REVIEW: 'DUNE'

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Fergusion, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stella Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan - Brewster and Zendaya. 

Director: Denis Villeneuve 

Date of Release: October 22, 2021

Plot: The conflict between two noble Houses-Atreides and Harkonnen- escalates after the emperor gives Duke Leto Atreides stewardship of the spice laden planet, Arrakis. 

Dune: Part 1 is the third adaptation of Frank Herbert’s first instalment of the Dune saga; hence it would be hard to review without referring to the previous adaptations, particularly the 2000 three part Sci-fi channel mini- series which comes a close second to this one. David Lynch’s adaptation (which he bitterly views till today as his real failure, as it was a financial flop but with a cult following) main problems:  it was  fast paced, not  much dialogue between Paul and Chani (Kyle McLachlan and Sean Young) or between Duke Leto and Lady Jessica (Jurgen Prochnow and Francesca Annis) and didn't completely cover the book; relying a bit   much on narration, characters' inner thoughts  and voiceovers.

Dune, published in 1965;  follows the story about the feuding Houses Atreides and Harkonnen; whose rivalry gets more deadly after Pashadah Emperor Shaddam IV gives the control of the spice producing Planet Arrakis (also known as Dune) to the House of Atreides, as a means  of getting rid of the popular Duke Leto.  

The screenwriters were obviously determined to follow the source material as closely as possible as the film’s runtime was 2h 28mins, but only half of the book; hence why we are going to get Dune: Part 2 in 2023, God willing. 

This adaptation was easier to follow, the visual effects were excellent and   great aerial views of the desert (shot in Abu Dhabi and Jordan) , along with the Eastern music score which blended smoothly with the scenes. 

Rebecca Fergusion as Lady Jessica

The costumes were stylish but less elaborate than the 2000 version, particularly Lady Jessica’s (Rebecca Ferguson)  gowns- which was in keeping with the story’s eastern/Islamic influences and themes- and the Bene Gesserti’s reverend mother Gaius Helen Mohiam’s (Charlotte Rampling) black gown and veil.  

Timothee Chalamet is the third and youngest actor to play the main character Paul Atreides;  being 23 years old during the start of Dune's filming. Kyle McLachlan was 25 when he played Paul in 1984 (his debut role) while Scottish actor, Alec Newman was 26 when he played the character  in 2000. Chalamet is also the  first actor to actually look exactly like Frank Herbert’s description of Paul in the book, as Paul was 15 years old when  the story begins. Alec Newman’s portrayal of Paul was that of a rather petulant, spoilt young man in his early scenes and a bit too controlled when angry, while Kyle's Paul wasn't mysterious enough. 

Chalamet fit the author’s description better; aside from his youthful features, he portrayed Paul as a deep thinker, aloof and more emotional than the previous incarnations and really intense. His dreams and visions puzzle and disturb him – more so after he accidently inhales a chunkful of spice at the desert. He lashes out at his mother after their escape  for making him ‘a freak’, while Alec Newman- the second Paul-  accused Jessica in a bitter, matter of fact tone without raising his voice. If he doesn’t win an Oscar for his performance, it would be a travesty.

Jason Momoa- known for his heroic roles- was perfect as Paul’s weapons master and best friend, Duncan Idaho. Like Chalamet, he played the character exactly like he was described in the book, “an admirable fighting man whose abilities at guarding and surveillance are so esteemed.”  He and Chalamet had great chemistry in their scenes together, and it’s heartrending to see his eventual fate. Josh Brolin played a less stuffy Gurney Halleck, former wrestler Dave Bautista scary and brutal as the Baron’s nephew, Glossu Rabban.  There was a marked difference how the Harkonnens were portrayed in this version and the previous versions. They were portrayed as red heads in the 1984 version, the  overly obese  Baron Vladimir- then played by the late Kenneth McMillan-  was repulsive and disgusting to look at (oozing boils on his face, gross) and was gleefully psychotic.  2000 Harkonnens had close cut hair, except for Vladimir (Ian McNiece) whose reddish hair was curly and was more of a campy villain in a comic book than a psycho.

However, the present version’s Harkonnens were depicted as bald and hulking, while Vladimir- now played by Stellan Skarsgard – was both psychotic and very creepy with the features of a human rhino; again in keeping with the original source material.

In this version, there's more use of body language; the Atreides guards immediately react when visitors got too close, which was not done in the previous version and Leto and Jessica didn't have to be naked and make out to show how deeply close they were; one scene had Leto sensually caress the back of Jessica's neck. 

Another high point of this version was the diversity;  Oscar Isaac playing a sterner Duke Leto, Dr Wellington Yueh by Chang Chen, Stilgar by Javier Bardem, Chani (Paul’s eventual love interest) by Zendaya, Stephen McKinley Henderson playing House Atreides’ mentant, Thufir Hawat, Babs  Olusanmokun as the fremen Jamis who challenges  Paul and the character of Dr Liet-Kynes (given a

 

gender shift) played by English actress Sharon Duncan-Brewster, more no-nonsense than her 2000 predecessor (Czech actor , Karel Dobry), without a trace of humour. As Leit is Chani's father in the novel, present Leit is probably Chani's mother or great aunt, as Chani (Zendaya) told Paul her crysknife was given to her by her great aunt. 

The film’s sombre tone, along with the settings  make it more raw and less clean cut than the 2000 version, making it appear  more of a fantasy epic  than science fiction; better but not over- the- top visuals, the gigantic sand worms were eerily realistic. 

As mentioned earlier, the mini-series(while its 3 episodes completely covered the book) is a close  second to this one, which is definitely the best adaptation. 

Trivia: Frank Herbert wrote 6 installments of the Dune series. His son and biographer, Brian Herbert took over the series after his death.

British singer Sting, who played Feyd-Rautha, (Glossu's brother in the book) in the 1984 version was considered for a small cameo. Feyd didn't appear in the current version. 

Quotes

Lady Jessica: Fear is the mind  killer. 

Paul Atreides: (having a vision) That's the future. It's coming. Holy war spreading across the universe like an unquenchable fire. 

Duncan Idaho: Dreams make good stories, but everything important happens when we're awake.