Welcome back to Born to Watch, the movie podcast that doesn't take itself, or the movies, too seriously. Unless we're talking about Dune, because this one's different. In this epic episode, Whitey and Sir Dimmy of House Cockburn brave the dunes of Arrakis and unpack Dune: Part One (2021), Denis Villeneuve's monumental adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel.
Released during a pandemic and debuting simultaneously in cinemas and on HBO Max, Dune had the odds stacked against it. But Villeneuve swung big and hit hard. This is a film of towering ambition, breathtaking scope, and political depth. And Born to Watch is here to break it all down, with sharp takes and a few cheeky tangents.
We talk casting, does Timothée Chalamet work as Paul Atreides, the boy destined to change the universe? Why is Rebecca Ferguson's Lady Jessica both powerful and perpetually teary? Is Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho the coolest soldier in sci-fi history? And then there's Zendaya: plastered across the promo but barely on screen. Was that the greatest marketing bait-and-switch of all time?
Hans Zimmer's thunderous score also takes centre stage. It won the Oscar and dominates the soundscape, sometimes even more than the dialogue. We explore how the music elevates the mood and whether it earns a place in Zimmer's all-time top ten. (Spoiler: probably not, but it's close.)
But Dune is more than sandworms and spice. It's about legacy, religion, colonialism, and the power that comes with them. We examine how this film mirrors today's world while drawing direct lines back to Star Wars, Avatar, and The Matrix. No Dune, no Luke Skywalker. No spice, no unobtainium.
Of course, being Born to Watch, we veer off-track too, talking desert Dutch ovens, the House Cockburn coat of arms (you've been warned), and the tragedy of minimal Zendaya. There are jokes, jabs, and deep dives galore.
Whether you're a long-time Dune fan, a sci-fi obsessive, or someone who just wants to know what all the spice fuss is about, this episode delivers. It's smart, funny, and packed with hot takes, just how you like it.
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Topics Covered in This Episode:
How Dune changed sci-fi forever
The Zendaya marketing controversy
Villeneuve’s vision vs. Lynch’s 1984 adaptation
The politics of spice and interstellar empire
Our thoughts on Part Two and what comes next
#Dune2021 #BornToWatch #MoviePodcast #HansZimmer #Zendaya #SciFiCinema #FilmReview #TimotheeChalamet #JasonMomoa #PaulAtreides #PopCultureNerds #PodcastHumor #MovieTalk #FrankHerbert #HouseCockburn
