Giant worms and inter-planetary battles rocked the Venice Film Festival as “Dune”, one of the most hotly anticipated blockbusters in years, finally landed for its world premiere.
It brought several gondolas worth of stars to the city s glitzy Lido island, with fans packing the waterfront for a glimpse of Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem.
Based on a landmark of sci-fi literature about warring clans fighting for control of a desert planet, the film boasts a $165-million budget and a critically adored director in Canadian Denis Villeneuve.
With its release delayed nearly a year by Covid, anticipation had reached a fever pitch.
No one could deny the sheer spectacle of its massive world-building sets and pulsating soundtrack, which locals said was rattling nearby windows on the Lido.
In a five-star review, The Guardian said the “slow-burn space opera fuses the arthouse and the multiplex to create an epic of otherworldly brilliance”.
But some critics quibbled with the story-telling, with many miffed that this was only “Part One” of the story.
“An awful lot of what we are watching feels like laborious setup for a hopefully more gripping film to come,” said The Hollywood Reporter.
Chalamet told reporters the experience had been “the honour of a lifetime.” “I hope we get to do a second one that would be a dream.”
Through hits like “Sicario” and “Arrival”, Villeneuve has put himself alongside Christopher Nolan as one of the few directors who can deliver deadly serious cinema that also pulls in the punters.
He has previously proved his worth to sci-fi fans with “Blade Runner 2049”, a lauded sequel to the Ridley Scott classic. The build-up has not been all roses, however.
Villeneuve has clashed with Warner Bros. over its decision to release the film on streaming platforms at the same time as cinemas. At the press conference, he pleaded with audiences to see it on the big screen. —agencies
