The 10 best sci-fi/fantasy shows and movies of 2021
By WiC Staff
Dune
Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune has taken its cinematic lumps over the years. David Lynch adapted the science fiction classic in 1984, but that movie came out a compromised, visually striking mess. The Syfy Channel hewed closer to Herbert’s text in a TV miniseries adaptation, but the budget was so small it was impossible to take seriously.
It was starting to look like Dune was unfilmable…and then came Denis Villeneuve. The guy behind Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 has exactly the right kind of slow burn sensibility to do justice to this most cerebral of sci-fi epics, and his movie comes close to being the definitive onscreen version. The sands of Arrakis look gobstoppinly gorgeous, the sandworms are massive and terrifying, and the long pregnant pauses are plentiful and meaningful. Dune is a story that takes itself very seriously, and after Villeneuve is done with it, you’ll take it seriously too.
The impressive cast helps. Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Zendaya…the movie’s IMDb page reads like the guest list of the most exclusive party in Hollywood, and yet everyone is well-suited to their roles. The only real downside to the film is that it ends halfway through; Dune only adapts the first half of Herbert’s book, but now that it’s officially a success, Warner Bros. has confirmed that Dune: Part Two is on the way. — Dan