Dune movie poster
Poster © Warner Bros. Pictures. Shown at reduced size for review and commentary.
GenreAction, Adventure & Drama
RatedPG-13
Runtime2 hr 35 mins
ReleasedOctober 22, 2021
StreamingSee Where to Watch
DirectorDenis Villeneuve
StarringTimothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson

Dune (2021)

movie.guru URL: https://movie.guru/dune-movie-review
Dune's Details
GenreAction, Adventure & Drama
RatedPG-13
Released09/03/2021 (Venice); 10/22/2021 (United States)
StreamingSee Where to Watch on this page.
Running Time2 hr 35 mins
Budget$165M (reported)
Box OfficeUpdated daily from Box Office Mojo. See the numbers below.
Based OnDune by Frank Herbert
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Dune's Interests
GeneralSpice, sandworms, stillsuits, ornithopters, the Gom Jabbar, brutalist everything.
MusicHans Zimmer. A score so huge it sounds like it was recorded inside a sandworm.
MoviesDune: Part Two (2024). Same desert, way more sandworm.
TelevisionDune: Prophecy. The Bene Gesserit origin story, ten thousand years earlier.
HeroesDuncan Idaho. Best swordsman in the house, best hugs too.
Dune's Crew
DirectorDenis Villeneuve
WritersJon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth
ProducersMary Parent, Denis Villeneuve, Cale Boyter, Joe Caracciolo Jr.
CinematographyGreig Fraser
MusicHans Zimmer
Edited ByJoe Walker
ProductionLegendary Pictures
Distributed ByWarner Bros. Pictures
Dune's Trailer
Official Trailer • Warner Bros.
How Dune Performed
movie guru's TLDR

Half a movie. Dune runs 155 minutes and stops right as it finally gets going, like a waiter who takes your order and then clocks out. Everything before that is huge in a way that makes your couch feel small: ships shaped like floating bricks, a desert that looks hot enough to cook rice on, and a sandworm entrance that’s the best monster reveal in years. Timothée Chalamet spends most of it looking worried in very nice robes. Zendaya is all over the poster and mostly shows up in his dreams. Rebecca Ferguson does the heavy lifting as a mom who’s terrified and trained not to show it. Jason Momoa is the only person on Arrakis having any fun. It made $410.7 million worldwide, and over a million IMDb voters landed on an 8.0, so plenty of people were happy to wait. A 7.6 because it’s gorgeous, patient setup for a sequel that actually pays it off. $849 says you queue up Part Two before the credits even finish rolling.

What works: The scale is enormous, the sandworm reveal is a jaw-dropper, and Rebecca Ferguson gives the story a real emotional center.

What doesn’t: It ends right when the story starts moving, and Zendaya barely gets anything to do beyond appearing in dreams.

Who it’s for: People who want a sci-fi movie to feel like weather, and anyone willing to watch part one of a two-part meal.

Spoilers

The Harkonnens strike back with the Emperor’s soldiers, Duke Leto is killed, and Duncan Idaho dies holding off the attackers. Paul and Jessica escape into the deep desert, Paul wins a duel against the Fremen fighter Jamis, and they head off with Chani and Stilgar.

Guru’s Take
7.6/10
Above Average
Dune's Blurbs
About me:

In the far future, the Emperor hands the desert planet Arrakis to House Atreides. Arrakis is the only source of spice, the most valuable substance in the universe, and its previous rulers, the brutal Harkonnens led by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), are not thrilled about leaving. Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) moves his family there anyway, with his partner Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and their son Paul (Timothée Chalamet), who keeps dreaming about a Fremen girl named Chani (Zendaya). Lessons from Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) and Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) only go so far on a planet with giant sandworms. Denis Villeneuve directs. One hundred fifty-five minutes, mind the sandworms.

Who I'd like to meet:

Anyone who can walk without rhythm. Bring a stillsuit and do not ask where the water comes from.

Dune's Friend Space
Dune's Top 8
Timothée ChalametTimothée ChalametPaul Atreides
ZendayaZendayaChani
Rebecca FergusonRebecca FergusonLady Jessica
Oscar IsaacOscar IsaacDuke Leto Atreides
Josh BrolinJosh BrolinGurney Halleck
Stellan SkarsgårdStellan SkarsgårdBaron Vladimir Harkonnen
Dave BautistaDave BautistaGlossu Rabban
View All of Dune's Friends
Dune's Cast (in credits order)
Timothée ChalametPaul Atreides
Rebecca FergusonLady Jessica
Oscar IsaacDuke Leto Atreides
Josh BrolinGurney Halleck
Stellan SkarsgårdBaron Vladimir Harkonnen
Dave BautistaGlossu Rabban
Sharon Duncan-BrewsterDr. Liet Kynes
Stephen McKinley HendersonThufir Hawat
ZendayaChani
Chang ChenDr. Wellington Yueh
Charlotte RamplingReverend Mother Mohiam
Jason MomoaDuncan Idaho
Javier BardemStilgar
David DastmalchianPiter De Vries
Babs OlusanmokunJamis
Golda RosheuvelShadout Mapes
Roger YuanLieutenant Lanville
Neil BellSardaukar Bashar
Full cast and crew on IMDb.
Dune's Edit History
Every change to this page, newest first. Movie data updates are logged like any other edit.
  • (cur | prev) 14:30, 17 October 2026 DataBot +520 Numbers refreshed: Worldwide box office $410.7M; Domestic box office $108.9M; Opening weekend $41M; Profit / loss (est.) -$42.2M; Rotten Tomatoes 83%; CinemaScore A−; box office chart updated; RT 83% (512 reviews); Metacritic 74 / 100; PostTrak audience 84% positive; CinemaScore A−; IMDb users 8.0 / 10 (1,095,970 votes); movie.guru score 8.0.
  • (cur | prev) 12:00, 17 October 2026 DataBot +2,000 Profile created from Wikipedia and Box Office Mojo: cast, crew, release dates, budget, official trailer.