Dune (2021)

Gearing Up

>>

---

Jump to "Now Playing" Review for 'Dune: Part Two'

---

To be honest, 'Dune' was never really a thing that I gave a proper chance to until this movie. That is, unless you count the old 'Warcraft'-like strategy game, which I once owned and believed to be the only 'Dune' thing in existence. Shortly after playing the game for a while, I found out that it was a whole thing with something of a cult following, perhaps in the same realm as 'Star Wars'. But when I finally rented 'Dune' (1984) to see what it was all about, I actually thought it was boring and dry, so never got into it at all.

As far as the books go, I've still never read any of them, but from a distance, I can't deny the influence it all seems to have had on some things... including my own "fanboy" world of 'Star Wars'. In the end, I feel about 'Dune' about the same as I feel about 'Star Trek'. They each have my utmost respect for what they are and what they've accomplished, they're great in their own way, but for whatever reason, I can't seem to get deep into them. I think it all boils down to being raised much more on 'Star Wars', and that's just my "thing" when it comes to this genre.

We begin by learning of the desert planet, Arrakis, the only source of "spice" in the universe. The importance of the spice becomes an extreme, as it's the only means of interstellar travel, and boosts vitality. The planet, once ruled by House Harkonnen and its head, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) is soon ordered off-planet on the order of Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (not appearing in this film) and the planet, in turn, is given to House Atreides and its head, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac). While apprehensive based on the danger to his house this may imply, Leto does see political advantages in controlling the spice planet, and so he accepts.

Duke Leto's concubine, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is part of a sisterhood that bears uncanny abilities called the Bene Gesserit who wish for her to have a daughter, who would one day become a pretty big deal. She has a son instead, however, named Paul (Timothée Chalamet), who is nevertheless tested by his grandmother, Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) to see if he is "worthy" to be a sort of "chosen one" for a whole complex scheme the Bene Gesserit have been cooking up for ages.

Upon landing on Arrakis, Paul, his parents, Warmaster, Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) and other members of House Atreides get a nice little tour. This tour includes a first-hand look at the difficulties of harvesting spice in a massive desert loaded with giant (and badass) sandworms, and the special suits they all have to wear in order to withstand extreme weather conditions. They also learn of the native Fremen, who have adapted to the planet's conditions, and whom Paul has been having dreams about; specifically a girl with bright blue eyes we eventually know as Chani (Zendaya).

The Freman have been fighting with the Harkonnen the entire time during their reign, but Leto hopes to make an alliance with them instead, after his friend Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) finds them and learns their ways. Anyway, I could go on and on here, but this is a "heroes journey" epic with this film doing much of the setup, so my apologies if I missed anything major without going into heavy spoiler territory. I know there are some appearances I've neglected to mention as well, like Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, who's a pretty major player here as a big baddie, just a level below Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.

To be perfectly frank, I'm still not exactly head-over-heels for this, but I definitely enjoy it, and again, it has my utmost respect as a property, especially as something that was originally written as a great story and not something meant to sell, sell, sell - something I must again admit that 'Star Wars' is extremely guilty of, that much is clear. It's also refreshing to have something epic on screen that isn't 'Star Wars' or Superhero-related, and it's no wonder to me why this has been ultimately successful. Over time, this could very well be a cult following I can be a part of. But it will definitely take a lot more repeat-viewings.

4/5

---