With the release of Dune: Part Two, the franchise has gained many more fans in the past few weeks. Amazing performances by the cast, jaw-dropping visuals of the fantasy world and the complex universe in which the story takes place have made Dune: Part Two a contender for the best film of 2024. But what is Dune really about, why is it gaining so much popularity and is it worth it for you to watch?
At the surface level, it’s easy to compare Dune: Part One (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) to other science fiction film series such as Star Wars and Star Trek. However, the universe and story created by Frank Herbert truly set apart the 21st-century films from their sci-fi predecessors.
The Original Series
Herbert began writing the Dune book series in the 1960s, with much of the fictional universe drawing from real-life language, belief and relationships. The story addresses the ethics of being the “chosen one”, the politics and tragedy of war and the fear of traveling somewhere dangerous and unknown.
Herbert gained inspiration from core elements of Middle Eastern culture, with much of the beliefs of Islam and the Arabic language getting a futuristic spin. He even created a new language the characters speak, as outlined in the original book.
Herbert’s original series includes only six books published from 1965 to 1985. His son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J. Anderson have written another 17 books in the series since 1999.
21st Century Film Adaptation
Dune: Part One (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024), directed by Denis Villeneuve, are based only on Herbert’s first novel. While the films leave some parts of the story out, Villeneuve has received praise for sticking to the original plot quite closely. Dubbed a “visually thrilling adaptation” by Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored an 83% on the website.
Timothée Chalamet plays the main character, Paul Atreides. Chalamet is accompanied on screen by many big names including Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem and Stellan Skarsgård in the first film, adding Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken in the second.
Reception
The movie immerses you in the Dune universe, for which the film is critically acclaimed — Dune: Part One won the 2022 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Music and several others.
With each film’s release, Dune has accumulated a wider audience among the younger generations who were not alive for its initial popularity in the 20th century. People are picking up Herbert’s books to read what the creator originally conceived, and are anxiously waiting for Villeneuve’s final installment in his three-part series (although the director is not in a rush to finish this project).
The complex, yet well-thought-out universe of Herbert accompanied by the amazing film adaptations by Villeneuve proves that Dune is solidified as one of the greatest science fiction series to date.
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