A Book A Week

Earlier this year I faced my fears and finally tackled the literary behemoth that is Frank Herbert's Dune. The book is a sprawling tale of a messiah-like figure who rises among battling kingdoms across the planets. While I appreciated the work for what it was, especially within the context of the time it was written, I can't say that I actually enjoyed reading it. Countless characters, planets, and political slights in the first part of the work had me struggling to keep everything straight in my mind. Reading it became such a chore that I was happier to just be finished with it than I was with anything that actually happened in the book. 

It was with a conflicted trepidation, then, that I approached Denis Villeneuve's ambitious adaptation of Dune. Despite my misgivings of the novel, I've long been a fan of Villeneuve's films. If anyone could have a viable chance at successfully bringing the "unfilmable" novel to the big screen, the director of the likes of Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049 seemed like a pretty good choice. Still, there's a reason most filmmakers have been wary of touching Dune. You need only look at David Lynch's dismal 1984 adaptation as a warning of just exactly how wrong this entire undertaking could go. The sheer scope of the story made it an inaccessible read to me, so I feared this latest attempt to film the work would do the same. 

The film opens with wide shots of the desert planet Arrakis. Images of the expansive world flash across the screen as Hans Zimmer's otherworldly score undulates beneath. We are instantly transported to the future, the year 10191 to be exact. The control of the planet and the economically vital 'spice' that is harvested from it are being transferred from one ruling race to another. Young Paul Atreides's (Timothee Chalamat) family is on the receiving end of this gift. From the start, he is being groomed to one day take the mantle from his father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaacs). Paul's royalty stems from both his father and mother's bloodlines and an early scene of him being tested for his worth as a ruler perfectly captures the look and feel of Herbert's work. As you can imagine, holding the power over spice, the drug-like resource of this world comes with immense wealth and influence. As such, other families strive to strip the Atreides clan of their power. It is this desire that drives the conflict and action of the film. 

From the start, Villeneuve succeeds where other filmmakers and arguably Herbert himself could not. The opening portion of the film perfectly sets the stage of the world, the key players, and the conflict that is about to unfold in a way that is both thorough and accessible. I'd argue that even the most casual of viewers would be able to come into the film blind and leave with a solid understanding of what happened. In an adaptation of work as rich as Dune, that's no small feat. Villeneuve and co-writers Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts smartly opted to adapt only the first half of Herbert's novel, giving the story room to breathe and unfold at a pace that perfectly suits the material. The movie is anchored by breathtaking cinematography, a rattling score, and performances from an ensemble cast who each brought some of their best work to the table. The 156-minute runtime flies by, all leading to a logical stopping point that lines up just before the halfway point of the novel. Dune Part 2 has already been announced for the fall of 2023. After the success of this one, I can't wait to see it.