I’ll miss the sea, but a person needs new experiences. They jar something deep inside, allowing him to grow. Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens.
Duke Leito Atreides, Dune
The long wait is over! I was finally able to watch Dune, an epic science fiction movie, directed by none other than Denis Villeneuve. Now here’s the thing: I actually have never read the books, but this is one of those titles that people keep mentioning whenever I tell them I read and write science-fiction.
However, if you are like me and have this ever-growing TBR shelf and realize through a quick check on Goodreads how much of a commitment, this series is (We’re talking 6 books and counting with the first installment being 688 pages strong), then watching the movie seems like a really fine option.
Who wants to commit to such a long series without knowing whether it will be good? I sure don’t. There are too many books in this world to read in a lifetime.
I have to admit, I do have the ebook sleeping in my Kindle app along with 258 other unread books. I have been torn between reading it as soon as possible because of the hype, but I decided against it.
I gave the movie a chance to entice me so much that I would want to read the book.
Denis Villeneuve is one of my favorite directors especially since Arrival and I knew Dune was in good hands.
And boy was I not disappointed!
Characters
Paul is the protagonist and son of Duke Leto.
Lady Jessica is Paul’s mother and part of a mysterious sisterhood.
Duke Leto is Paul’s father and the leader of the House of Atreides
The Nuns are part of a sisterhood who show impressive physical and mental abilities.
The Empire represents the bad guys ruled by a dreadful bald man who likes to bathe in a weird substance.
And many many more characters!
Plot
We follow Paul who is the heir of his House and has some unique abilities such as having strange dreams and visions which is how the movie starts. Throughout his story, they will guide him and we discover how epic a journey he will lead. Since Dune will have more than one part, it acts as a thread for Paul and the audience to avoid getting lost in all the fighting and the running.
Without giving away too much, most of the story happens on an alien desert planet called Arrakis known for its extremely valuable resources of spice similar to fuel for interstellar travel, but that can do so much more. Paul’s powerful family moves there to take over another House who used to rule the planet, but of course, things go south.
The sleeper must awaken.
Duke Leito Atreides, Dune
SFX
The quality of this movie is top-notch and a delight for the eyes. The architecture of the buildings and the details of the carvings are breathtaking.
But my all-time favorite is their various means of transportation, especially their dragonfly-inspired helicopter which was awesome! I wish I could ride it myself!
Music
Eerie and outlandish.
Since music is my main source of inspiration, I had already downloaded the soundtrack as soon as it came out and it is the perfect arrangement to create this sense of wonder. It comes to no surprise as it is the work of Hans Zimmer.
World Building
The strength of this movie-story. I don’t know if the books are just as rich, but the movie was able to glimpse at a world breathing its own life. Being a science-fiction writer myself, I know how hard it can be to build a world so realistic it hurts, and Dune excels at this and more.
Do not expect to have someone hold your hand and explain the rules of this world. You experience it and must figure it out yourself as are the characters themselves. Treason festers among those Houses who are power hungry and their fealty is always called into question until it is already too late.
A beginning is a very delicate time.
Frank Herbert, Dune
Overall
Although I like the idea of a character having visions (I use those in my writing), I did find them annoying in the movie. I would rather keep the surprise as to what will happen later because it builds unnecessary anticipation which backfires later on. Once the said vision happens, the element of surprise is spoiled and it almost always turns out to be disappointing.
I am not saying I am against using visions, but Dune might have used this technique a tad too much. It becomes repetitive, and it slows down the already slow progression of the story in the same way flashbacks work (which is also why I tend to avoid them altogether in my writing).
The world is vast, anchored and beautifully complex. This is definitely what hooked me. I felt like I was there. I didn’t go watch a movie; I visited an alien planet. This is one of the most wonderful feeling a movie can hope to create in the hearts and minds of an audience and it did so brilliantly.
There are a lot of names to retain and their fantasy flavour can make it hard to remember. I believe those who have read the books would not struggle as much as I did. The two-and-a-half hour movie is a short time to memories everyone’s roles and names on top of the lore, but I think it only made me want to read the books even more to delve deeper.
I highly recommend you go watch the movie especially if you haven’t read the books because it might be exactly what you need to convince you to read them. Such an intricate world can be hard to imagine merely through words on paper, but after watching the movie, my mind is brimming with vivid snapshots of an otherworldly landscape, an endearing hero-in-the-making and more secrets than I can count.
Did you watch the movie? What did you think? If you read the books, do you think the movie does them justice?
David M. Snow
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