I’m a huge fan of Denis Villeneuve, Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya and Jason Momoa (and basically everyone else in this cast) so naturally, I was keen to see Dune, even if the trailers never got me hyped.

This sci-fi epic, part one of a planned two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name, follows the noble House Atreides – Duke Leto (Isaac), his concubine Lady Jessica (Ferguson) and their son Paul (Chalamet) – as they are awarded the stewardship of the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the valuable drug spice, which can give people powers and extend human life. House Harkonnen, led by Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard), the former steward of Arrakis, is outraged with this decision and mounts an attack against House Atreides.

First things first – make sure you watch Dune on the big screen. It is a stunning visual spectacle and a jaw-dropping cinematic experience that has gorgeous cinematography and feels so epic in terms of scope and scale. It’s also a filmmaking feat, given that the majority of it was shot in the harsh desert conditions of Jordan and the UAE. Hats off to Villeneuve for taking on the ambitious and almost impossible task of bringing Herbert’s complex novel to life and making it into an accessible film that is easy enough for newcomers like me, who haven’t read the book, to understand.

The film is super overwhelming at the start as the world-building is complicated and there are so many new characters, words, places and concepts to wrap your head around. It took a while for me to get into it as I was thrown in the deep end and I found myself actively trying to remember everything, thinking it might be important going forward. People who have read the book or seen the previous film adaptation probably won’t have this issue, but to my fellow newcomers, don’t worry – I think it’s presented in quite a digestible way that won’t spoil your enjoyment of the film.

While I could appreciate that this is an amazing piece of cinema, I was never truly invested in the story. I never got swept up in it, felt like I had a character to truly root for, or had any emotional or visceral response when bad things happened. I don’t want to spoil anything but there’s a point in Dune where it becomes a different kind of film and it starts to drag. The movie is also epic in terms of length – 2 hours and 35 minutes – but there’s a lot to pack in so it only starts to feel that long after this point. However, I know that this was done so the film could get to a logical halfway point to conclude part one and tease part two.

It’s an embarrassment of riches in terms of the calibre of actors Villeneuve has assembled for Dune. Chalamet does well as a young boy who is conflicted, vulnerable and with a tremendous responsibility on his shoulders – not only is he expected to succeed his father as ruler but he is learning his mother’s mind powers. Momoa has a warm and friendly personality as Duncan Idaho (who also gets some cool fights) and Skarsgard was suitably vile and disgusting as the Baron. Zendaya and Javier Bardem were fine as Chani and Stilgar, the Fremen, the people native to Arrakis. They don’t have much screen time but this looks set to change in part two.

My favourite was Ferguson, she brought a really interesting dimension to the story as a member of the Bene Gisseret, a sisterhood of women with mind powers. I loved that she had so much hidden power and was more dangerous than her husband and all his physically strong men. She is also deeply worried about the visions she’s seen and how Paul is coping with his training so she’s really in touch with her emotions, much more so than any other character.

Dune is an impressive piece of filmmaking and one that needs to be witnessed at the cinema. I never really warmed to the story but I loved the cast, the cinematography and Hans Zimmer‘s score.

In cinemas from Thursday 21st October