of-age story is also a stronger element here, as is the heightened importance of several female characters: not only is Lady Jessica now portrayed as a fierce soldier and member of the Bene Gesserit, but one prominent member of the Fremen was re-written as a female. Although die-hard fans of the original novel may balk at some of its changes to the source material, Villeneuve's film still retains a great deal of the sensibilities and heart of Herbert's original vision. When adapting material that's now almost six decades old, it's not surprising that a few updates would be made.

Perhaps the only objective handicap of Dune's new adaptation is that, while the original novel clearly influenced many now-prominent sci-fi franchises in its wake, it can't help but now feel a little derivative in some of its narrative elements and bigger dramatic moments. (That's obviously not a complaint lobbed at its source material, just what was chosen to be shown on the screen.) Yet its visual prowess, ambitious scope, strength of its core characters, and terrific production design all combine to create a living, breathing universe that will hopefully be elevated to even greater heights in the next chapter. For now, Warner Bros. has delivered a very strong 4K/Blu-ray combo pack that features outstanding A/V merits and a nice little collection of bonus features. A separate Blu-ray/DVD edition is also available.

Dune 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dune is quite a spectacle, and Warner Bros.' stunning 2160p transfer does a bang-up job of bringing its challenging visuals to the small screen. Although fans of its IMAX presentation will be disappointed to learn that both this disc and the Blu-ray do not feature a shifting aspect ratio, the straight 2.39:1 framing nicely suits Dune's numerous ultra-wide landscapes and cavernous interiors, where distant figures are set against monolith-like structures that provide quite a striking contrast. Fine detail and textures are uniformly excellent from start to finish, allowing fans to appreciate Dune's outstanding production design and location footage, which takes a few of its characters over craggy stone hills and across the intimidating sands of a vast, expansive desert. Visual effects are integrated very well into the picture, from twinkling spice particles to holographic imagery and pulsating, color-coded "shield" effects, as well as practical action sequences featuring massive explosions, hand-to-hand combat, and sleek ornithopters. As a whole, the 4K transfer offers a rich and seamless atmosphere that allows viewers to get lost in Dune's expansive world, delivering a dense, refined, and more immediately impressive image that will play exceptionally well on larger displays.

Fine detail aside, the most immediately striking difference between this disc and its Blu-ray counterpart (aside from the 4K's obviously tighter and trouble-free video compression) is its tasteful use of HDR enhancement that highlights the work of colorist David Cole and his team; from otherworldly lighting schemes to the glowing blue eyes of the Fremen, Dune's stunning use of color contrast gives it a truly unique appearance and the 4K presentation captures it perfectly. Without question, this is a standout release and already on the short list for 2022's best-looking discs.

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray copy of the film. For my thoughts on that disc's 1080p transfer, please see my review of that title. A third review of the separate 3D Blu-ray edition is forthcoming.

Dune 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Equally impressive is the default Dolby Atmos sound mix which, as always, unfolds to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 if you are not equipped for the newer format. Dune's massive visuals are paired perfectly with what can only be described as a purely enveloping sound field, one that places viewers squarely in the middle of the action where all of its cavernous echoes, staggering depth, sweeping surround pans, thunderous low frequencies, and well-balanced conversations can be fully appreciated. It's perhaps mixed a little "hot" in comparison with similar-scoped Atmos presentations... but if you're at all familiar with Villeneuve's previous sci-fi films linked above (or anything else from Legendary Pictures), you should know more or less what to expect here. Speech is exceptionally clean and crisp, Hans Zimmer's original score heavily occupies most of the surround and rear channels, and background effects -- none more so than the mid-film invasion and its brutal aftermath -- often flow freely through Atmos' height channels, which also get plenty of use via expansive room echoes and other location-specific elements. Overall, it's a powerhouse presentation that, when adjusted ever-so-slightly for volume, offers a pitch-perfect accompaniment to Dune's stunning visuals.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and applicable extras.

Dune 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a standard dual-hubbed keepcase with attractive cover artwork (if you like cast collages), a matching matte-finish slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption slip. All of the extras can all be found on the included Blu-ray disc; they're each presented in 1080p with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and optional subtitles.

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes - This nicely-produced collection of short featurettes covers several aspects of the adaptation and production process, pairing finished clips with early test footage, interviews, and candid on-set material. Featured participants include director Denis Vileneuve, producer Mary Parent, production designer Patrice Vermette, costume designer Robert Morgan, editor Joe Walker, composer Hans Zimmer, supervising sound editors Mark Mangini and Theo Green, re-recording mixer Ron Batlett, and actors Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Stellan Skarsgård, and Dave Bautista.

• The Royal Houses (8:12)
• Building the Ancient Future (6:26)
• My Desert, My Dune (4:50)
• Constructing the Ornithopters (5:38)
• Designing the Sandworm (5:40)
• Beware the Baron (5:00)
• Wardrobe From Another World (2:52)
• A New Soundscape (11:12)

• Filmbooks (5 parts, 10:26 total) - This series of short featurettes provide brief overviews (tutorials, really) of the four main humanoid tribes in the film as well as Arrakis' valuable resource "spice"; collectively, they add a helpful layer of historical context for total newcomers to the Dune universe.

• House Atreides
• House Harkonnen
• The Bene Gesserit
• The Fremen
• The Spice Melange

• Inside Dune (3 parts, 12:25 total) - Like a few of the introductory featurettes, these short pieces offer a quick glimpse at three key scenes featured in the film through a combination of on-set rehearsal footage and storyboards, as well as key cast and crew interviews with many of the participants listed above.

• The Training Room
• The Space Harvester
• The Sardaukar Battle

Dune 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Denis Villeneuve's Dune is an ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, updating its story and characters to a small degree while preserving its original scope and intent. Although some may prefer David Lynch's 1984 film (or even the 2000 three-part TV mini series) for nostalgic or other reasons, it's difficult to deny the sheer size and visual prowess of a film that fits in neatly with the director's earlier ventures into sci-fi. Warner Bros.' 4K disc provides very strong support including an outstanding 2160p transfer, Dolby Atmos audio, and a nice collection of bonus features right out of the gate. Although a more all-encompassing package may arrive after the second film's debut, it's almost impossible not to be tempted by such a strong and well-rounded 4K effort. Highly Recommended.