By Denis Villeneuve Dune has rightfully earned the title of one of the best science fiction films of the past decade, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect adaptation of Frank Herbert’s original novel. Despite all the praise and awards, there are certain aspects of both films that don’t stand up perfectly to scrutiny. DuneThe story of Atreides follows a young boy named Paul Atreides, whose family is granted ownership of the spice planet Arrakis, from which the most valuable substance in the universe can be extracted. But when the planet’s former guardians take revenge, everything is thrown into chaos.
From Villeneuve Dune Overall, it’s an excellent film adaptation of the epic fantasy world Herbert created with his novel; it has immense scope, great performances, and deep world-building that makes it easy for audiences to get lost in this story. The visuals are stunning, the scenes are exciting, and the dialogue is just as great as Herbert wrote it. It’s not perfect, though. The films make some drastic changes, particularly regarding the ending of Dune, and certain aspects were not improved in Dune: Part Two.
6 Both movies have serious pacing problems
No movie is clear how it will end
The main criticism that arose when Dune was first released in 2021 was its “lack” of an ending. The decision to split Herbert’s novel into two films had not been widely discussed prior to the first film’s release, leaving audiences hugely disappointed when the first part closed right after Paul’s first interaction with the Fremen. This happens barely halfway through the book, and everything that comes before is essentially just world-building and exposition. This leaves Dune with the impression that it is simply a preparation for the second part rather than serving as a story of its own.
Alia’s role change in Dune 2 is already a problem for Messiah
The reveal of Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia in Dune: Part Two means that a potential Dune Messiah movie has a problem it needs to solve.
Dune presents the world of Herbert’s novel excellently, but the haphazard pacing prevents it from acquiring a clear identity in the same way that Part 2 The second film also has pacing issues, as Paul’s time among the Fremen often feels rushed and underdeveloped, but at least it has a core message and ideology that is missing from the first part. The focus on religious fundamentalism and prophecies doesn’t come into play until the second part, despite being fleshed out from start to finish in the original novel.
5 Neither film leans toward the silly side of Herbert’s novel.
And Alia Atreides’ character suffers as a result.
Both Dune The films have been marketed as more mature, adult sci-fi compared to the countless family-friendly blockbusters playing in theaters today. However, the original story was never as dark and gritty as the film. From the comically villainous Harkonnens to Alia Atreides’ adult-baby hybrid, there are so many details in the book that either don’t make it into the films or are simply watered down to make them more accessible to mainstream audiences. This was probably a smart move by Villeneuve and the studio, but it does take away some of the DuneThe greatness of
This creates two completely different styles, and while they both work separately, the raw, mature narrative is slightly inaccurate when adapting this book.
It is no secret that Star Wars It was strongly inspired by DuneBut George Lucas’s film wasn’t afraid to lean into those ridiculous aspects of the story – it includes the strange alien designs, epic-scale warfare, and over-the-top characters that Villeneuve tries to get away from. This creates two completely different styles, and while both work on their own, the raw, mature narrative is slightly inaccurate when adapting this book.
4 Dune 2 doesn’t give much context to the big houses
Apart from Atreides and Harkonnen, the houses are forgotten
Avoiding some of the background of the Great Houses in Dune It was understandable, because there is a lot more important action going on, but the intricacies of this political system are so important in the second half of the book that it makes no sense for Villeneuve’s films to ignore it entirely. There are glimpses of the Emperor and some hurried monologues from Paul about his ambitions to unify the houses, but Dune: Part 2 It provides no context as to who these houses are, why they are important, or how he plans to unify them in the future.
With Villeneuve Dune: Messiah Finally, the absence of the Great Houses in this series will be an even bigger problem. The film adaptation will have to stray quite far from Herbert’s third book to keep up with the changes that have already been made, but the details of Paul’s holy war and the Houses involved are crucial to understanding his character’s journey into the future. Hopefully, this information will be provided in Dune: Prophecy so that the audience becomes familiar with details that were omitted in the films.
