Dune Review: A Welcome to the World of Arrakis
I said I would not harm them and I shall not. But Arrakis is Arrakis and the desert takes the weak. This is my desert. My Arrakis. My Dune.
— Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
To truly create a world where we would be mesmerised and lost in is a task that seemed unachievable. To encapsulate the grandness of a story is emasculate. To write and adapt such a phenomenal piece of story is what writing has always been about.
Dune was able to transcend an unachievable task to a masterpiece and a cinematic art piece. The technical aspects were astounding in every way. The grandness of the set pieces felt life-like. It’s almost as if every ship,buildings and creatures all existed. Reality is ever more present in the world of Arrakis. The attention to detail of every little thing sells the illusion. Details like the plane starting to turn slowly in a loop then it spinned so fast where you can’t even see it is just one of the highlights. The shields,the suits,the concepts. All were just executed in such a way that we know it felt real. The score was just gorgeous. No other composer like Han Zimmer would have scored such a masterpiece. Every music that was played here elevated every scene presented. It’s pretty much a mature take on John William’s wonderful and whimsical scores.
Technicality aside, the writing here is what made this film amazing especially with its characters.
Paul here is this kid who wants to explore the universe as a warrior. He does not want to be the Duke of his kingdom nor does he believe that destiny is his endgame. The major flaw of his character roots from his emotions. It is his emotions which made him vulnerable. His emotions for his dreams made him fear and wonder which led him to be heard by his mother who had discovered him being the One. His rage in battle made him lose in training. His lack of courage was what made him not believe in destiny. As he discovered he could be the One,his rage boiled up more sternly. He does not want to live a life that has been laid out for him but in order to live free he has to conceal his emotions or else he will be vulnerable. As he landed on the planet of Arrakis people were chanting as if he were the One.
There was a scene in the film where Paul was with his father and Gurney saving the spice crew before the sandworm eats them. In that scene,Paul had a vision of the girl,a knife and a betrayal. These are all his emotional vulnerabilities. His lust for the girl. The fear of the unknown. The feeling of being betrayed. Before he could ponder on it, the general had saved him. This scene marks an important point in his journey as Paul discovers that because of his emotions, he no longer felt the dangers of his own life. How would he truly live free if he nearly died?
As the story progresses,the philosophy becomes evermore present. When the kingdom was attacked,Paul and his mother had escaped the clutches of the villain. As they hid in their tent,the everlasting visions kept appearing. His destiny of being a dictator was one which he had never hoped for. He was confused and angry, his rage boiled to a breaking point. Finally he lashed out on his mother who had been the cause of his anger. But when he finally saw what he had done,how his mother too was sad,Paul knew that emotions would never solve anything. It never mattered anymore whether he wanted to be the Duke or not. He was already the One. He was his family’s only hope for survival. From his own life and others,emotions were only hurting everyone.
Later on,when they met with Duncan, one of the sole survivors,Paul’s emotions took over again as Duncan sacrificed himself. This pretty much showed him how emotions would only trapped him in his own comfort zone,not daring to confront the loss of his family.
Another scene which shows Paul and his mother as their plane was trapped in a sandstorm. Here Paul resides the documentary he saw as to how life should flow naturally and to let go and see where it brings us. This is kind of a way to represent Paul letting go of his feelings,not allowing those to constraint him anymore. For they live or die is the natural flow of life. If emotions had been in play,doubts would be made and death was near certain.
The final scene shows Paul needing to kill in order to join the Freman and continue to survive. This final nail in his arc is perfect. His need to protect his mother and restore his kingdom was what pushed him. He gave the Freman more chances to not end his life but he did not yield. This only pushed him further away,with all that he learned of emotions endangering his life,his family and the doubts and fear it made,there was only one choice left. He killed him. It solidified his place. It achieved his arc. Of course this seems to be just the beginning of his larger character arc of destiny but it is surely one well built up throughout the course of the story,leading to a satisfying resolution. Paul Atrides is officially one of the most iconic characters of storytelling.
