Dune--89pts.
First I have to say that Villeneuve has done about the best you can with this unfilmable book. Much better than the other science fiction adaptation that is playing currently on Apple TV, Foundation. (A true mess and disappointment.) I absolutely hated David Lynch's Dune. All I wanted to do was leave the theatre after the absurd long prologue and many times thereafter.
My thoughts: First, in the 1022nd century apparently neo-Brutalism has made a solid return in architecture.
The first half of the movie does not do a good job of showing the passage of time. The first three major events seem too compressed. It's almost like they happened the next day. This is especially true of the third event. (I do not want to give any spoilers.) Now of course there is a limit to how long you want scenes to run but there are transitional devices that can be used.
The last third really pulls the movie up and has a number of thrilling scenes and also some excellent personal character interactions. The scene in the tent is particularly good.
The music by the ubiquitous Hans Zimmer is evocative and excellent as is the sound design in general. In fact, the walk out credit music is stronger than the final image of the film that proceeds it.
I think all the acting is solid but I have to agree with Anthony Lane in The New Yorker about this one scene, "One of Paul’s initial duties is to undergo tuition in single combat, although, to be honest, he doesn’t need weapons training. He needs half a dozen lamb chops and a side of spinach."
The word, not unsurprisingly, "jihad" was not mentioned. Just "holy war." There is so much influence in the book, and movie, with Islamic ideas, and yet this major term from the book is dropped. After I noticed this I found this article from the yucky Aljazeera, In Dune, Paul Atreides led a jihad, not a crusade.
I look forward to the second film.