Jodorowsky’s Dune – Inspiring and Meaningful
Here is a remarkable film about the cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky whose ambitious attempts to create a film based on Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction novel, “Dune,” failed but ultimately changed modern science fiction filmmaking forever. The names dropped in this film are nothing short of fantastic and the story insightful – not just for the world of filmmaking but life in general. When is a failure not a failure? “When I first started watching this film, I thought it was a story about a director but, it is completely different, unexpected and unique,” comments KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Gerry O, age 12. His full review is below.
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Reviewed by Gerry Orz, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 12
Video review available here.
What an inspirational and meaningful story. When I first started watching this film, I thought it was a story about a director but, it is completely different, unexpected and unique. It is the marvelous story about Jodorowsky’s Dune journey.
This documentary has tons to offer if you are a sci-fi fan or simply interested in inspirational stories. It is thrilling, funny and interesting, especially for cinema enthusiasts like me. I also believe that anyone who loves classics will enjoy it as well. The documentary is unique and different, in its own way.
The story is about a “French Steven Spielberg” named Alejandro Jodorowsky who made famous and mind-blowing films that always had a deeper meaning behind them. He had a dream of making a movie based on the famous book “Dune” by Frank Herbert. We join this extremely inspiring adventure where he tries to make this film but sadly fails after two years of hard work. Fortunately, his work is not wasted as it became the basis for many sci-fi movies that followed thus making Jodorowsky’s dream become bigger than he could have ever imagined.
I absolute loved this documentary. The angles of the camera are very different, never fixed on one person or one place, which makes it look like you are there in the same room with the people that are talking. It includes narration by people that helped make the film which fits really nicely. The director also includes clips from some of the films that used some of Jodorowsky’s ideas to support what the narrator is discussing. That made me want to watch those films. The layout is unique and clean because it shows the passing of time. Since the film was never made, they animated the drawings to give you an idea of how it would have look had it been finished. That, in turn, made me want to watch it over and over again. The story inspired me and will inspire others.
My favorite part is when they talk about the very opening scene. The scene opens in a galaxy than zooms in on a specific area. For the 70s, this was very advanced and hard to do. Since they drew it, the animators made it come to life in the documentary. Also, at the end, the film shows how this work inspired other producers to create similar shots. There is a secret meaning, which I love, and that is advanced and was never before done.
This movie has a lot of adult content and terminology so I recommend it for ages 13 to 18 and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
