Personally, I don’t find it cliché when people refer to the ‘magic’ of movies because my goal when watching a movie is to be bewitched. I want to fall under the spell of the screen, to forget the outside world and even – if possible – my own name. Every time I sit in a dark room surrounded by strangers to watch a moving picture, it is that feeling that I am chasing. If you can forgive the pun, I want to be moved by the picture.

In 2021, Dune (2020) was the movie that made my year. I had read the book a year before and loved it. There is a reason why Frank Herbert’s novel is often described as a seminal piece of science-fiction. I was amazed that a book from the 1960s, in a genre that evolves quickly, could be so engaging and unique. When I heard that it was going to be adapted for the big screen – with Denis Villeneuve directing – I was ecstatic.

The film was everything that I wanted the adaptation to be and a little bit more as well as a stunning film in its own right. The acting, the music, the set-design and cinematography were phenomenal. Some have criticised Dune for its uneven pace and lack of a clear ending. The whole of Twitter was disappointed to see Zendaya for only seven minutes of the two and a half hour run time. While I can acknowledge all these shortcomings, I thought the movie was perfect because it did exactly what I was hoping it would when I booked the ticket: it made me feel. All that I expect of a film is to be transported to another place. I enjoyed my time on the desert planet Arrakis and look forward to returning there.

Written for The Film Dispatch by Niamh Carey-Furness.