DUNE (2021)
Updated: Dec 11, 2022
A Sci-Fi Epic Where the Smaller Moments Shine the Most
Grade: B-
**Spoiler Alert!!**
As of this writing, 2021's Dune has been in theaters for the better part of a month. Its main attraction has been its grand, epic scale, as well as its ensemble cast and the fact that it is based on an iconic novel by Frank Herbert. Since its publication in the mid-1960s, there has been a great many large-scale science fiction productions that utilized several of the tropes featured in the book, including a "Chosen One" character, interplanetary war, and a native people who helps the protagonist. If one were to see too many of those movies, then even a film as well-made as Dune can seem standard by comparison. As such, it may be surprising-at least to some viewers-that the greatest and most unique moments lie not necessarily in the battles or the mammoth world-building, but in the quieter moments with the characters.
Covering roughly the first half of the book, Dune takes place thousands of years in the future and tells the story of Paul (played by a well-cast Timothee Chalamet), ducal heir of House Atreites on the planet Caladan. Paul's father, Duke Leto Atreites (Oscar Isaac), is ordered by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV to take control of the planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. A barren desert world, Arrakis is home to tribes of people called the Fremen as well as gigantic sandworms. It is also the only planet in the universe that contains a substance called the spice melange. House Atreides arrives on Arrakis to mine the spice, but Duke Leto fears a war is coming and hopes to form an alliance with the Fremen.
Meanwhile, Paul is feeling enormous pressure. Not only is he the son of the Duke, but his mother is Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), a member of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood who suspect that Paul could potentially be the "Kwisatz Haderach," a supremely powerful being. At the same time, the local Fremen believe Paul is their prophesied messiah. Disaster strikes when the Harkonnens, the sworn enemy of House Atreides and former stewards of Arrakis, return to the planet accompanied by an army of the Emperor's personal soldiers. Paul and Jessica manage to escape into the desert, hoping to find refuge among the Fremen.
The film is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who has garnered much attention in the last decade with superb thrillers like Prisoners (2013), Sicario (2015), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). A longtime fan of the book, Villeneuve and his crew have gone to great lengths to bring it to life for modern audiences, and they have largely succeeded. The movie is remarkably faithful, retaining much of the story, characters, and epic scale. It skimps on many of the political elements and some of its deeper themes, but the filmmakers know that audiences want to see an adventure movie, not a slow drama. It also features such magnificent scenes as a ship rising out of the waters of Caladan, a winged "Ornithopter" machine gliding out of a sandstorm, and two people running from an approaching sandworm.
The main problems with Dune lie not so much in the movie or even the book, but the large amount of time in between their creations. In the more than 50 years since the novel's publication, there have been several sci-fi franchises, such as Star Trek, Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica, which pride themselves on world-building, spectacular action, and entertaining characters. For fans already familiar with these properties-and in today's world of ever-present social media, it is very hard not to be-Dune will hold few big surprises. Another potential problem lies with reading the book before the movie. While it may be advisable to familiarize oneself with Herbert's heavily detailed world, already knowing what happens may lessen the impact that the movie could have on the viewer.
That is why, at least to this reviewer, it was the smaller moments that really stood out in Dune. The early scenes with Paul on Caladan talking with his father, putting his hand in the sea and gazing out over his homeworld one last time are well-made and perfectly convey how Paul is not yet ready to leave. Later, while struggling to pilot an ornithopter through a sandstorm, Paul has a vision of a Fremen instructing him on the ways of the desert, and his words inspire him to shut down the machine and let the wind blow them to a safe height. It is a short scene, but a very effective one.
The climax of Dune is set within the narrow confides of a desert canyon after Paul and Jessica have finally found the Fremen and sees Paul engaging in a knife fight with an obstinate man named Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun). It is relatively small, but to this reviewer it was the most epic scene in the movie. Paul is told that he cannot win by both Jamis and Chani (Zendaya), a Fremen girl he has been seeing in his dreams. The ensuing fight is short yet intense, with both combatants swinging at each other and blocking. After Paul emerges victorious, he reaffirms to the leader, Stilgar (Javier Bardem), his father's hope of making an alliance with the Fremen. They move into the desert towards the Fremen's home, and Hans Zimmer's score reaches its magnificent crescendo. This entire sequence is incredibly powerful not because it is massive, but because it is personal.
Viewers who haven't read the book and enjoy the movie will likely rate it much higher than this. One day I will see Dune again, and my opinion of it may change. For now, it is an example of how small moments can potentially outshine epic sequences in even the biggest movies. But as Chani says in the movie's final scene, "This is only the beginning." In two years, Dune: Part II will be released, and will be more action-oriented. If the intensity of the battles to come can match the effectiveness of the smaller moments here, then audiences are in for quite a ride.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Screenplay: Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth (Based on the novel by Frank Herbert)
Producers: Denis Villeneuve, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Joe Caracciolo, Jr.
Cast: Timothee Chalamet (Paul Atreites), Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica), Oscar Isaac (Duke Leto Atreites), Josh Brolin (Gurney Halleck), Stellan Skarsgard (Baron Vladimir Harkonnen), Dave Bautista (Beast Rabban), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Thufir Hawat), Zendaya (Chani), David Dastmalchian (Piter De Vries), Chang Chen (Dr. Wellington Yueh), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Dr. Liet-Kynes), Charlotte Rampling (Gaius Helen Mohiam), Jason Momoa (Duncan Idaho), Javier Bardem (Stilgar), Babs Olusanmokun (Jamis)
Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material)
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