Grade: (8.6/10)
Between the concentrated world-building and expansive cinematography, Dune: Part One offers a unique experience whilst setting up the rest of the series well.
Plot (43/50)
Dune holds up better on a rewatch than it did on my first watch. Initially, the film came off as an extended trailer. This time around, I felt like the story stood on its own, but I also understand why I felt that way I did the first time. Denis Villeneuve spends a ton of time building out the Dune universe and setting up Paul’s story. That was enough to keep me engaged for a while, but by the third act, the pace had noticeably slowed down. It never got to the point of dragging on, but the ending was a bit anticlimactic. Ultimately, the film does a good job establishing Paul’s backstory.
Set Up to Fail
To understand why certain events take place, we must first understand the political landscape in the Dune universe. The three main axis of power seem to be House Atreides, House Harkkonen, and the Emperor. The Bene Gesserit play a critical role in the shadows, but we’ll put them aside for now. House Atreides, led by Duke Leto Atreides, have established themselves on Caladan with a strong aerial and naval force. Due to House Atreides’ rising strength, the other great houses look to them for leadership. This level of influence rivals even that of the Emperor’s, and that’s where the problems start.
The Emperor feels threatened by House Atreides, so he puts them on a collision course with House Harkkonen, a rival House. House Harkkonen have occupied Arrakis for 80 years. During that time, they’ve amassed great wealth thanks to their harvesting of spice. Spice is essential to interstellar travel, making it the most valuable resource in the universe. Since spice is native to Arrakis, whoever occupies the planet wields considerable influence. By transferring Arrakis’ control to House Atreides, the Emperor pits them against the now-aggrieved House Harkkonen. Unfortunately for House Atreides, it doesn’t stop there.
The Emperor, Bene Gesserit, and the Harkkonens have all conspired to wipe out House Atreides. Sending them to Arrakis is as good as a death sentence. Leto is unaware of the conspiracy, but he recognizes that the Emperor has set them up to fail. The first few days on Arrakis confirm this suspicion. The Harkkonens have left the city’s infrastructure and equipment in terrible shape. They also try to assassinate Paul. When, Dr. Liet Kynes, the judge of change, denies any malpractice, Leto truly understands the grave danger they’re in. Unfortunately for him, it’s too late to do anything about it.
The Fall of House Atreides
As if setting up House Atreides wasn’t enough, the Emperor backs the Harkkonen invasion with three legions of his imperial army, the Sardaukar. Furthermore, the Baron had captured Dr. Yueh’s wife in order to coerce him into betraying the Atreides, and he does. First, he gives Leto, Jessica, and Paul sleeping pills. Next, he turns the city’s shield off. Finally, he tranquilizes Leto and delivers him to the Harkkonens. At least he explains himself to Leto and gives him an opportunity to go out on his own terms by replacing one of his teeth with a poison-filled one.
By the time Gurney and Duncan are alerted to the impending invasion, it’s too late for them to mount any serious defense. Jessica and Paul have already been kidnapped, and the Atreides aerial fleet is wiped out before they can get their ships off the ground. Put simply, they’re sitting ducks. The Atreides forces are slaughtered by the time the night is over. Paul and Jessica are spared per the Baron’s agreement with the Bene Gesserit. Of course, his idea of “sparing” them is to dump them in the desert where they would eventually die. Fortunately, they’re able to fight off their Harkkonen captors.
The following day, the Baron looks to take care of loose ends. He murders Dr. Yueh and turns his attention to an immobilized Leto. Leto manages to lure him in close enough before releasing the poison from his tooth, thus ending his life. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to take out the Baron. Out in the desert, Paul and Jessica survive long enough for Duncan and Liet to locate them. They take them to an ecological testing center where they should be temporarily safe.
Checks and Balances
Liet plans to report the attack to the Landsraad (the other Great Houses), but before she can do that, the center is attacked by Harkkonens. Both Duncan and Liet die protecting Paul and Jessica. The two take escape via a thopter, but with the Harkkonens in pursuit, they’re forced to go into a sandstorm. Paul manages to navigate the storm, but they are presumed dead. Back in the city, Rabban reports their death, much to the satisfaction of the Baron.
Paul and Jessica, now completely isolated and without any allies, must find the Fremen if they’re to have any chance of survival. After barely surviving a sandworm attack, the two are ambushed by a group of Fremen led by Stilgar, a leader that Duncan had introduced to Leto and Paul earlier on. Stilgar recognizes Paul, so he spares him, but he goes after Jessica. Jessica holds her own, so Stilgar decides to bring them along to Sietch Tabr. There, the Fremen will decide their fates.
However, that decision isn’t good enough for Jamis. He invokes the amtal, a fight to the death. Paul steps in as his mother’s champion. The ensuing battle proves that Jamis is no match for Paul, but having never killed a man before, Paul hesitates. Eventually, he finds it in himself to end Jamis’ life, thus preserving both his and his mother’s lives. The two are accepted into this legion of Fremen on their journey to Sietch Tabr. Paul is one step closer to mastering the desert power that his father dreamed of wielding.
