Disclaimer: The following is a review of “Dune” as a film adaptation, not a critique of the original plot of Frank Herbert’s novel. Considering that, I will not be critiquing the themes of colonization and the saviorism complex presented in the source material.
Denis Villeneuve’s long awaited sci-fi sensation “Dune” released last weekend with chart-topping box office numbers and generated a huge amount of internet buzz. Starring Timothee Chalamet as a young Paul Atreides, heir to his father’s empire and his mother’s magic, among the likes of Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson, the film is power-packed with talent. Greig Fraser, whose cinematography you may recognize from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” does a fantastic job of capturing small emotions and interactions against the backdrop of a world whose significance often tends toward dwarfing its character’s growth. Filmed on site in the deserts of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, the fictional planet Arrakis, whose surface is covered in valuable space, is the home of the Fremen people and their oppressors, the Harkonnen clan. When the mysterious and all-powerful Emperor turns the harvesting of spice over to the Atreides clan, Paul struggles with the complicated ethics of what his family has been chosen to do. While opinions on the film vary from considering it to be boring to problematic, here’s a few things the film does very well.
Paul Atreides
Chalamet brings all of his emotional sensitivity to this role and manages to take a stereotype and turn it into a character able to connect to the audience. By choosing to stray away from a cocky and headstrong Chosen One that is humbled by heavy trauma, Chalamet opens Paul up from the start as an unsure and unlikely hero. Villeneuve defends his decision to cast a lanky hero instead of a muscular one by offering us with a more complex character than often portrayed in this thread of storyline, and Chalamet, of course, brings the Midas touch.
Cinematography
Both Fraser and Villeneuve are legends of the Hollywood sci-fi world, and their talent and expertise come so clearly through the sweeping, majestic shots featured in this film. Every moment, every shot, is absolutely, utterly, gorgeous. They manage to paint us a picture of a whole new world and allow us to escape into it. Personally, I recommend choosing to watch the film the way it was made to be watched, on a big theater screen, but if you choose to see it from the comforts of your own home, turn up your subwoofer and broadcast it on a big screen, because the sensory experience makes Dune so much more than a movie.
Hans Zimmer
Speaking of needing a subwoofer, Hans Zimmer, composer of numerous otherworldly soundtracks, from “Interstellar” to “Pirates of the Caribbean,” does something new and special with the composition of “Dune.” His talent fills in the blanks and really sends home the idea that watching “Dune” is so much more than watching a movie. The film opens with a boom and the sound of the Fremen, ushering us immediately into a place far, far, from home.
Plot
One of the biggest criticisms of this film is the slow-moving plot, but after stepping back and taking a look at it from afar, Villeneuve manages to cover a lot of ground in a little time while still creating an entire world with its own rules and politics. Not to mention, Villeneuve balances extreme tragedy and coming-of-age with ease. If you do decide to watch the film, prepare yourself not only for grandeur but for an emotional rollercoaster.
The truth is, if your favorite movie is “Legally Blonde” and sci-fi has never enthralled you, “Dune” might not be the movie for you. However, for sci-fi fans and blockbuster watchers alike, “Dune” is truly a masterpiece. From the excellent worldbuilding to the emotional grittiness in both Chalamet and Isaac’s performances, the film both expands and grounds its viewers in the same breath. The plot thickens leading into its sequel and the final half-hour had me on the edge of my seat. Villeneuve managed to conquer the difficult task of spending a 2-hour film creating a world viewers want to get lost in, while moving the plot forward. I cannot wait to see where this franchise takes us–and keep an eye out for the Bene Gesserit prequel series releasing on HBO Max in 2022.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.