Photo Courtesy of Vanity Fair
Dennis Villeneuve’s new blockbuster film, “Dune,” premiered in the U.S. on Friday, Oct. 22, and has already broken pandemic-era box office records with over $40 million domestically in its opening weekend. Based on the 1965 novel of the same name by Franz Herbert, the film follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) in discovering his fate through battling his own fear and attempting to protect the resources and people of the planet Arrakis.
“Dune” has previously been described as an unadaptable novel, and several previous attempts have failed spectacularly. With this, Villeneuve made the decision to split the book in half, with the opening credits of the film introducing itself as “Part One” even before the sequel was greenlit. As a result, many fans felt the nearly three-hour movie seemed like a trailer to the next one and that the conclusion of the film largely represented only the beginning of Paul’s journey. Even more so, viewers felt disappointed or misled about the amount of screen time the actress Zendaya, portraying Chani, had after being heavily featured in clips, promotions and interviews. Though her presence is indeed brief, her acting creates a lasting impression and the role is certainly a crucial one. With the sequel becoming official as of Tuesday, Oct. 26, both Chani and Zendaya will join the forefront of the narrative.
One of the movie’s greatest successes is its world-building abilities. Though most of the action-led plot points are saved for the series’ continuation, viewers quickly become fully immersed in a world that feels both futuristic and ancient at the same time. The slow pace allows for a viewing experience that feels effortless as opposed to the extremely foreign feeling common when gazing into other sci-fi worlds. This can largely be attributed to the fantastic cinematography that keeps the camera grounded while simultaneously showing the beautiful landscapes of filming locations such as Jordan and Abu Dhabi. The sets were constructed in a practical way and the computer-generated effects used were simple and effective enough to establish a world of abilities and technology that are taken at face value. Unlike other movies in the genre, the movie doesn’t attempt to convince its audience of the validity of its creations. In this way, there is no jarring pandering that removes the narrative from the eyes of the beholders, allowing for immediate acceptance of everything the story has to offer.
The film’s plot focuses heavily on the environment and greedy industrial forces stripping lands of their natural resources and creates many parallels to modern climate change. The movie, then, becomes equally as topical and relevant as the novel, which was published over 50 years ago. This effect is enhanced by the nature of the duality of futuristic and ancient designs in every aspect from props to costumes, which evokes the story’s timelessness.
With such an ambitious project, the movie had a large possibility of failing to sustain its own merits if its star-studded cast could not show the complexities of these characters. Chalamet as the lead role masterfully expresses the duality of Paul as both a son reluctant to lead and a young man being called to something bigger than himself. His parents, portrayed by Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson, are phenomenal in establishing the family unit dynamic. They also establish the growing tensions between House Atreides as a government entity and the Bene Gesserit, a group of nuns. Yet it is Jason Momoa who plays the loyal soldier Marcus Idaho who truly elevates the emotionality of the film and adds an element that can be so easily lost in million-dollar budget blockbuster films.
The film’s budget was upwards of $160 million, and it has become increasingly rare for movies in this genre, at this scale, to be supported by Hollywood studios or directors. Akin to “Star Wars” of the 1970s and “Lord of the Rings” of the 2000s, “Dune” feels very much like the new addition to a collection of generational fantastical series. As a movie intrinsically set up for success with both funds and talent, it’s safe to say that “Dune” did not disappoint. Though with such an incredible dedication to setting up the narrative for its own sequel, what comes next will be truly critical for the success of this adaptation.
