Denis Villeneuve does it again.

If you've seen one sci-fi set on a bleak, desert planet, you've seen 'em all, right? 

I thought so, going into Dune, Denis Villeneuve's new take on the '60s Frank Herbert classic. While Dune was the original desert sci-fi epic, it bred and influenced so many stories like it that I didn’t know how Villeneuve could make it unique—but I'm very, very pleased to report that he's done just that. 

With the help of delicious cinematography on the part of Greig Fraiser and a beautifully competent cast, including Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, and Jason Momoa, Villeneuve's Dune is a brutal, beautiful story with a steady undercurrent of political malaise that erupts like a giant sandworm from the harsh, hypnotic desert floor.

But like Dune's classic sandworms (really, and I cannot say this enough, the sandworms are incredible. Like, a million times cooler than giant worms have any right to be), the story is just as mesmerizing to watch in those early, seemingly more placid times: as the coming conflict hurtles underground towards our quickly-beloved characters, it throws up waves of sand that are every bit as exciting as they are threatening. 

For being set on a desert planet colloquially known as "Dune," the film looked sumptuous—I wanted to absorb every texture and trail my fingers through the spice-congested air. The thoughtful set design (including brutalist architecture, an East Asian influence, and medieval religious iconography) and clever cinematography lend to hundreds of shots that offer so much more than the traditional lone silhouette against a stark desert background.

Dune may be set in the desert, but it's no western. And it may be set in space, but it's no beep-boop beam me up, Scotty. Dune tells a moving, thrilling story of religion, science, nature, politics, and family in a fashion both minimalist and majestic. Only time will tell if it emerges one of the greats, but I'm so glad it's here.

Have you seen Dune yet? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!