Dune is a bit of a white whale for the film community. David Lynch’s 1984 attempt is considered to be the renowned director’s biggest flop. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt at an adaptation in the 70’s was such a disaster that they made a documentary about it (the script was the size of a phone book and he wanted to cast his twelve-year-old son in the lead role). Frank Herbert’s novel is considered among the best of the mid-Twentieth Century science fiction books. The literature in that era is defined by metaphor, using the horrors of far-off futures to represent the troubles of today. Herbert’s epic scope turned into a trilogy of books. This latest film adaptation by French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve only covers the first half of the first book, with the title card at the beginning reading “Part One”, and it’s an omen of things to come.

The script is by Villeneuve, along with Oscar-winner Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts. Villeneuve and Warner Bros. have been transparent for a while about the fact that this would only be the first half (even though Part Two is still yet to be confirmed), but it’s still astonishing how much of Dune is just place-setting and exposition, building a complex world and tactfully gracing each detail with an importance to be paid off down the line. The action takes place on Arrakis, an arid desert planet that houses dangerous snowstorms, oppressive heat, and monstrous sand worms that eat everything in sight. It is also the home of the Fremen people, who’ve adapted to the planet’s harsh climate and have prospered in their own spartan way. Unfortunately for them, their planet is the sole source of “melange” (often referred to simply as “spice”), a vital resource for other, more imposing intergalactic empires. And this makes them a prized target for takeover.

Arrakis and the Fremen have long been wards of larger colonizers of The Empire looking to harvest the spice from their desert sand. First by the House Harkonnen who proved cruel rulers, turning the Fremen off of their land and forcing them into a violent struggle for their own home. At the beginning of Dune, the Harkonnen reign has ended and the Emperor has asked the House Atreides to travel to Arrakis and become the new leaders of the fiefdom. The Duke of House Atreides, Leto (Oscar Isaac), wants to set a new tone with the Fremen, to extend a gentle hand and make a bond. It’s not totally altruistic. He sees great power in the Fremen people’s ability to withstand the abuse of the desert, and he’d like some of that for himself. His son and heir, Paul (Timothée Chalamet), is less convinced of his father’s mission, and he keeps having strong visions that foresee trouble on their journey to Arrakis.

Paul’s lack of enthusiasm extends beyond their new mission and into a general ambivalence about inheriting the leadership of House Atreides. His frequent dreams of misery and death are not doing much to help matters. Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), is a Bene Gesserit, a religious and political group of women with powers of mind control and other superhuman abilities. Paul is the first male to be granted these powers, though he’s still not strong enough to control them. Should he get there, there is a theory that his power can become quite great, enough to fulfill a prophecy of a savior that can free the universe from the oppressive Empire. So yeah, there’s a bit of pressure on him.

Paul does not want to lead another ruthless fiefdom like the Harkonnen, whose behavior has created a blood feud with the Fremen that may never be repaired. He is guided by two mentors: Duncan Idaho (Jason Mamoa), a fierce warrior but gentle soul who plans to visit Arrakis ahead of time to learn the Fremen lifestyle and extend Leto’s olive branch; and Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), Leto’s bodyguard and Paul’s martial arts instructor. Halleck is less inclined toward compassion and his dedication to Atreides often leads to paranoia and distrust of outsiders. These two men, along with the steady hand of his father Leto, try to guide Paul toward his rightful place as heir.

That’s not even getting into the eccentric leadership of the Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård is a hulking, floating menace) and the Fremen (Javier Bardem, spitting on the ground as a sign of respect). There’s also the starpower of Zendaya, who plays Chani, a Fremen girl whose character is mostly a figment of Paul’s dreams which occasionally illustrate romance but more often doom. There is a lot to account for here, which is probably what has made Dune such a difficult story to adapt in the first place. Its hardcore sci-fi seriousness can be standoffish, defiant in its inside-baseball terminology and plot construction. Without the guidance of prose, Villeneuve is attempting to give us an 156-minute pilot episode, setting the stage for things to come. Making movies that are just commercials for the next one is common practice in Hollywood these days. In this specific sub-genre, few films are as meditative and hostile to entertainment as Dune.

I haven’t read Herbert’s novel. I’m not sure that’s a prerequisite to appreciating what Villeneuve is doing here but I struggled mightily in the film’s first half, which is so preoccupied with catching you up it forgets about any forward narrative motion. The second half – which has action set pieces, deadly betrayals, and the all-important emergence of the giant sand worm – picks up the pace, and proves just how skilled Villeneuve is at crafting unsettling imagery on such a massive scale. The film looks incredible, and Villeneuve’s obvious affection for the story comes through in his tender attention to detail. Hans Zimmer’s booming score will force every ounce of the filmmaking into your bloodstream. But I just could not find myself caring about what happened to these characters. Perhaps that changes in the prospective Part Two, but this kind of carrot-and-stick approach to storytelling is what makes me roll my eyes more than anything.

 

Directed by Denis Villeneuve