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Dune Review: Sand (And Timothée Chalamet's Hair) Has Never Looked This Sexy And Spectacular In This Sci-Fi Epic

Plus, reviews of ‘Escape Room: Tournaments of Champions’, the Peeping Tom drama, 'The Voyeurs' and James Wan's 'Malignant'.

Plus, reviews of ‘Escape Room: Tournaments of Champions’, the Peeping Tom drama, 'The Voyeurs' and James Wan's 'Malignant'.

Plus, reviews of ‘Escape Room: Tournaments of Champions’, the Peeping Tom drama, 'The Voyeurs' and James Wan's 'Malignant'.


Dune (PG13)

Starring Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Full disclosure: I’m not a Frank Herbert fan. Never read his books. Neither am I a fan of David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation; my memories of it are hazy but Sting’s codpiece still haunts me. I’m, however, an admirer of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi films, Arrival and Blade Runner: 2049. They both exude this dreamy quality and Dune shares that as well. And dreams play a pivotal role in this story of Interplanetary power tussle that mirrors current-day geopolitical turmoil. The cast assembled — including Timothee Chalamet’s lovely hair (why there isn’t a Herbal Essences cross-promo is beyond me) — is solid. Even if you have trouble keeping up with the plot and names, the majestic visuals alone are worth the price of (an IMAX) admission. With Hans Zimmer as his musical accomplice, Villeneuve orchestrated an exhilaratingly hypnotic ride with nary a dull moment. Sand has never been this sexy since Lawrence of Arabia. There I said it. Can Warner Bros put that in their ads? (4/5 stars)

Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

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1 of 3 'Escape Room: Tournament of Champions': Taylor Russell and Logan Miller just missed their stop.


Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions (PG13)

Starring Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Indya Moore, Holland Roden

Directed by Adam Robitel

​​​​​​​After surviving the deadly brain teasers in the first movie, returning players Taylor Russell and Logan Miller set out to expose the snuff corporation behind it, only to be trapped in another killer maze, this time alongside past participants (all decent folks, no a**holes). Less a sequel than a same-quel, Tournament of Champions coasts from one elaborate set-up to the next, keeping the fatalities PG-13-light. (If you want blood and gore, watch Netflix’s Squid Room.) The whole thing feels like a glorified ad for
Sony’s theme park in Thailand: the subway train sequence deserves to be turned into a ride. (2.5/5 stars)

Photo: TPG News/Click Photos

  • 2 of 3 'The Voyeurs': Justice Smith and Sydney Sweeney get ready to crash a party.


    The Voyeurs (M18)

    Starring Sydney Sweeney, Justice Smith, Ben Hardy, Natasha Liu Bordizzo

    Directed by Michael Mohan

    What happens if you see your nubile neigbours (Bohemian Rhapsody’s Ben Hardy and Hotel Mumbai’s Natasha Liu Bordizzo) copulating with the curtains open? In Singapore, you’d probably (you know those kaypoh folks) call the cops on them and watch the news blow up on Mothership. Or, if you are like couple Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria) and Justice Smith (Pokémon Detective Pikachu) in this slow-burning New York-set cautionary tale, just shut the f***up, sit back and enjoy the free show. But when their curiosity becomes an obsession, it takes them down a diabolical path where nothing is what it appears to be. (3/5 stars) On Amazon Prime Video

    Photo: Bertrand Calmeau/© Amazon Content Services LLC

  • 3 of 3 'Malignant': Annabelle Wallis is about to lose her s****.


    Malignant (M18)

    Starring Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White

    Directed by James Wan

    ​​​​​​​Annabelle Wallis (The Mummy) plays a woman who shares a psychic link with a perpetrator of a series of gruesome murders, who may or may not be her childhood imaginary friend. Yikes! James Wan’s return to his indie horror roots isn’t the pants-wetting shriek-fest his fans raised on the torture porn of Saw and the demonic dread of Insidious and The Conjuring expected. It’s not always scary, but it’s gory and funny even — which some might find it either very disappointing or refreshing. But both sides should agree that the third-act revelation and the ensuing bedlam are pure batshit bonkers. (3/5 stars)

    Photo: Warner Bros Pictures​​​​​​​

    Related topics

    Movie Reviews Dune Escape Room: Tournament of Champions Malignant The Voyeurs

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