As a child, I remember catching David Lynch’s “Dune” on TV. I was too young to really understand the plot at the time, but I didn’t care, all I knew was that the worms were awesome. When I got a little older, I read the book for my first time. It was the first “adult” book I read on my own, and I was in love with it ever since. I read it many more times growing up, and when the miniseries came out, I watched and recorded it every night, then re-watched it time and time again. When “Children of Dune” aired, I again devoured it happily. In the case of the Lynch film, as I grew, I of course began to see more and more of the flaws, though I personally hold the “Spicediver Edit” in quite high esteem. That particular cut of the film manages to make the Lynch version into what is a genuinely good film, but still imperfect. The miniseries has, up until now, remained my preferred adaptation. Now we have a new adaptation: Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune”, and it certainly is quite different from the previous two versions in many ways, but is it good? Well, at least from my perspective, that answer is complicated. The short version is yes, it is a good film, but it’s not a great one.
The gist of the story is straightforward. Many, many millennia in the future, Paul, the son of the Duke Leto Atreides, finds himself and his family caught in plots of intrigue, and betrayal, after taking custody of a new and valuable planet. In order to survive, he finds that he will have to depend on the training of his mother, the Lady Jessica, the help of the planets local population, the fremen, and his growing awareness of a great, yet possibly terrible destiny that waits for him.
In reality though, the story is anything but. The novel is infamous for being “unadaptable” with its complex “plots within plots” storyline, along with its sheer size. There is simply too much going on in the story to make it easy to turn into a film, or even a series. The previous efforts have all brought different aspects of the novel to the forefront, and this new version is no different. In broad strokes, it is perhaps the most faithful to the novel in terms of themes, and it certainly emphasizes some aspects of the political commentary behind the novel, such as the missionaria protectiva, which was nowhere to be found in the Lynch film, and only really hinted at in the miniseries. They also spend a little more time focusing on the fremen and their sentiments toward off-worlders after living under the Harkonnen regime, but unfortunately, while it is nice to see these themes in the film, they are undercut by little development. In fact, the entire film suffers on that front. So much of the political context and scheming has been left out that the film as presented feels somehow empty.
Early in the film, it is established that the emperor considers the Duke Leto a threat due to his popularity, but never really explores too much beyond it. Even more strangely, the film establishes this, but then later makes it seem like they were never really certain about the fact that the emperor was involved in a key scene, unlike the book, where the Duke was fully aware that they were heading into a trap, and was attempting to outmaneuver his political opponents. The Baron Harkonnen is limited to a few admittedly atmospheric scenes where he more or less confirms the emperor is aiding him in their goal to destroy the Atreides line, but it is reduced to a few scant lines, the bare minimum necessary to understand the plot. This, unfortunately results in very shallow characterization, and the same problem runs throughout the film. Gurney Halleck, Thufir Hawat, and Doctor Yueh are all present, but each of them is only given a small handful of scenes, in which they only speak a few lines each, before they are forgotten to focus on Paul, or beautiful scenic shots. They never feel like fully realized characters in the film, more as brief supporting roles, whom are only present in order to fulfill their roles in the larger storyline. Thufir Hawat receives perhaps the worst treatment in this regard. Even the primary cast are not given a lot of development. We are given enough to know who they are, and a little of their personality, but nothing more. It seems strange, that the longest adaptation of the first half of the novel ever made should have less detail and character than either previous version. It does however, and it certainly hurts the film as a result. Long, moody shots are great, but only when they exist in addition with actual depth. The plot of the film has been streamlined to the point that it feels watered-down, and genuinely wastes the talents of its cast all stuck in roles that have been similarly effected.
There are also a few key scenes that actively go against things covered in the book. One scene features the Lady Jessica speaking of secretive matters regarding the bene gesserit sisterhood while sitting in the cockpit of an ornithopter right behind Thufir Hawat, whom would be easily able to hear everything she had just said. Another moment, involves the Reverend Mother Mohiam referring to Jessica as Leto’s “wife”, even though she would know full well that they aren’t married. Yet another moment involves that Shadout Mapes pulling out a crysknife to offer it to Jessica while out in the open, and Jessica is in the presence of guards. The Shadout later sheathes the knife unblooded, and those who have read the book will know why that choice does not work for the film, especially in the context of fremen later being shown cutting themselves before sheathing their knives. Of course, in any adaptation there will be liberties taken, and there are indeed more, but these three moments in particular certainly seem to stand out the most in regards to actively going against aspects of the original novel, and in doing so, hurt this film as an adaptation.
With that said, there were things I liked as well. As I have stated a number of times, the film is gorgeous. There are a couple of scenes that certainly seemed to be more “style over substances”, such as a shot of ships rising from the ocean for… no apparent reason, but man do they look beautiful. There is also a very real sense of scale in the film that I can freely admit neither previous version ever accomplished. As a result, there are a few scenes that do far better match their description in the book, and are glorious to watch.
I do really appreciate the way they portray the emperor, discussed, but never seen. A powerful force that can be felt looming in the background, his hand guiding everything happening. He is built up excellently, and I will be curious to see how well he is portrayed if we get a sequel. In the previous adaptations, he was prominently displayed and used to provide greater context for the politics of the story, but in the book, he is only ever seen in the end, and keeping book accurate in this case certainly works very well.
The film also features the most book accurate version of Paul’s growing prescience, hinting at possible outcomes rather than complete premonitions. The way it is executed is not necessarily without its flaws, or heavy-handedness in a couple of moments, but it works well. Similarly, we also get the story of the bull and Leto’s father for the first time, though the film attempts to make the bull symbolic in a manner I am not sure really works, or is earned. Also notable is the death of a significant character finally matching their death in the novel.
I have also stated that the cast does a great job, and I stand by that. In the entire film, there is not a bad performance in the film. My only complaint would be with the portrayal of the Lady Jessica, who comes across as too emotional, presumably in an attempt to show her ability to shift from being upset to being entirely refined and composed in moments, but that is a matter of writing rather than performance. When it comes to the casting, I personally felt that many of the actors matched their roles well, in particular enjoying the casting of Duke Leto and the Baron. I did not however care much for the gender-swapping of Liet, which served no real purpose, especially when one considers how small the characters role was in this version of the film, though Sharon Duncan-Brewster did a good job with what she had. I also did not care for the casting of Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica. While she is a very good actress, she seemed to me a bit too “girl next door”, rather than the character from the novel that the Duke Leto notes “reintroduced regality into the Atreides line”.
When it comes to the score, I will admit that I was not certain how I would feel in regards to Hans Zimmer’s work on the film. The samples I had heard up until this point had been interesting, but I was not sure how it would work in terms of the film itself. I can say that it works well, though there are moments when it feels almost as watered-down as the plot itself. It never really allowed me to feel excited at any point, but it did match the tone of the film very well, and I can easily see myself turning it on whenever I clean my house in order to set a “mood” (Ha! See what I did there?).
In conclusion, despite my criticisms, I did enjoy the film. I think it works well enough to be understood, though there may be some moments where the average viewer could find themselves feeling confused. It certainly is a visual spectacle, but one undercut by excessive trimming of detail and world-building. I hope it is successful enough to warrant a sequel in order to finish the story, but I also find that I will not be upset if it does not. As adaptations go, this is no “The Lord of the Rings”. In the end, I have to rate this version of “Dune” closer to the original Lynch film, and maintain the miniseries as my favorite adaptation of an amazing novel.
