Dune: Adaptation that Surpasses its Predecessor

Frank Herbert’s novel ‘Dune’ is quite a phenomenon in the western culture. That being said, just like every major part of pop culture, it had to be adapted into the larger media. The novel was originally published in 1965. Since then many filmmakers and producers have tried to bring this epic sci-fi onto the big screen. Big names of Hollywood such as Ridley Scott tried and gave up in making a film of its kind. There was an adaptation in 1984 by David Lynch that made it to the theatres however, that felt too incoherent and too inconsistent.

Last year, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve took his shot at making Dune once again. Remarkably enough, this time he succeeded in delivering what was necessary and what needed to be delivered. The 2021 adaptation of Dune by and far surpasses its predecessor and gives life to the novel by sticking to its core plot. Even if someone did not read the novel, they will not have any problem understanding the film and enjoy its glorious charm.

Synopsis

A young man in the dune sea confronts an ominous fate in a galaxy far, far away. The possibility of conflict looms large. He navigates a feudalistic society with a terrible ruler, aristocratic families, and oppressed peoples on the verge of a catastrophe, a narrative straight out of mythology and right at home in George Lucas’s mindpan. Through struggles and against all odds he will have to prove himself worthy of the greatness bestowed upon him. He will be the last beacon of hope for his people and more. The quest to greatness comes at a cost but it is a cost he must pay.

Cinematography

Denis Villeneuve’s film is a mammoth effort, a star-studded, lavish adaptation of the novel ‘Dunes’s  first half. Herbert’s work is a massive tome filled with kings and rebels, witches and soldiers. Herbert had a long discussion on religion, ecology, and humanity’s fate, and drew inspiration from a wide range of sources, including Greek mythology and Indigenous cultures.

Villeneuve does have a miniaturist’s devotion to tiny detail, which is appropriate for a subject as vast and complex as “Dune.” The film relies heavily on exposition, partially to assist viewers navigate the story’s more complicated tangles, but Villeneuve also employs his visuals to develop and clarify the plot. Characters and their environs are in harmony, with the designs and textures of the movie’s different planets and people being striking, filigreed, and significant.

Given the splendor of Villeneuve’s world creation, the desire to linger is reasonable. However, the film’s grand grandeur, along with Herbert’s intricate mythmaking, produces an unproductive conflict between stillness and movement.

Insight

The film is burnished and commanding, full of immense wide shots that dwarf the screen, jagged spacecraft that appear to emerge from foggy canvases, and an admirable commitment to big, earnest movie fiction, aided by Hans Zimmer’s speaker-rumbling score, with its rhythmic beat and guttural alien chants. Given the clearly unfinished nature of their plot, it’s difficult to predict what Villeneuve and his co-screenwriters Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth will do with Dune’s main narrative, with its Messianic leader and imminent holy war.

So much of Herbert’s story has gotten woven into the fabric of popular science fiction that Villeneuve’s picture may appear deceptively derivative at times. Many motifs might feel similar, whether it’s the samurai-style swordplay and inner voices of Star Wars or the Matrix-like question of the protagonists’ predicted divinity. Villeneuve’s extraordinary visual sensitivity is what distinguishes them. These are the kinds of things that Roy Batty rhapsodizes over in his final moments in Blade Runner, from ornithopters that fly like dragonflies to gigantic warships that glitter in the mist.

The Cast

The film stars an array of talented individuals lead by Timothee Chalamet playing the main protagonist. His performance in the film is just as anyone would expect with his usual expressions. The film also casts Zendaya, who also showed her range in playing MJ in Spider Man, Anne in The Greatest Showman and Rue in Euphoria. Alongside major roles were played by the likes of Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and Rebecca Ferguson. All of the casts were perfectly harmonized and it felt just right to fit the storytelling.

2021 only gave us the first part of Dune. However it already is a sparkling adaptation by and large.