Jessica is the character who showcases how being emotionless could be hurtful. She is part of this covenant of witches in the Dune universe. This covenant had been mating with various bloodlines,all to create an all powerful god like person being the One. The One being her son,Paul. Paul however does not want to be the One,entrapped in a destined fate. However due to her actually caring for Paul,she feels the pain of him suffering. Paul’s desires and dreams being crushed made her felt painful than ever. Her being forced to get him tortured whilst she convinces herself to not feel for him was devastating as clearly she does care. Her mistake with Paul caused major conflicts down the line. That is what made their dynamic interesting later on. It was her who had caused Paul to live in such a life which he hated. She essentially became the worst person in the world but she tries her best to make up for it all. On the one hand,she does seem terrible for raising her son to a life which he does not desire but on the other hand she just feels sympathetic as she truly cares for Paul and the people around her.
Paul’s father,Duke Leto is one of the most fascinating characters here. He seemed to be this stern and authoritative guy who does not care about love and friendship. Only that he actually does care for his family and the people around him. His first impression showcases his authoritative presence. The scene which shows him confronting Paul of his future shows how serious he takes the kingdom but the last line of him loving his son was what made him special. He loves his family despite not showing it. We continuously see this later on like how he is willing to sacrifice the spice collected just to save the crew from the sandworm. Him wanting peace with the Freman instead of conflict shows his kind heart. The subtle conflict with his wife’s covenant should have distanced them but his love for her was everlasting. Ultimately it was because of his kind heart which led the kingdom to fall. He let his guard down for his wife and never came prepared for what had come. In the end,he chose to sacrifice himself for the greater good. His kindness was both his strength and flaw.
A few side characters here had some memorable moments in the film. Duncan being the free spirited warrior has many individual moments which showcases his risk taking and uncaring nature. The highlight would be his escape from the villains. He kills the soldiers without giving a damn if he dies,causing them to fear him. As he rides the plane,the laser beamed down on him but he just does not care. His escape was just perfect. Ironically he actually dies because he does care. Him being the sole warrior of the kingdom made him tohave the choice of sacrificing himself for Paul’s escape. His warrior spirit was seen but if he had not cared for Paul as he did for his enemies then he may not have died. His dignity and warrior spirit was what carried him.
For Gurney’s character,he is the mentor/friend figure for Paul but his role never seemed to be expanded as he should have. He trains Paul to not use his emotions in battle and cracks some jokes with him but that is about it. To say he is underdeveloped is an odd stance as he clearly does have his moments like his devotion to the kingdom as he led his army out to kill the bad guys but he never felt as if he had much of a presence either especially to Paul’s journey. I guess he is underutilised at best. Hope to see more of his development in the sequel.
The film’s villains are intriguing. With Beast Rabban,he feels like a child in an adult body. He whines as his kingdom falls. He is satisfied when all has been successful. It is ironic as the Baron seemed to treat him as a perfect henchmen when that is all he is. A kid who is easy to manipulate and satisfy.
The Baron himself poses a menacing presence. For him,he is never on anybody’s side. He knows the Emperor is not an ally nor does he bother to adhere to his orders. He just does what is best for him. Stellan Skarsgard embodies this role perfectly. Without him the presence of the Baron may not have been the best.
Despite that, I guess the villain side of things were underdeveloped and underutilised. I don’t really know much about the Baron except for his illuminating presence. It’s still good but it just felt like an introduction of what is to come.
The theme of the film is fascinatingly explored. While it does touch on whether destiny should be fulfilled or we should follow our own path,the film has another theme as its main one. The theme of whether our emotions helps us or drowns us. We can see this as mentioned through Paul’s whole journey,his mother’s way of concealing her emotion of fear,his father’s kindness which led to the ambush,the dignity of a warrior,even the emotion of love from the doctor who had betrayed the kingdom. The film showcases how emotions may cause our own fates but without it are we truly human or would we be as heartless as the Baron?
Now I can’t really complain much about this film when it is already a masterpiece. Unfortunately I can’t help but to notice that various characters were cut short and ultimately made them underdeveloped like the villains. I am sure in the grand scale of the story these are great characters but because the film had to be cut in half these characters felt more like introductions than actual characters. With the last 30 to 40 minutes it felt quite forced. The film tries so hard to keep our attention as Paul reaches his destination. I understand why they did but cutting it a bit shorter would have maybe improved it.
In conclusion,Dune is a cinematic achievement that encapsulates everything beautiful about cinema. Sometimes not having giant CGI battles but a raw human emotional story is just enough for the audience to care especially with a film like this which utilised its aesthetics and genre. Dune is truly a one of a kind masterpiece. If the sequel is better then maybe cinema can finally shift itself to raw emotional stories instead. (Note: Cinema is saved)
Final Rating:
— — — — — — — — — — — — — 9/10 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
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