Some Thoughts on Dune

Dune and its sequels has been a part of my life ever since I was a teenager; I first read part of it after it was serialized in Analog and I found copies of the magazine in a used bookstore. I was smitten and read the novel as soon as I could get my hands on it at the library. (You can read about the rather interesting publishing history of the book in this article by Andrew Liptak on his excellent Transfer Orbit blog.)

The Prophet of Dune from Analog

Since then I've reread Dune several times and read all of Herbert's sequels as well as several of those written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. Of course, I've seen the movies too.

Last weekend, Nancy and I rewatched Dune Part 1 and Tuesday we saw Dune Part 2 at an IMAX theatre. I do have mixed feelings about it as an adaptation, which probably won't matter if you haven't read the book. (Spoilers ahead). 

Tt was, needless to say, spectacular; and one of the most intense cinematic experiences I've had. For once, I was watching a movie on a screen that was big enough (it filled most of my field of view), bright enough, and with concert-quality sound. If you can possibly get to an IMAX theatre, it's definitely the way to go for big-budget spectacles like Dune. And the movie was full of spectacular set pieces that took my breath away. The scene where Paul rides a sandworm for the first time was jaw dropping and there were many others like it.

But I didn't find an emotional connection with the characters in this part of the story that I had when watching Dune Part 1. The characters were overpowered by the spectacle. Paul's transition from desert warrior to what is essentially a superhero was too abrupt to be convincing. I also didn't like the change to Chani's character at the end of the movie. It probably is a setup for Villeneuve's third Dune movie, but it's a major divergence from the original storyline and didn't work for me at all. My thoughts on the movie parallel those expressed by Carlos Morales in this article.

All that aside, I enjoyed the movie and will no doubt watch it again once it shows up on streaming services. It is a major achievement and one of the best adaptations ever of a major work of science fiction or fantasy, certainly on a par with Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. But it isn't the masterpiece that is the novel.