Warner Bros. Pictures
For the purposes of full disclosure, I have never read Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel Dune (or any of the sequels), nor have I seen the 1984 David Lynch adaptation or the TV miniseries. But I have read hundreds of sci-fi books and stories, and I was vaguely aware of the general idea of the Dune premise. So immediately jumping into a universe of odd technology or weird names is not really anything new for me, even if I certainly missed things in this movie that the hardcore book fans didn’t.
Dune (subtitled Part One in the credits) comes from acclaimed director Denis Villaneuve, who is behind such sci-fi wonders as Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. Dune was considered to be one of those properties, like A Song of Ice and Fire, that was simply impossible to adapt properly to the screen due to its sheer size, complexity, and sci-fi oddness. But these days we’ve had decades of weird sci-fi since the book was published in 1965, and I think people are more ready than perhaps they ever have been.
The movie follows the good guys (House Atreides) and the bad guys (House Harkonnen) as they fight and struggle around the universe in the far distant future (which means it’s only humans, even if they might be a bit different than we know). Interplanetary humanity is under the control of the powerful ‘Empire’ (and don’t forget, Star Wars was specifically inspired by Dune so they had it first) but the Emperor (not seen this movie) is jealous of the power of Atreides and their leader, Duke Leto (grandly bearded Oscar Isaac).
The bad guys are led by the grotesque Baron (Stellan Skarsgård) and his brutal nephew (Dave Bautista). For eighty years the Harkonnen have controlled the desert planet of Arrakis, which is only important in that it is the only source of the mysterious ‘spice’ — a hallucinogenic that when refined can allow people to travel faster than light. But the planet has its own dangers, the native Fremen and the ancient, giant sandworms that constantly threaten spice mining operations.
Leto and his family, concubine Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and son and heir Paul (Timothée Chalamet) are given new stewardship of Arrakis in an obvious plot by the jealous Emperor to hurt his potential rivals. But while Leto frets about potential betrayal and war, Paul has his own problems — he has dreams and visions about the future, often with a mysterious girl (Zendaya, who only shows up in person near the end of the movie).
It turns out that Jessica is from a line of women with psychic abilities, and Paul is the first male with such abilities despite instructions from her sisterhood, the Bene Gesserit, to only have daughters. Thus she trains him in the mystic arts while Paul also gets more physical training from tough soldiers Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) and Stilgar (Josh Brolin). As the future Paul fears grows ever closer, war falls upon them and Paul and his family are in a fight for their survival.
The movie ends (as I’ve understood it) about a third through the book, but it has to me a pretty well handled ending, teasing the next tale but feeling like a really great ‘chapter one’. It should go without saying, but the movie is impeccable visually, with Denis and his DP Grieg Fraser bringing to life gorgeous thoughts and mysteries. The score by Hans Zimmer is one of the finest in his long and storied career, giving weight to speechless scenes and power to the moments that need it.
I can’t speak to the exact ‘rightness’ of any of the casting, as I haven’t read the book, but in general I found all the performances to be excellent. Sometimes Timothée is a bit subdued and taciturn, but it fits with the character, and some, like Jason Momoa, are joys to watch on the screen. There’s a bit of an odd racial casting with the Fremen, but I think that it might be intentional, as none of them are white (at least not any of the speaking roles).
So it really drives home the colonialist theme, and it does have the small problem of being the inspiration for so many other sci-fi tales. Although films like Avatar or Star Wars came years or decades after Dune was released, many of the story beats might seem familiar — I also feel that this is not at all the movie for everyone, because of the complexity and pacing.
It wasn’t an issue for me, but I could see that the slow burn wouldn’t work for everyone, and I’m also sure there are (on the other side) hardcore Dune fans frustrated at what was removed or changed. I also found it hard at times to understand what Rebecca Ferguson was saying, as many of her lines are whispered, some while the score is loud in the background — so subtitles might be helpful in such cases if you’re watching it on HBO Max.
If any of those problems aren’t stopping you, then I strongly recommend checking out Dune, an old story told in a new way, excellently done by one of the most thoughtful directors working today. And maybe make it up to him for not giving enough love to Arrival and Blade Runner 2049.
Want to see Dune and judge for yourself? Click below to see the movie, and be sure to come back and tell us what you thought!
Dune has a run time of 2 hours 35 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material.
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