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Arrakis lies at the centre of a larger power struggle,as sole source of the precious spice that makes space travel possible (and has mind-expanding powers when ingested). But is Paul truly the messiah prophesied in Fremen lore,destined to lead the locals to victory over their oppressors,the Harkonnens?

If not,should he assume the role all the same,furthering his quest for revenge against the Machiavellian emperor (Christopher Walken) of the known universe? What of his disturbing prophetic visions,his sceptical Fremen love interest (Zendaya),or the unborn telepathic sister who counsels Lady Jessica from the womb?

These are broad strokes,but hopefully enough to go on. As for the film’s style,Villeneuve is certainly no Lucas,any more than he’s the second coming of David Lynch,who directed a famously disastrous adaptation ofDune in 1984 and has lamented ever since not having a final cut.

Neither a zippy adventure nor a metaphysical mind-bender,thisDune has the heaviness of an old-fashioned Hollywood epic. The characters speak in solemn half-whispers,all the better to contrast with Hans Zimmer’s booming score once the battle sequences heat up (typically for Villeneuve,the sound design is a major strength).

That said,there’s no escaping the weirdness of the source material,even aside from the out-of-focus allegory for the Middle East or the emphasis on consciousness-altering substances that must have accounted for a fair portion of Herbert’s original 1960s success.

Most spectacularly,there are the giant sandworms that patrol the Arrakis desert,which the adept can harness and ride the way a surfer rides a wave. Then there are the grotesque human villains,especially the obese,levitating Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard),who survived an assassination attempt in the first film and spends much of his time recuperating in a tub of black oil and otherwise suggests an amalgam of Nosferatu and Fat Bastard fromAustin Powers.

The Baron’s nephew Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) is bald and pale like his uncle but more lithely built,resembling one of the War Boys inMad Max:Fury Road. Indeed,theMad Max saga is a clear influence on Villeneuve’s handling of the Harkonnen material,especially in an arena sequence shot in black-and-white – which also seems meant to evoke associations with Nazi newsreels,in a slightly pretentious way.

As for the fragile-looking Chalamet,it’s fair to say he’s more persuasive as a product of his planet’s ruling class than as a warrior whose training lets him take on all comers:Villeneuve was wise to film his big one-on-one combat sequence largely in silhouette.

Despite the all-star cast,this is not a movie to look to for dazzling performances or anything beyond the kind of corny but committed storytelling Hollywood these days pulls off less often than in the past.

Where theStar Wars films always had a winking element,here,the actors who thrive are those who play their two-dimensional characters as straight as possible – like Javier Bardem as Paul’s most loyal supporter among the Fremen,whose dialogue consists mainly of variations on “The prophecy is fulfilled!”

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