This week on Born to Watch, we're heading to the desert planet of Arrakis to break down one of the biggest sci-fi epics of recent memory in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One Review. Join Whitey and Sir Dimmy of the House Cockburn as they unpack a film that’s equal parts galactic power struggle, political thriller, and interstellar fever dream.
Villeneuve’s Dune had a lot riding on it. Announced in 2017 and delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it finally arrived in 2021 with both cinema and HBO Max releases. But did it live up to the hype? Was the spice worth the squeeze? Whitey and Sir Dimmy get stuck into the sandstorm of ambition, adaptation, and a whole lot of Zimmer.
From the very start, the duo agree, this film demands the big screen. Whitey confesses to watching it via a sneaky early online drop and instantly regretting not experiencing it in the cinema. For Dimmy, it was love at first IMAX. There’s a reverence for the visuals, the grandeur, and the world-building that marks Dune as a rare modern blockbuster that dares to go deep.
But this isn’t a dry academic analysis. This is Born to Watch, where film critique meets pub banter. That means serious praise for Hans Zimmer’s thunderous, Oscar-winning score, though we do wonder if the music sometimes overshadows the movie. The team marvels at the film's scale: the ornithopters, the wormsign, the sand-soaked vistas. Arrakis feels real. The political scheming feels Shakespearean. The voice feels like Jedi mind tricks on steroids.
Naturally, the cast gets a full once-over. Timothée Chalamet is dubbed a “scrawny action hero” who somehow works as Paul Atreides. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica earns the nickname “Freckles Ferguson” and delivers the emotional heft of the film, tears, telepathy, and total commitment. Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho is everyone’s space-dad crush, and Stellan Skarsgård’s floating, grotesque Baron Harkonnen might just be the scariest slug in cinema history.
And then there’s Zendaya. Or… is there? While her face is plastered across posters, trailers, and marketing campaigns, she’s in the actual film for about 10 minutes, and that’s being generous. Sir Dimmy and Whitey don't hold back, calling it one of the greatest bait-and-switches in recent memory. She’s Paul’s “blue-eyed wet dream,” more vision than character, and it all but guarantees the necessity of a sequel.
The discussion also gets into the film's legacy. Is Dune the sci-fi blueprint that inspired Star Wars? Without question. From the Force-like Voice to desert-dwelling mystics and chosen one arcs, Herbert’s fingerprints are all over modern sci-fi. Villeneuve’s version just finally gives the novel the serious treatment it deserves, after the messy (but charmingly weird) David Lynch version in 1984 and a forgettable miniseries.
Of course, Born to Watch being Born to Watch, there are plenty of detours. There's debate over whether Duncan Idaho could survive in the Game of Thrones universe. There's talk of Dutch ovens, nose jobs, and the possibility of casting Mr. T as the Reverend Mother. At one point, the podcast veers into a philosophical wormhole involving one-name celebrities like Sting, Prince, and, of course, Zendaya. The House Cockburn coat of arms even gets a shoutout, shielded by fire, flanked by two swords in the shape of appendages. You really had to be there.
Despite a few gripes, underexplained lore, a traitorous doctor’s paper-thin logic, and the slightly sluggish pacing, Whitey and Sir Dimmy are all in on Dune. It’s a film that dares to take itself seriously. No snark, no winks. Just grand, immersive sci-fi storytelling. It may not be everyone's flavour of spice, but it’s a feast for those who want their blockbusters with brains.
As the credits roll and the sand settles, one thing is clear: this is only part one. And Born to Watch will be there when part two drops, with fresher takes, deeper dives, and possibly more Zendaya.
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