I’ve always been interested in Dune, but attempts to get into the beefy novel in the past have failed and while I enjoyed the 80s cheese-fest adaptation it didn’t really feel like I’d experienced the all-time classic, so when this film came along and was said to be only half the book due to how accurate they aimed it to be I was excited, but also weary of potentially the second film not being made so put it in the back of my mind until Part Two was official… Then I sort of forgot about it, until now! So with Part Two about to hit cinemas, let’s take a look at the first half of the original Dune story, shall we?
In the far flung future the planet Arrakis is among the most valuable as it’s the only planet in the known galaxy that produces a substance called “Spice” that allows interstellar travel. For many years the rich (and now super-wealthy due to owning the Spice trade) House Harkonnen have ruled over the planet but suddenly a call comes from the Emperor that they’re to leave as their rival house, House Atreides, are the new owners of the fiefdom. This is the general set up, that and on Arrakis there are native people known as the Fremen who have fought against the Harkonnen for decades. The focus soon narrows on our lead protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) who is not only the son of Atreides leader Duke Leto Atriedes (Oscar Isaac) but also the son of Lady Jessica (Rebecca Freguson), a member of the Bene Gesserit, a cult of sorts that have the ability to influence and even command people by the use of their voice and despite the Gesserit being exclusively female Jessica has been teaching Paul in their ways. Paul has been having visions recently about Arrakis, more specifically a girl (played by Zendaya) and due to this is increasingly invested in his Dad’s plan of siding with the Fremen to create a large army to fight off the inevitable attack by the Harkonnen.
Leto contemplates if he’ll need to shave his beard and hair due to the hot weather, or whether that was just a Harkonnen thing…
As the Atreides get settled on Arrakis we find out that the Harkonnen leader, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) has made a deal with the Emperor to wipe out House Atreides and thanks to this not only does he have his own army, led by his nephew Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista) but also a couple of regiments of the Emperor’s guard to do the deed. After a scene where Leto and his son explore the local climate, which includes large spice mining craft that has to deal with a colossal sand worm that sees Paul nearly killed when he accidentally inhales some Spice in the air and has another vision, it becomes night and the attack begins. While Leto falls (though he does nearly kill Vladimir in his final moments) Paul and Jessica manage to escape thanks to the efforts of Atreides swordmaster Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) and the local ecologist and “Judge of the Change” Liet Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) but end up having to travel the dangerous sands of Arrakis when they use their commanding voice to down the Harkonnen ship they were on.
Vladimir Harkonnen: floaty device and long dress, or REALLY long legs? I’ll let you decide!
It goes without saying given the cast but the acting is top notch and thankfully the visuals match it, especially the deserty world of Arrakis itself (which is handy given the majority of the film takes place there!) plus the soundtrack is mesmerising and played just right. You could argue a slow pace across its two and a half hours, though to me that was perfect as it really did need everything to be set up and for you to care about these people before it comes crumbling down, and I’d understand annoyance if you went into the film not knowing this was a “Part One of Two” but I can only say that I really enjoyed my night in with the film and I’m frankly glad I waited this long because having to wait years for part two would’ve been a killer!
Overall Thoughts:
Our delightfully flawed “hero”.
Dune’s first half lived up to the hype as a mix of political intrigue, sci-fi storytelling and a large selection of really interesting characters, all with great visuals and sound design to match. The two and a half hours flew by and left me really looking forward to more, which is something very few films that length can claim. Roll on Part Two!
As Paul and his mother survive a night on the sands the new Duke of Atreides has another Spice-induced vision, this time of himself and the mysterious girl starting something of a war across the known galaxy and deposing the Emperor as they watch the bodies pile up in their name, a vision that scares the boy and has him lash out at his mother for giving him these gifts. The two decide to cross the desert to find the Fremen, for assistance to get off-world in Jessica’s mind but for Paul it’s all about fulfilling his father’s dream of uniting them so he can get revenge on the Harkonnen and reclaim Arrakis. On the way they narrowly avoid being devoured by a massive Sand Worm in a great scene you saw in all the trailers.
The aforementioned Sand Worm scene from all the trailers…
The two arrive at a Fremen settlement and among them is the woman from Paul’s dreams, Chani. It takes surprisingly little for the two to start hitting it off and things look good until Fremen Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun) refuses to join up with them and challenges Jessica to a duel, though he fights Paul as her “chosen champion” instead. Paul ends up winning but refuses to kill his opponent, but is told that’s the only way to win and so ends up taking Jamis’ life, the first time he’s done such a thing (and perhaps a sign to himself that he is on the path he saw in the vision the previous night). Paul and Chani walk off together with the rest of the Fremen and Jessica, who reluctantly goes with them…
Hogan Reviews 