Written by Ali Grutchfield, Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Studios
One of humanity’s greatest questions is what lies beyond? Beyond the skies, beyond the heavens and beyond our wildest dreams. Much of science fiction capitalizes upon audiences’ unquenchable thirst for answers about the realms that may or may not exist. Much like its predecessors, “Dune” explores the possibilities of another planet containing characters with the same hopes, dreams and flaws as we do on Earth.
Director Denis Villeneuve strategically employed each of his 156 minutes to effectively create a universe and characters that make even the strongest protagonists question their own free will. The plot follows the young duke of the House of Atreides, Paul Atreides, as he comes to terms with not only being the center of their universe’s biggest prophecies but trying to make a name for himself as an honorable and supportive warrior.
At what point does one sacrifice a planned and protected life in order to forge their own path in the world? While facing both physical and emotional trials, the young duke’s personal quest is halted and he is forced to fight not only for his own life but for the security of everything he has ever known. Luckily, the beautifully cast Timothée Chalamet let his own personality shine through, as Paul possessed a child-like glee that reassured the audience his desire for goodness could never be vanquished.
The depth and importance of family is a well-developed theme that ‘Dune’ manipulates to establish the complex mother-son dynamic fostered between Lady Jessica and Paul. Lady Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson, functions in a myriad of positions in Paul’s life, from his closest confidante to his toughest instructor. Their relationship is one of the most thoroughly explored concepts as it grows both out of desire and necessity. Although Paul’s upbringing is never fully fleshed out, it is made clear that Lady Jessica was expected to bear a lineage of daughters, rather than doom a son to his prophetic future.
However, because this adaptation is based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert of the same name, there seems to be an underlying expectation that the audience has read the book. Unfortunately, that isn’t true and many audience members came in with no understanding of the universe or any of its characters. This led to a lot of confusion as the adaptation skips through the exposition rather quickly and many characters and concepts felt unnatural and randomly occurring. Characters like the Harkonnens and the Baron seemed to come out of the left-field just before the climax, so they felt much less important than they would later become.
Luckily, the film is visually stunning and the art department exemplifies the shifting power dynamics through well-curated color schemes and set dressing. The small artistic details played a paramount role in creating a world that felt organic, aiding Villeneuve in suspending disbelief long enough to captivate an audience. The sky is a sterile and overexposed white rather than cheerfully blue, which solidified the authenticity of this industrial planet. Similarly, the conflicting blue and orange tones neutralize one another in tandem with fight scenes, highlighting the internal struggles of each warrior.
As Paul and his newfound desert allies walk off into the sandy dunes, the audience on their feet, it’s clear to all that this film was a crowd-pleasing success. Denis Villeneuve transported the audience to a land one can only hope exists, somewhere in the far-off celestial distance. While no one hopes for the blood-curdling violence and deep-seated fear, everyone longs for adventure and excitement- of which Villeneuve has no shortage and we can surely expect in part two.
