Paul (Timothee Chalamet) is the heir to the House of Atreides, a rising star in the empire. His family has just been given control of the planet Arrakis, home to a psychedelic dust that coincidentally is the most valuable substance in the galaxy. Paul's father (Oscar Isaacs) understands that this is not a gift; this is a test from an insecure emperor looking to hobble one, perhaps two, dynasties by pitting House Atreides and House Harkonnen against each other. You can tell Harkonnen are the bad guys because they have no eyebrows. Paul is excited to go to Arrakis because he has been having dreams about being a space messiah but is a little worried about seeing everyone he loves die in an ultimately pointless battle over money and resources.
Okay, so this is a completely beautiful film. The space scenes are gorgeous, the actors are gorgeous, and every attention has been paid to making this seem as real as possible. As a movie, it's fine. I think it cuts off a little abruptly, like it's a two and a half hour prologue, but it doesn't feel like 150 minutes when you're watching it. I find Chalamet to be a little stiff as an actor but that seems to fit this character. Isaacs and Rebecca Ferguson absolutely walk away with this film, all respect to Josh Brolin.
The real question is, do we need another giant multi-movie adaptation of a White Savior narrative? There's already Discourse online about how frustrated Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian people are about the cultural appropriation embedded in this film. And right on cue, there are a bunch of white people arguing about how it's a sci-fi classic and a product of its time. Personally, I'd love to see a Dune retelling a la Wide Sargasso Sea about the actual Arrakian hero and the white guy who takes all the credit, if someone wants to write that book.
It's currently streaming on HBO Max until 24 Nov.
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