Photo courtesy of Eli Christopher.
First off, relax. While it’s unquestionably dense, Dune is not nearly as daunting or complicated as it seems. While there’s a comic irony to the fact that many people have dubbed this most recent film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s monumental science-fiction epic as “the new Star Wars,” in that the original 1965 novel is perhaps the most influential piece of media, film or otherwise, in inspiring George Lucas to create his iconic cinematic staple, there’s almost a thicker irony in that having had the original Star Wars films and even blockbuster series like Game of Thrones come before Denis Villeneuve’s latest spectacle will likely make some of the more fantastical elements of Herbert’s work more palatable to a mainstream audience. To catch you up as quickly and in as grossly referential a way as possible…
Dune takes place in the far future, and follows Paul Atreides (Think Prince Neo Potter of House Skywalker). He’s the son of Duke Leto (Basically Ned Stark) and Lady Jessica, who is a member of the mystical and powerful Bene Gesserit (Jedi Nuns). For 80 years their enemies the Harkonnens (Space Death Eaters) have dominated and colonized the planet Arrakis, home of the native warrior tribe, the Fremen (Wildlings, but in sand not snow). Arrakis is the only planet where the most valuable substance in the universe is found: Spice (like magic mushrooms meets Ayahuasca, that gives you The Force but also acts as Space Oil). The Emperor (think any sci-fi emperor, they’re all d*cks) forces House Atreides to take control of Arrakis, and a plot ensues. Also there are giant worms like 400 meters long (think worms, but bigger).
Dune has been my most anticipated movie of the year for two years straight, which is a statement that I hate makes sense. Besides my own preconceived notions of what a cinematic adaptation from the director of many films I’ve not only loved, but truly admired on a technical, science fiction level such as Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, might entail, I’m a huge fan of the original Herbert novel and yearned for a redemption from the failures of the past, most notably David Lynch’s infamous 1984 attempt.
But does it deliver the spice? Well, for the most part I would say yes.
Dune had an almost insurmountable task of not only meeting the expectations of readers’ imaginations, and their own ideas of the immense world of Arrakis, but reaching the size and scale of the visuals depicted in Villeneuves’ past films. And overwhelmingly, Dune meets and possibly even exceeds these expectations.
Warner Brothers’ decision to release its entire 2021 film slate day and date on HBO Max was already a controversial decision, but here is where it seems almost tragic. Dune is a cinematic spectacle the likes of which we have not seen in a long, long time. The production, costume, visual effects and sound design are evocative, textured and technically miraculous, with a titanic score from Hans Zimmer and grandiose cinematography harkening back to the likes of Freddie Young’s work on David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. It’s a transfixing experience and a magical feeling to witness something that so savors and deliberately embraces being as colossal as blockbuster films should more often be. There is just so much movie in this movie. It’s really so big that it took me time to process everything that I had just seen after walking out of the IMAX theater. If cinema really was just boiled down to what you see and what you hear, there’d be Dune and everything else. While I did feel that at times, Zimmer’s score was obnoxiously overbearing and inappropriately used, when it’s used correctly it’s a triumph. The score, and the whole film honestly, were asked to do the most, and they give you the most.
However, while cinema literally is what you see and hear, the most important thing is what you feel. And while I feel I felt enough, I wasn’t entirely satisfied. There is a lot of work to do here on every level to make this movie even exist, let alone work as well as it does, and for this thing to even function, seriously feels like a historic, nearly biblical achievement. That is to say that while Dune does not fail to establish its characters, their relationships, feelings and motivations, it doesn’t relish them in a way that would have made the events on screen feel more emotionally provocative. The performances across the board were more than fine, but they weren’t treasured or given enough space to shine in comparison to the raw spectacle of the jaw dropping set pieces.
Lastly, I’d like to discuss what could be my biggest worry from the film, but because it does dip lightly into spoiler territory for not only this film, but the (still yet to be confirmed) part 2, I’ll conclude here: Dune is in the literal and colloquial sense, truly awesome. As was intended, it is an epic and a world to be experienced and wowed at, not something to be seen on your TV. Dune stars everyone you’ve ever met, including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Sharon Duncan Brewster, Javier Bardem, Zendaya and more. If you’re safe, do yourself and all the artists involved a favor and see this in THE. BIGGEST. THEATER. YOU. CAN. FIND.
Light Spoilers:
My biggest concern coming out of the theater relates to Dune’s themes and how they’re translating so far. Thankfully, the filmmakers had the mind to only adapt half the book so far. As we’ve seen before, one movie can’t do the story justice. However, in the same way that most of the characters did not fully get to be realized, some of Dune’s most pertinent and powerful themes haven’t either. While some of Frank Herbert’s ideas on religion, environmentalism, war and politics have peeked their heads from the sand, my favorite messages in the story come from its take on colonialism, imperialism, and the dangers of heroes and idolizing leaders.
I have seen reviews and reactions thus far question whether Paul is or will be a white savior figure, and while I know from the book that one of the story’s biggest themes and deliberate subversions is that Paul is not this chosen one/messiah figure that everyone begins to believe he is, and he actually does horrible damage through his actions, I felt that this was not seeded as well it could have been, and don’t totally fault the accusation. I saw and heard murmurs referencing the colonial, religious style manipulation going on as well as the doubt, skepticism and subtle nods to how this storyline should culminate, but unless it’s going to be a huge subversion in part II, I wanted more of it here. While I am not the type of viewer who believes adaptations have to or even should follow the source material directly, Frank Herbert himself is the one who said charismatic leaders should be labeled “may be hazardous to your health.”
Show Paul fail and I’ll be happy.
