Why Dune deserves to the win Academy Award for Best Picture

On March 27, the 2022 Oscars will be held. Ten new films are being considered for Best Picture. Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, Dog PowerAnd West Side Story. Each person has strengths and flaws, but any of them may win the big prize. In the lead-up to the Oscars, we’re making a case for why each of them might deserve to take the big prize.

WHAT’S THE MOVIE?

DuneDenis Villeneuve directed “The Great Escape”.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

Adapting the first half of Frank Herbert’s landmark novel, Villeneuve’s DuneThis story is about the demise of House Atreides (an aristocratic family that was sent by an empire to act as proxy rulers to Arrakis’ desert planet). DuneThe young Paul Atreides is taken on a journey through a new country, in which his family are betrayed. He ends up being forced into exile. And the whole time, it’s suggested that Paul might be destined for something more, and that deep in the desert, he might find the power he needs to avenge his family and claim his heritage.

WHAT’S THE CRED?

Denis Villeneuve, who is rapidly becoming one of the most renowned purveyors for prestigious cinema genres, has been able to pull off ambitious projects like “An Unexpected Journey”. Blade RunnerThe sequel is a masterful work of art. Villeneuve’s films are craft-forward displays of awe-inspiring yet understated spectacle, the sort of movies that make people believe in big screens and bigger sound. It would be presumptuous to say that he’s trying to win awards with his science fiction projects, but not to say that his sci-fi films have a better shot at winning than most.

WHY IS IT A WINNER?

Ambition, mostly. DuneIt is an iconic work which has been influential on thousands of sci-fi stories over the past decades. It’s understandable that David Lynch’s 1984 film version couldn’t properly convey the book’s monumental stature: Herbert’s novel is sprawling, dense, and not amenable to fitting into a single film, which explains Villeneuve’s decision to break it in two. However DuneThis is also a great reminder that Villeneuve and Greig Fraser, his cinematographer collaborators are strong visual storytellers. They use imagery to transport viewers into carefully-constructed worlds.

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

We’re only getting half a story here. DuneAlthough it has a believable adaptation of the book, House Atreides’ fall is portrayed in a heartfelt arc. Plenty of other stuff to get to in the back half, it isn’t terribly clear what it’s striving for. People who wish their Oscar selections to have some sort of clear relevance may also be interested in this article Dune lacking: It’s a story about empires and the violence that sustains them, the subversive power of faith, and lots of other weighty ideas that don’t entirely land without the story’s full scope. What? Is clear from this half are the novel’s weak points, most notably its dense mythology and clumsy use of Middle Eastern and Islamic aesthetics to color its science fiction future.

It’s the ONE GREAT Thing EVERYONE MUST DO

Photo: Chiabella James/Warner Bros. Pictures

Jason Momoa’s performance as Duncan Idaho. Dune is a pretty severe and serious sci-fi story, but Momoa’s turn as Idaho, Paul Atreides’ swordmaster and mentor, is a breath of fresh and breezy air. While not quite comic relief — he’s funny, but not That funny — Idaho is a guy who’s good at what he does and generally has a good time doing it. Hopefully, you’re having just as good a time watching Dune.

WHERE DON’T I WATCH IT

Dune It is available for rent or purchase via digital on-demand and home video. You can also view our streaming guide that lists all nominees for the 2022 Oscar.

Previously:

Why Don’t Look Up Is the Best Picture

Why Dog Power deserves the Best Picture

Why West Side Storydeserves the Best Picture

Why Belfastdeserves to be the Best Picture

Why Nightmare Alleydeserves to be the Best Picture

Why King RichardBest Picture deserves Recognition

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Why Licorice Pizzadeserves to be the Best Picture