By: Anton Massopust III
“Fear is the mind-killer, that brings little death. I will let it wash over me until only I remain.”
If you remember the original Dune that was made in the 1980s, you probably thought it was just this weird science fiction movie that a lot of sci-fi fans would talk about or the epic book it was based upon written in 1965. So, now with up-to-date technology the epic story of Dune comes back to the big screen.
The story of Dune is about a group of factions and families fighting over the control of spice, a mysterious mineral that only dwells on one planet in the universe called Arrakis. It’s a dangerous world inhabited by giant worms. The factions are the Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) and his family, and his young son, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) who has connections to the Bene Gesserit, witches the tell Paul that he is the chosen one (Kwisatz Haderach) and must go through a series of tests in order to fulfill the prophecy and lead his people do a new era of paradise. The young prince, Paul Atreides has strange visions about the future and is tested by the witches make sure that he’s the guy that they think he is. The other factions are the Baron Vladmir Harakonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and his nephew Beast Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista) who wants to control the spice so all the wealth that the spice brings will go to them. The spice is very important because it can make you stronger or clairvoyant or enable you to navigation of space (by folding space) possible. But the Emperor Shaddam IV of House Corrino is playing another game and letting these factions work itself out by fighting themselves to the death.
Dune is going to be made into a trilogy of movies with two more coming (one sequel is already greenlighted). The novel is huge, and the new movie gives you that otherworldly feel like you’re on another planet. Even the music score has that feel. It has really great cinematography, and great special effects with all the different types of vehicles including sandcrawlers, fighters, and spaceships. The acting is first-rate, and Jesus Mamoa (who plays Paul’s bodyguard, Duncan Idaho) and Dave Bautista are some actors in this who you might recognize. Dune casts a long shadow and influences many other science fiction and fantasy stories including Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Game of Thrones. How does this compare to the 1984 version or the 2000 Sci-fi Channel TV miniseries? I think it’s a lot better with today’s technology. Dividing the story into several parts to give a little more time to develop the characters and story gives you more time to understand what is going on. The 1984 David Lynch version let you sink or swim out in the desert. It was trying to tackle a way too much in one movie.
If you’re big science-fiction fan, you going to enjoy this new version of Dune. If you are a fan of the book, you might enjoy this more as well. It’s definitely worth the trip to the theater or download.
