Rebuilding Rob

I did it. I finally sat down and watched the 2021 adaptation of Dune, part one.

Being sci-fi geek, of course I heard of Frank Herbert, 1964 novel of the same name. And as a wall red Star Wars fan, I’m aware that George Lucas borrowed heavily from the novel when he wrote the original Star Wars. I’m relatively familiar with David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation as well. But something about sand and spices really didn’t appeal to me at all. For decades.

I remember seeing the trailers for this movie in theaters, with it coming out, just as some of the Covid bands were starting to be lifted, and people were going back out into the world. Fans of the novel were gushing, at last! It’s finally here! Still, for some reason, it just wasn’t appealing to me. I was glad to hear that they were making a second part of the story; as I think anytime a book is that act into a movie, sad movie never goes the story justice.

And then the trailers for part two came out. Then I started hearing the reviews for part two. People were saying it was amazing. People were comparing it to The Empire Strikes Back; which, as a Star Wars fan, is a pretty heavy claim to make. I was so excited about the buzz that I was hearing for part two, that I even wrote about it last week.

Dune is very much a “world building epic” in the vein of The Lord of the Rings. The story is set roughly 20,000 years in the future; a time in which humans colonize other worlds. It involves people of 3 different societies: The Harkonen, Artreides, and the Fremen,

Our main chatracter is a nobleman named Paul Artreides. His family is given the planet Arrakis to rule. Arrakis is the home of the most importabnt resource in the universe, which is known simply as Spice.

Complicating matter is the Fremen, a nomadic people living on Arrakis. The are vey much the typical indigenious people who are sitting on a veritbale goldmine, waitng to be exploited by foreigners. The last group, the Harkonen are trying to take Arrakis form the Artreides family and see the Fremen as more or less of a nuisance to be wiped out.

While all this is happening Paul, the prodigal son and heir to the Artriedes house is having visions. He’s having recurring dreams of a young woman and visions of himself as a messiah figure, leading the Fremen. As part one unfolds, Paul realizes the visions he has are coming true. Will he somehow become a leader of the Fremen? Will he lead them into war? Is he The Messiah?

As you can tell, Dune contains a lot of the typical sci-fi / fantasy tropes. Younger audiences may recognize some story elements from Star Wars, The Matrix and the Avatar movies. Of course, they’re all influence by Herbert’s original 1965 novel.

Although certain plot points are recognizable, it HOW they are presented in Dune that are the movies great strength. The conflict between the 3 peoples feels real. The scope of their conflict is massive. Perhaps the strongest point I can make about Dune Is the same thing I said about The Lords of the Rings trilogy 20 years ago: watching the movie, I FEEL like I have been transported to these other worlds. It comes as no surprise that Dune won 6 Academy awards -including Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Beat Visual Effects. The film received 10 nominations in all, including Best Picture.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give promos to Timothee Chalamet in the role of Paul. He has always been something of an Oscar darling, but he pays this role perfectly. With his gangly appearance, we can believe his portrayal of Paul as a reluctant leader. Furthermore, Chalamet has the gravitas to be more than convincing as an inspiring figurehead that we will inevitably see in part 2.

FINAL TAKE: I loved Dune! The movie gave me the world-building vibes I have felt since 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring. This might be the first time that the hype surrounding a sequel has prompted me to see the original; so my anticipation for …Part 2 is high. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

My only remaining questions are: do I see Part 2 on Saturday or Sunday? And how soon do I start reading the book?

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

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The article “Rob Reviews: Dune (part 1)” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.