Dune: Part 2 - The Prophecy Fulfilled

 

Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya). These two characters are the protagonists of Director Denis Villeneuve's sequel.

The Kwisatz Haderach Rises

"You shall die. You may see... the Beauty and the Horror!" - The Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) to her son Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as she wills him to become the Kwisatz Haderach foretold by the Bene Gesserit Prophecy

Dune: Part 2 is another truly great film from Canadian Director Denis Villeneuve. In it, he tells the second half of the story begun in 2021's Dune. As adapted from Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction classic, this is the story of Paul Atreides's ascendancy to become a Messiah figure and Emperor of the known universe.

Part 2 opens exactly where the first film ended, with Paul and his mother the Lady Jessica traveling to Sietch Tabr, a Fremen stronghold, with Stilgar (Javier Bardem), the tribe's leader and his people. Paul and his mother are the last survivors of House Atreides, the rest of whom were killed during an ambush under cover of dark by their Harkonnen rivals. 

 

Villeneuve jumps right into the action, since all of the exposition was done in the first film. So it helps to have done your homework by reading the book and seeing the 2021 movie beforehand. Right off the bat we see some truly awesome visuals. Particularly cool is seeing the insect-like Harkonnen troops using anti-gravity boots to float up the face of a rock wall so they can avoid a Sandworm attack.

 

The opening fight scene immerses us in the struggle for control of Arrakis, the only planet in the universe that produces Spice - a substance that extends life, and one that facilitates travel between planets. The struggle is between the native Fremen, who come to embrace Paul as their leader, and the Harkonnens, led by the grotesquely corpulent Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and his nephews Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista) and the psychotic Feyd Rautha (Austin Butler). Where the good guys are sand coloured and dirt covered, the bad guys are black and resemble giant bugs. Villeneuve seems to have taken a cue from the Star Wars movies here.

 

Na-Baron Feyd Rautha embraces his uncle the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen after being named
Planetary Governor of Arrakis.

 

 

The bad guys are truly sinister here. Austin Butler's Feyd Rautha is introduced to us on the polluted Harkonnen homeworld of Giedi Prime. He is first seen preparing for a gladiator match set in a triangle-shaped arena that was shot entirely in black and white. The exploding fireworks from above look like so much ink temporarily staining an otherwise colourless sky. Butler does a damn good job at stepping into the leading villain's shoes. He achieves a neat trick by doing an uncanny impersonation of Skarsgård's accent. As the Baron's heir apparent, he is a genuinely scary villain.

Speaking of standout performances, for me the film's best character by far is the Fremen leader Stilgar. He is a true believer in the Bene Gesserit spread Prophecy of the coming of the Lisan al Gaib (Voice from the Outer World) who will lead the Fremen to a 'Green Paradise.' Set against the skeptical and non-believing Fremen, Stilgar does a wonderful job of providing comic relief in an otherwise serious film.

One bit of casting that had me wondering was Christopher Walken as the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV. At one point, speaking to Baron Harkonnen, he says: "More! I need more!" To me it seems like a deliberate reference to Walken's famous SNL Cowbell sketch. Another bit of welcome humour. 

 

All of the action and decisions our hero makes lead up to the climactic final duel between Paul Atreides and Feyd Rautha, after which Paul assumes the title of Emperor and launches his Holy War across the stars. This sets the stage for a possible third film - Dune: Part 3, which would cover the material from the second of Frank Herbert's Dune novels, Dune Messiah.

Dune - A Hero's Journey

 

Denis Villeneuve's Dune is a solidly acted and well-paced adaptation of the 1965 Novel by Frank Herbert

 

Dune Tells the Story of a Hero's Journey - the Man Who Might be the Chosen One

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my Fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its' path. Where the Fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." - Frank Herbert, Dune, 1965

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Canadian Director Denis Villeneuve's Dune is actually the second time that Frank Herbert's 1965 epic Science Fiction Novel has made it to the Silver Screen. The first time was in 1984 with David Lynch sitting in the Director's chair. There was also an aborted attempt in the 1970s' by French-Chilean Director Alejandro Jodorowsky which produced a script, "the size of a phone book," in Herbert's words.

A bit of background about the Novel before I dive into a review of the movie. Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, Heir to the House Atreides. Paul's family is given control of the planet Dune, or Arrakis, by the Emperor of the Known Universe. The planet is of key strategic importance because it is where Spice is mined, a precious substance that facilitates Interstellar travel, and heightens the intellectual abilities of its' users, among many other uses.

Except this 'gift' of Arrakis is actually meant to lure the Atreides into a trap devised by their rivals, the villainous House Harkonnen. The Emperor is setting the Atreides up for a fall in order to maintain his own influence and power.

So rich in information is Herbert's book that it became used as a teaching aid in Universities for Architecture, Economics, and Political Science courses, among others. Herbert, no intellectual slouch, worked in his lifetime as an Investigative Reporter, Speechwriter and Researcher for a United States Senator, as well as a Ghostwriter before he went on to become an Author in his own right. He was also an Environmentalist who was decades ahead of his time in the measures he advocated.

Denis Villeneuve's Dune does several things right at once, which makes it a very good movie, though not without flaws. His choice of cast, selection of settings, and the amount of attention to detail in every frame make this a cut above most movie-going fare out there today. There is a lot of mood and atmosphere here, with the colours being an earthy palette of greens and browns on Arrakis, contrasting with shades of black and oily brown when the Harkonnens appear onscreen.

It is Dune's pacing, also evident in Blade Runner 2049, which makes this film stand out. The measured pace allows for details both large and small from the Novel to make it to the Silver Screen. Timothée Chalamet is an inspired choice to play Paul Atreides. Especially when we get to see him shirtless. He's a sexy and smart Hero for our time.

However, this is only Part One of the story. If Villeneuve's adaptation has a weakness, it appears in the last third of the film. This part felt to me like it was dragging on before reaching an ending. That said, I certainly hope Dune gets the Box Office revenue it needs in order for Part Two to be made. This is a solidly told story. 

I want to see how it ends.

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Sky Gilbert's New Novel 'I, Gloria Grahame' and The Little Show at Chez BonBon

This past weekend on Sunday, October 24th, I was fortunate to attend the book launch for Canadian Theatre legend Sky Gilbert's novel I, Gloria Grahame. The Novel tells the story of shy, effeminate Professor Denton Moulton. In his head Moulton is really the long dead Movie Star Gloria Grahame. I am looking forward to reading my copy, as I'm sure it's filled with Sky's sharp observational humour. 

Also on the 24th was a performance of The Little Show, a Theatre Show featuring Keith Cole, Shaun McComb and Veronica Hurnik, with Stewart Borden on Piano. The show was very funny - particularly a sketch dealing with buying stuff off of Amazon to ease the emotional pain of a breakup. The piece went from Sad to Funny and back again. Everyone involved in the production did fantastic work.

For me, it was the first time I have attended a Book Launch and Theatre Show since the Covid-19 Pandemic began. Both events were well worth it. Judging from The Little Show, Sky Gilbert has some keen insights about the slightly absurd effects this Pandemic is having on modern society.