Overall Thoughts
It’s rare to get a film so unique and expansive in its world-building that you feel immersed in it, but that was exactly the case here. The sci-fi and adventure elements were on point, and the action was appropriate. Dr. Yueh’s betrayal, Leto’s death, and the sheer brutality of the invasion were unexpected developments that added a sense of urgency in the second act. Like I said at the beginning, the drop in pace in the third act is noticeable, but it doesn’t ruin the film. By the end of this chapter of the story, it’s clear that it is, in fact, Paul’s story. I’m looking forward to see how the story progresses in the next one.
Character Development (11/15)
Outside of Paul, there wasn’t much individual character development. Otherwise, the film focused on developing entities and groups including the Atreides, the Harkkonens, the Emperor, the Bene Gesserit, and the Fremen.
Paul Atreides
Paul spends the first half of the film trying to prove himself to his father. He’s been trained and educated well, but as the heir to the Atreides throne, he’s also been shielded all his life. Further complicating his development is his mother, Jessica. She’s been training him in the Way despite the Bene Gessert’s explicit instructions not to. Paul clearly possesses special abilities and unlimited potential, but he’s struggling to find an identity. He wants to help his family, but he’s yet to develop a killer instinct. The thing is, in this game of life and death, this is a glaring weakness.
On face value, this makes sense. Because he’s been protected his whole life, he has no experience with the harsh reality of the world. He has the knowledge and the training, but without the experience, he’s just a boy. It runs deeper than that, though. Paul is troubled by vivid dreams that show fragments of the future. In these dreams, he sees himself leading people to war. That frightens him. And with that in mind, he limits himself. Paul’s strong sense of morality is tested after the Harkkonens kill his father. All that time he thought he had to find himself has been abruptly cut short.
In the immediate aftermath of his father’s death, Paul is volatile. When his mother is in danger, he’s finally able to use the Voice to save her. Later on, he lashes out at her for the Bene Gessert’s role in making him a “freak.” It’s clear that he still struggles with his identity, but it’s also clear that he’s a fighter. He perseveres until he accomplishes his goal of finding the Fremen. When Jamis threatens Jessica, Paul once again steps up to defend her. He only kills Jamis when it becomes clear that there’s no other way to save his mother. It’s a significant moment that proves that Paul is able to wield power responsibly, at least for now.
Major Players
When you look at House Atreides, it’s clear that they’ve earned the loyalty of their people through honor and respect. House Harkkonen, on the other hand, use fear to keep their constituents in line. The rivalry between the two houses is as archetypical as it gets. Baron Vladimir Harkkonen, specifically, has absolutely no problem playing dirty. He takes advantage of what he perceives as Leto’s foolish sense of honor and he punishes him for it viciously. His nephew and right hand man, Rabban, is a savage. No surprises there. What makes the Baron particularly dangerous is that he’s as calculated as he is brutal.
This brings us to the Emperor. We don’t actually see him on screen, but what we do know is that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to preserve his power. House Atreides had become too powerful, so he conspired to wipe their entire lineage out. Mind you, as Emperor, he’s not supposed to take sides. And much like the Baron, he too is calculated. The Emperor knew that Leto would answer the Imperial call to take the Harkkonens’ place on Arrakis even if he didn’t want to. He also knew that the Harkkonens would relish the opportunity to wipe out a rival. He even backed the Baron with his own army to ensure that his plan would succeed.
Last but not least, we have the Bene Gesserit. They are perhaps the most dangerous player in this game. Unlike the Emperor or the Great Houses, the Bene Gesserit move in the shadows. They have comprehensive knowledge and are able to influence whomever they want it seems. It is the Bene Gesserit’s game and everyone from the Emperor to the Great Houses are merely pawns. The only legitimate threat to their power is the One which in this case is Paul. This is why Mohiam was particularly displeased with Jessica’s rogue behavior. As Paul develops further, look for that relationship to become increasingly strained.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- “A great man doesn’t seek to lead, he’s called to it and he answers.”
- “You fight when the necessity arises no matter the mood.”
- “Fear is the mind killer.”
- “The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience, a process that cannot be understood by stopping it, we must move with the flow of the process, we must join it, we must flow with it.”
- Struggling to find an identity is a challenge many face. It’s only when people tune out outside influences and are honest about what matters to them are they able to find themselves. It’s a difficult journey, but it’s one worth taking.
Acting (13/15)
This is an incredibly well-cast film, but due to the structure of this film, there aren’t many moments for the actors to shine. Timothée Chalamet (Paul) is perhaps the only member of the cast to be given enough time to stamp his place, and he does so brilliantly. With that said, many others leave their mark with excellent performances: Rebecca Ferguson (Jessica), Oscar Isaac (Leto), Stellan Skarsgård (The Baron), Jason Momoa (Duncan Idaho), Josh Brolin (Gurney), Javier Bardem (Stilgar), Dave Bautista (Rabban), Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Liet), Charlotte Rampling (Mohaim), Chang Chen (Dr. Yueh), Babs Olusanmokun (Jamis), David Dastmalchian (Piter).
Cinematography (15/15)
If you were to watch the film for one reason, watch it for its stunning cinematography. It’s quite something.