“Dreams make good stories”
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Written by: Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, Eric Roth (based on Frank Herbert’s novel)
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård
Swift shot: You can tell Dune was made by those who love it. The dynamic, visual and aural components present a moving emotional soulscape that would bring Herbert to tears.
I’ve never read the Herbert novel, but I did recently re-watch the David Lynch film from 1984, so I had a great understanding of these characters. Much like watching Shakespeare, where you know the fates of the many players, you are still enthralled by the story-teller’s unique vision and interpretation of all the little grains of sand.
But let’s pretend that neither the novel nor the 1984 film exist . . . does this Dune endure for the complete neophyte? Without a doubt; yes!
Paul Atreides (Chalamet) is a young noble, born to his father Duke Leto (Isaac) and his concubine mother, Lady Jessica (Ferguson). Most of his life has been spent preparing him for greatness for his eventual rise to become the man of House Atreides. The House of Atreides is respected for their loyalty and mercy throughout what is known as the Imperium.
But as Paul steps into manhood, the Emperor has made political moves that will challenge Paul and his family.
The feared and loathed House of Harkonnen rules their subjects through power and brutality. Led by the floating, grotesque Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Skarsgård) who is as lethal as he is repugnant.
House Harkonnen spent eighty years colonizing and raping the desert planet of Arrakis, or Dune to the local Fremen tribes, of the Imperium’s most precious mineral, Spice.
But the Emperor has rescinded the Harkonnen’s contract and grants the new mining rights to House Atreides.
The Emperor’s motives are unclear, but both houses know that if the transfer isn’t handled well, it will lead to war. And there are other powers working to bring down the House of Atreides and any heirs.
Before Duke Leto will assume control over Arrakis, he sends his most trusted scout, Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) to get the lay of the sand.
Paul, eager to prove he is ready for more responsibilities, yearns to join his weapons-master, Duncan on his quest.
In the meantime, Paul has been having these strange dreams about a beautiful blue-eyed Fremen girl that drives him more towards Arrakis. This latest distraction is a source of annoyance for his mentor and teacher, Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) who is trying to keep Paul focused. With Duncan gone, Gurney must also continue Paul’s weapons training.
And Paul has other training that he must keep up with, as his mother is a sacred priestess of the females-only order called the Bene Gesserit. They specialize in a technique known as the Voice, a kind of Jedi mind-trick of sorts that Paul struggles with mastering.
But, he doesn’t get much time to study anymore once the family heads to Arrakis. Everything changes for not only the Atreides but the Imperium.
It’s time for Paul to become a man, and this entire movie is only the first part of his evolution.
Villeneuve is primarily an artist who expresses his visions through film. He’s loved Dune since he was a kid, and he crafts each scene with brutal attention to detail using bold, powerful, cinematic aplomb.
Another prodigious fan of the novel, Hans Zimmer takes pains to immerse the audience in another world through his art. The scoring for Dune is transitive in how it makes you feel, and in some cases with the IMAX theater, you really can feel the music. Somehow music isn’t the right word here. It’s not music, it’s a character within the story, another interpretation of the artist’s soul, captured forever in film.
A big part of the immersion with Dune is the effects. You can tell that Villeneuve used practical effects over CGI in many cases, and in those that he didn’t, I couldn’t tell the difference at all. Again, I haven’t read the book, but it was clear to me that the flying craft, called ornithopters were not CGI. Everything about the effects is grounded in reality, yet the film itself feels like a living piece of art. And the story mirrors that, in that it is both complex yet simple. Ugly and beautiful, all at once.
My insignificant words here can’t capture all that makes this such an incredible film. It’s a living tapestry of imagination that touches on international diplomatic intrigue, war, politics, love, hate, but in the end it all comes down to the one element that always makes for a terrific story, family.
It is a story about a father and his son. It is a story about a mother and her son. It is a story about living your own life, regardless of destiny. It is . . . Dune!
