“Dune” Review: Looking at Denis Villeneuve’s Rendition of Frank Herbert’s Space Opera

The conversion of Frank Herbert’s Dune into a film franchise is as daunting an undertaking as one could ever attempt – and yet, Denis Villeneuve does so with remarkable finesse. The film, a larger-than-life accomplishment worthy of several Oscars, should be seen at least once on the silver screen in order to get a sense of just how grand this film truly is. The cinematography – sweeping dunes, giant sand worms, deep, cavernous sietchs – is gorgeous, and matched with Hans Zimmer’s incredible soundtrack recalls my own childhood obsessions with Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. This film truly is the saga of the new generation.

The acting in this film does not go unnoticed either. In a world where celebrities are ever-increasingly in the public eye, I have found it difficult at times to really become immersed in the portrayal of a character – too often, I am distracted by the familiar faces that appear on every social media site, magazine, and fan video. However, I do think that the actors and actresses gave a very convincing performance; Austin Butler (Feyd-Rautha) and Rebecca Ferguson (Lady Jessica) in particular had less trouble disappearing into their roles, with Timothee Chalamet falling a little short but still remaining quite skilled at communicating even the slightest microexpression.

I was very surprised with Austin Butler’s performance as Feyd-Rautha in particular; after such success with portraying Elvis in 2022, I was concerned that his newfound Southern drawl and blue-steel good looks would hurt his chances, but I needn’t have worried. The bald cap, combined with the disconcerting sensuality and Mad Max war-boy ferality, was extremely effective. I understand now why Villeneuve chose to present Feyd-Rautha this way, as opposed to the ringletted, elfin Feyd of Herbert’s writing.

In addition to Feyd’s drastically altered appearance, there were quite a few additional plot points left out from the Dune book, but for the most part, I feel it was a good choice. The change in Chani’s character, for example, was more effective – the Chani of Frank Herbert’s imagination was quite a bit more subservient and devoted to Paul, and I feel that Zendaya’s Chani, being quite a bit more resistant to the idea of a religious icon and Paul as Lisan al-Ghaib, was the better characterization. Villeneuve’s Chani provides a bit more perspective to Paul’s story, and shows how drastic his change from boy to god after drinking the Water of Life really is. I’m not sure how Villeneuve will approach the topic of Chani becoming Paul’s concubine after showing how angry and betrayed by him she feels, but I’m sure the next movie will be featuring a timeskip that may explain away her feelings. I also felt that excluding the birth and growth of Alia, and the birth of Paul and Chani’s son Leto II was wise, given that those storylines may be helpful for fleshing out the significantly more convoluted story that is coming with Dune Messiah.

I really enjoyed seeing Paul become Muad’Dib – a member of the Fedaykin and a Fremen warrior in his own right. In the book, Paul never becomes a Fedaykin – those warriors are simply his personal guards and the fighters most loyal to him. In fact, Paul’s becoming Fremen and joining the Fremen people is thoroughly glossed over in the book in favor of exploring the more political plot points and oscillating between the different Houses and their maneuvers, with exception of his becoming Fremen by riding the sandworm. I prefer Villeneuve’s choice to expand on Paul’s training under Stilgar; not only do we get to see Paul becoming a man through the exhilaration of the sandworm ride and the skills shown through Harkonnen spice factory attacks, but we also get to see his relationship with Chani grow and his thoughts of revenge, loyalty to his Fremen brothers, and fervent wish to remain somewhat anonymous and find peace in the north of Arrakis change, thereby making his transition to Duke of Arrakis and Kwisatz Haderach that much more overt and alarming.

I am very much looking forward to the third installment of this series, though I know that it will likely be several years before we see any progress being made. I am interested to find out how Denis Villeneuve will tackle Dune Messiah and if he will include anything he left out of the first book – in particular, I wonder how he plans to incorporate the Spacing Guild, especially given that no mention has yet been made of the foremost authority that Paul must navigate and manipulate as he ascends the Emperor’s throne.