This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Part 1
Plot Overview
On the planet Caladan, in the year
10,191 , teenaged Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is
being groomed by his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) in the
mysteries of the Bene Gesserit. Jessica thinks he might be the Kwisatz
Haderach, the fulfillment of a Bene Gesserit messianic prophecy. Rev. Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte
Rampling) disapproves of Jessica having sired a male for their female
order, but she tolerates the boy after he stoically passes her 
hand-in-the-fire test. Paul's father Duke Leto of House Atreides (Oscar
Isaac) has his aide Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) instruct Paul in the manly
art of knife fighting. The kid has a ways to go.
Duke Leto accepts stewardship of the
dangerous desert planet Arrakis, the sole source of “the
spice” that extends human life and boosts human thought for
warp speed navigation. Paul finagles a ride with Duncan to scout
out the new domain. While there they go about their assigned duties
until the treacherous Harkonnens raid the planet and seek to destroy
all its inhabitants. Paul and his mom pull off a desperate escape,
but to where? The monstrous fauna is hungry, and the aboriginal Fremen
cannibals. In the end Paul must take on Fremen warrior Jamis (Babs
Olusanmokun) in a deadly knife fight for consent to join their tribe.
Ideology
Our
Ur-messiah had to spiritually conquer the forces of darkness on the cross
before being granted the world to rule. Dune's “messiah” had to
prevail in a knife fight before being admitted to the company of its
aboriginal people. Thus, (Luke 11:21-22)
“When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he
taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his
spoils.”
(Luke 11:23)
“He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth
not with me scattereth.” You either have to be for Jesus or
against him; there is no middle ground. In “Dune” the
royal sawbones, Suk doctor Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen) has
conflicting loyalties. He tries to be both for and against his charges,
but that didn't work out so well.
(Luke 11:24-26) “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Jesus on earth had cast out demons, cleansed the temple, and put the Pharisees in their place. Once he was gone the Holy Spirit was sent to enable the apostles to set up His church, but the nation of the chosen people remained largely unconverted leaving them worse off than before. In “Dune” the planet had been ruled over by the cruel Harkonnens who one day up and left, but they came back with an alliance worse than before.
Production Values
“” (2021) was directed by Denis Villeneuve. Its screenplay was written by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth, based on the novel Dune by Frank Herbert. It stars Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya, and the cast includes Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, and Stellan Skarsgard. Also featured are David Dastmalchian as Piter de Vries, Benjamin Clémentine as Herald of the Change, Golda Rosheuvel as Shadout Mapes, and Roger Yuan as Lieutenant Lanville. Timothée Chalamet did great as the lead, with good support from Rebecca Ferguson. It was a worthy cast. Skarsgard as a fat, slimy villain inspired big time revulsion.
MPAA rated it PG–13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material. Parts of it were filmed in Wadi Rum, Jordan. It's 2 hours 35 minutes long in this first part, reflecting a long book that was yet masterfully edited for a cinematic medium. The visuals were outstanding and the fight scenes well done. The music was annoying and the atmosphere uniformly dark—except for a desert mouse scene. The break between parts 1 & 2 is natural.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
A great sci-fi book turned into a halfway decent movie, this being its first part. Any sci-fi aficionado will have already read the book. the movie is a good representation of it. If you go for action, adventure, and sci-fi, this is well worth your time.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action flick. Suitability for Children: Suitable for children 13+ years with guidance. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
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