‘DUNE’ RATED PG-13

Forget about David Lynch’s 1984 version of “Dune,” because I certainly have and won’t revisit his vision for any comparison to director Denis Villeneuve’s take on Frank Herbert’s science-fiction novel.

Set thousands of years in the future, the year 10191 to be exact, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), a young man propelled by fate into an intergalactic power struggle.

The son of beloved, embattled ruler Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) and powerful warrior priestess Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Paul will be given the ultimate test of conquering his fear when fate and unseen forces pull him inexorably to the sands of the remote planet Arrakis.

An unwelcoming desert wasteland, Arrakis is home to an indigenous human civilization called the Fremen. The planet has been fiercely contested for generations for its valuable natural resource.

The allure of Arrakis is the fight for control of the Spice, a rare, highly valued, mind-expanding resource upon which space travel, knowledge, commerce and human existence all rely.

But those seeking to harvest the Spice must survive the planet’s inhospitable heat, hurricane-strength sandstorms, and monolithic sandworms that are justly feared with the kind of reverence usually reserved for gods.

The battle for Spice involves a trade war pitting House Atreides against House Harkonnen, the leader of which is the sadistic Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard), a truly malevolent force ruling through fear and determined to feed his addiction to cruelty.

On the side of good is Josh Brolin’s irreverent and quick-witted Gurney Halleck, Duke Leto’s Warmaster, who has been forged in battle and will do anything necessary to protect House Atreides by overseeing Paul’s combat training.

The deadliest weapon for House Atreides is Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho, a legendary sword master and fearless pilot who serves as the eyes and ears of Duke Leto and defends members of the family as though they were his own.

Another wrinkle to be considered is that “Dune” is an incomplete take on Frank Herbert’s vision not easily translated to a cinematic adaptation, and it is understood that Villeneuve is looking to bring forward a second part to this movie.

Meanwhile, this big screen adaptation fully immerses the audience in the moving story of Paul’s coming of age against family rivalries, tribal clashes, social oppression and ecological disaster on the unforgiving, austere planet of Arrakis.

While the film may be streaming on HBO Max, “Dune” demands to be seen on the big screen to appreciate its stunning visual effects. On the other hand, viewer interest may wane for those who are less than avid followers of science-fiction.



‘THE CANTERVILLE GHOST’ ON BYUtv

In conjunction with BBC Studios, the cable network BYUtv turns the Oscar Wilde novella “The Canterville Ghost” into a four-part modern retelling of the humorous short story about an American family moving into a haunted British castle.

Premiering fittingly on Halloween, “The Canterville Ghost” stars Anthony Head as centuries-old Sir Simon de Canterville, the ethereal inhabitant of Canterville Chase, an estate purchased by Hiram Otis (James Lance), an American billionaire with ideas foreign to the locals.

Hiram and his psychotherapist wife Lucy (Caroline Catz) have three children, 22-year-old Virginia (Laurel Waghorn) and mischievous 12-year-old twins Franklin and Theodore (Joe and Tom Graves) who devise ways to torment Sir Simon.

For hundreds of years, the otherworldly and malevolent Sir Simon de Canterville, who considers himself Britain’s premier ghost, has taken immense pride in scaring the locals and terrorizing the tenants of his castle in rural England.

Even his own descendant Lord St. John Canterville (Harry Gostelow), who grew up in the castle, moved his family out when he could no longer take the haunting and abandoned the estate to an American willing to buy the ancient mansion with all of its contents.

For the lonely, unhappy spirit, the thought that anyone would move into his ancestral home is an insult, but it’s an even greater affront that a family of (gasp!) Americans would have the temerity to purchase his property.

That the uppity Americans are unwilling to be frightened by a ghost who wants them to skip back across the pond to their homeland is certainly unsettling to an apparition who believes he’s an experienced performer going about his haunting duties with enthusiasm.

But Sir Simon’s attempts to haunt the Otis family fall flat when the Americans greet his efforts with gift baskets and positive affirmations. He’s consumed with guilt and unable to go to eternal rest until he finds redemption he so desperately craves.

The Otis family has its own struggles. Virginia seeks solace after dropping out of law school and is the only one who doesn’t torment the ghost. Lucy and Hiram must navigate the treacherous and chilly waters of British aristocracy that abhors outsiders.

Like many of Oscar Wilde’s works, “The Canterville Ghost” has been adapted for films and television on many occasions. BYUtv may have a hit on its hands.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.