Premium Content:

Review | 'Dune' honours source content with vision and intimacy

Dune Part 1 | Dir: Denis Villeneuve | ★ ★ ★ ★ 

- Advertisement -

The world of Dune was conceived by American science fiction writer Frank Herbert in the 1960s. Set in an impossibly distant future on the planet of Arrakis, Herbert’s world is an arid, sandy wasteland whose precious spice (a hallucinogenic opioid that extends life and enhances mental abilities) is protected by enormous sand worms.

The film introduces us to Arrakis through piercing blue eyes of Chani (Zendaya) as she recounts the waves of invaders coming to take away the precious spice and the oppression of her people, the Fremen, by the military might of the invaders with the technology. Herbert’s novel was originally an allegory for the tensions between the West and the Middle East over oil reserves.

Herbert’s future interstellar society is an authoritarian feudal one with an all-powerful Emperor and noble houses ruled by patriarchs. It is Duke Leto Artrides (Oscar Isaac) who takes up the challenge to manage the spice mining on Arrakis and he takes his family with him to the dangerous planet.

Interestingly, the duke’s concubine Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is a Bene Gesserit, the power beneath the power which is a society composed entirely of women who have developed supernatural powers. A Bene Gesserit saying is ”if you rely on your eyes, your other senses weaken” and Lady Jessica has been tutoring her son Paul Artrides (Timothée Chalamet) to use the powers of the Bene Gesserit.

When Paul’s father is double-crossed (to create a spice shortage to increase the value of the emperor’s private reserves Offworld similar to what happened with the price of petrol), he is forced to flee with his mother and fulfill his visions of joining Chani’s tribe to survive in the waterless wasteland.

Panoramic shots of the landscape juxtaposed with intimate close-ups of the main characters provide both the expanse of Herbert’s vision and intimacy with the characters. Contrasting the macho warriors (including Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem) with an altogether different strength of the females in the film (headed by Charlotte Rampling as the Reverend Mother) is central to this two and a half epic – whose part 2 is eagerly awaited.

Lezly Herbert


You can support our work by subscribing to our Patreon
or contributing to our GoFundMe campaign.

Latest

Read ‘Lie with Me’ and head to the Queer Book Club in July

This short novel from French author Philippe Besson is the book of the month.

Inquest finds The Vivienne died of cardio-respiratory arrest due to ketamine use

The drag star died in January after taking the drug for recreational purposes.

Police arrest more than 50 people ahead of Istanbul Pride parade

Homosexuality is not illegal in Türkiye, but public displays are not tolerated by the government.

The Tommyhawks are coming back for just one night

The much loved local band made the announcement of a reunion exciting fans.

Newsletter

Don't miss

Read ‘Lie with Me’ and head to the Queer Book Club in July

This short novel from French author Philippe Besson is the book of the month.

Inquest finds The Vivienne died of cardio-respiratory arrest due to ketamine use

The drag star died in January after taking the drug for recreational purposes.

Police arrest more than 50 people ahead of Istanbul Pride parade

Homosexuality is not illegal in Türkiye, but public displays are not tolerated by the government.

The Tommyhawks are coming back for just one night

The much loved local band made the announcement of a reunion exciting fans.

NATO chief denies he called Trump “Daddy”

NATO Secretary General Mark Ruttte says he never called the US President "Daddy".

Read ‘Lie with Me’ and head to the Queer Book Club in July

This short novel from French author Philippe Besson is the book of the month.

Inquest finds The Vivienne died of cardio-respiratory arrest due to ketamine use

The drag star died in January after taking the drug for recreational purposes.

Police arrest more than 50 people ahead of Istanbul Pride parade

Homosexuality is not illegal in Türkiye, but public displays are not tolerated by the government.