3 Villeneuve films that change certain aspects of the plot
Chani and Alia are completely different characters in the film
Near
It’s almost inevitable, when adapting such a massive work, that certain details don’t make it into the final cut, but some of the omissions in Dune and its immediate aftermath are pretty surprising. The most obvious is the presence of Alia Atreides, who plays a major role in the novel but doesn’t appear in the films at all (except in a vision). This is a huge shift that fundamentally changes the final act of Dune: Part 2 – for better or worse. That is, it completely changes Paul’s reasons for going south and drinking the Water of Life.
Alia Atreides’ absence also means that Baron Harkonnen’s death has to be changed from the books, as he was originally killed by her. In Villeneuve’s film, it is Paul himself who kills the Baron, making his transition to villain even more obvious. Other changes from the books Dune 2 includes Chani disapproval of Paul’s quest, pressure from Lady Jessica for Paul to travel south, and the reduction of Fremen numbers before the final act.
Changing aspects of the story isn’t a bad thing in itself: books aren’t movies, and some of the details Herbert wrote into his novel simply wouldn’t have worked in the film. This quickly became apparent with David Lynch’s film. Dunewhich took a much more faithful narrative approach to the book and was ultimately criticized for being overly ambitious and overblown. Villeneuve wanted to avoid this, so he took certain creative liberties to make his film easier to understand and interact with.
2 Neither film fully describes Dune: Messiah
It’s unclear where the third film is headed from here.
Although it was not officially announced that Dune: Messiah would be done until after the launch of Dune 2It seems that none of the films lead smoothly into the third story in Herbert’s series. The conclusion of Dune 2 sees Paul sending his Fremen troops to begin the Holy War that takes place between this film and the next, but does not dwell on the political consequences that will become important in Dune: MessiahChani’s decision to leave Paul at the end of Dune 2 He also fundamentally rewrites his story in the third book.
While Dune 2Villeneuve’s changes to Chani are mostly working for the better, but it’s hard to see how Villeneuve will ever put them back together. Dune: Messiah. And without them, the story would be completely different. A large portion of the book focuses on Paul’s attempts to produce an heir, balancing his relationships with Chani and Irulan while being forced once again to choose between love and duty. Without Chani in the plot, or with their relationship damaged beyond repair, it’s unclear how this will play out in Dune: Messiah.
1 The movies downplay the strength of the Fremen
Its full power is not shown until the end.
In DuneThe Fremen are not seen in full force at all. Paul encounters a small group led by Stilgar at the end of the film, but easily defeats their champion in combat soon after; as a result, the audience is not given much reason to believe in the power of the desert people. This becomes a rather major problem in Dune 2Especially after seeing the sheer military strength of the Harkonnen army and the Sardaukar, it’s hard to imagine how Paul and the Fremen will ever reach Arakeen, let alone defeat the Baron and the Emperor.
The full strength of the Fremen army is not revealed until moments before the battle, and even then, their combat abilities are not shown until they are needed.
When Paul and his army take Arakeen in the final act, it all seems too easy. The full strength of the Fremen army isn’t revealed until moments before the battle, and even then, their combat skills aren’t shown until they’re needed. As a result, the Fremen feel overpowered without any explanation. In the book, Herbert describes their military training, the way they’ve adapted to their environment, and the countless raids they’ve fought off against the Harkonnen soldiers. All of this serves to explain why they’re so powerful, and heightens the tension of the final battle.
Both Dune and Dune 2 Herbert’s novel focuses more on Chani and why she doesn’t want Paul to lead her to the Fremen, while Herbert’s novel offers more detail about the people and their culture. Both approaches work to a point, as Villeneuve’s creates a more concise story with clearer character dynamics, but Herbert’s novel has, without a doubt, better world-building and cultural context. Without that, it’s hard to fully understand why Paul takes advantage of the Fremen in the first place, which is the crux of his character arc.
Dune: Part Two 
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Science FictionSuspenseDramaAdventure
Dune: Part Two is the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film that retells the events of Frank Herbert’s novel. The film continues Paul Atreides’ quest on a journey of vengeance against those who murdered his family. With a vision of the future, Atreides may be forced to choose between his one true love and the fate of the universe.
Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date March 1, 2024 Studio(s) Legendary Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Screenwriters Denis Villeneuve , Jon Spaihts , Frank Herbert Cast Timothée Chalamet , Zendaya , Florence Pugh , Austin Butler , Rebecca Ferguson Running Time 166 minutes Budget $122 million Expand