Plot
Duke Leto Atreides of the House Atreides, of the planet Caladan, has just secured a partnership with the planet Arrakis. Arrakis has been under the rule of the evil Harkonnen for years, and now the Atreides are preset, they have taken over control.
Leto wants to get the production of the natural resource “Spice” up and running, as well as forge a friendship with the Fremen – a people who reside in the deserts.
Leto’s son Paul arrives on the planet with his mother Jessica – a Bene Gesserit, a powerful people with other worldly abilities, which she believes her son possesses.
Paul is stuck between two worlds. Becoming his father’s heir – or is he something more powerful, taking after his mothers skill?
When the Harkonnen’s decide they want Arrakis back, war erupts, lives are lost – and alliances are formed.
Direction
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, it is stylistically beautiful. With the set designs, the costumes – and the Oscar winning score by Hanz Zimmer – it looks and feels technically flawless.
Cast
Timothee Chalamet plays Paul Atreides. He is a character who is clearly torn between two identities. One of his fathers people, the House Atreides, and his mothers – the powerful Bene Gesserit – which he has some of their power. He is also drawn to the people of Arrakis.
I get why people put Chalamet into the same (???) as Leonardo DeCaprio, he is clearly talented, and I wish him the best for his career. The kid is 30 at the time of writing this and Leo won his Oscar at 41. You’ll get there son!!!
Rebecca Ferguson plays Lady Jessica, the partner of Duke Leto Atreides. She is a Bene Gesserit. I’ve always enjoyed what she has brought to the table – and here she does just that. There is some terrific moments within the film (especially when Paul and herself have been kidnapped, and plan to escape).
Oscar Issac plays Leto Atreides, who wants to do good for the planet of Arrakis. An unconventional type father of his stature, he loves and supports his son – even if Paul does not seem to have the same strong willed nature to him.
In Leto’s corner are Gurney (played by Josh Brolin) and Duncan (played by Jason Mamoa), who are mentors to Paul, and treat him like their own son. Stephen McKinley-Henderson plays Thufir – a political advisor to Leto.
Zendaya plays Chani, who appears constantly in Paul’s visions – and who he eventually meets in the climax of the film.
The Harkonnen’s are led by Baron Vladimir – played by Stellan Skarsgård, who is genuinely disturbing in the heavy prosthetics. His nephew is Glossu Rabban – and one of Vladimir’s strongest allies. If I had to nitpick, I found his performance a little wooden – and it was really only his physical performance that helps him. David Dastmalchian plays Piter, Vladimir’s political adviser.
Other cast include Chang Chen as one of Leto’s chief medical advisors (who turns on him… and Vladimir, Sharon Duncan-Brewster as the Judge of the Change, who assists the Atreides on the arrival at Arrakis, with Javier Bardem playing a Fremen called Stilgar, and Charlotte Rampling as a high powerful Bene Gesserit.
Breakdown
An expositional start, with narration by Zendeya – introduces us to the history of Arrakis – and how they have been held ‘prisoner’ by the villainous Harkonnens – who have been harvesting the spice that grows in the deserts of the planet. I think this was genuinely needed – as the mythology and history of the story is so grand, it does take a little while to get into the world if you’re not overly familiar with the source material.
It is the year 10191, and on the planet Caladan – the great leader Leto Atreides has forged a partnership between Arrakis and Atreides.
He wants to build an alliance with the people who reside in the deserts there called the Fremen. There is a genuinely good feeling about the Atreides family here, and the slow build of the family unit (his mother and father are unmarried, his mother a Bene Gesserit, and his father’s genuine affection for his son) built up in the opening portions of the film.
The arrival on Arrakis occurs fairly early into the film (at the 30m mark), and almost instantaneous it feels as if Paul should always have been there. He is aware of some of their ways (wearing of the still-suit), and the Fremen he encounters seem to ‘know’ him – chanting Lisan Al Gaib (messiah) at their first sighting of him.. This is clearly setting up for movies to come where is is likely “the one”. This is in part due to his own heritage, and potential birthright being part Bene Gesserit. I’m liking that they’re not giving everything away too soon, and you really feel invested. It’s also helpful due to Chalamet’s performance too.
A main plot point of the film is the finances of the planet Arrakis, and the harvesting of spice. If I could nitpick again, I would have liked to know more about what exactly spice was/does – other than it being what turns the Fremen’s eyes blue. There is a somewhat comical moment early in the film where Leto meets with the Fremen Stilgar – and Stilgar spits on Leto’s table (the gift of his body’s moisture).
There is an exciting sequence before the main focus of the film, where a Fremen Dr is showing the Atreides’ the vastness of the deserts and about spice harvesting. This ‘could’ be seen a slightly expositional again – but I still think it was needed. It leads into an exciting rescue mission, where Leto demands that those harvesting spice be rescued rather than abandoned from an impending worm attack. It just goes to show that he values life over money. It also lets the audience witness what exactly a worm is, and how terrifying it is!!!
The main portion of the film is the return of the Harkonnen’s to Arrakis, and the attack. It is brutal at times, and the absolute enormity of the loss of life and structure is beyond epic. There are double crosses (Dr Yueh’s double cross on Leto and why), Leto’s last stand against the Harkonnen’s (sad-face), the Jessica and Paul sequence after being taken, etc. There is also some heroic sacrifices, as well as some characters fates left unknown – likely to be answered in Part 2. We also learn of Jessica’s pregnancy here, which I’m assuming will play a big part in Part’s 2 and 3 as well?
The final arc in which Jessica and Paul search for the Fremen, and find sactuary with them, begins some future story points for future films – such as the Emperor (unseen in this film) taking sides with the Harkonnen’s, Vladimir surviving the near fatal ‘attack’, the partnership of the Arrakis and the Fremen, and Paul’s mission to fulfil his fathers wish; for peace between the two parties.
Overall
Wow, what a start to what I’m assuming will be a long running franchise (movie 3 is being released soon).
I loved the story, and the characters – what was seen here, and what we are to see in the next films!
Some amazing performances, especially from Chalamet and Ferguson – absolutely brilliant visuals, a breathtaking score (and deserving win for Hanz Zimmer – how does he only have 2 Oscars??). Can’t wait for movie 2 and 3!
5/5
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