Dune: Part One (2021) - 5/5

This movie is a paragon of adaptation, sticking incredibly closely to the source material and making only the changes necessary to deliver the same emotional beats on the big screen. It is the masterpiece Denis Villeneuve was born to film, making his previous work look like practice by comparison. The few parts I didn’t like or made me uncomfortable were taken directly from the book, which made me feel the same way reading them and instead of being drawbacks only serve to make the film a better adaptation. And it manages to convey convoluted political intrigue with ease, due in no small part to the outstanding acting, which is second only perhaps to the cinematography.

Closest comparison: It’s like Blade Runner by way of Ad Astra.

Setting: Sci-Fi
Plot: Political Intrigue
Tone: Arthouse Drama

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) - 1/5

This movie has nothing to offer except a few neat visuals. Unfortunately, even those are surrounded by an unwatchable mess of bland characters, dumb dialogue, and plot contrivances. So much of this movie does not follow from the premises, making it hard to follow why people are doing what they’re doing and how they think that might work out in their favor, other than that the plot demands it. And it’s a shame because the character design on Javier Bardem’s Captain Salazar is some of the best in the series. Unfortunately his character becomes muddled and confused as the story progresses, as do all the characters, resulting in a clear cash grab from Disney. Even the jokes don’t land. There’s nothing redeemable about this dud of a movie.