This is my first full-on movie review, so this should give a clue on the impact Dune has had on me! (Check out wiki for the film’s blurb!) I mention* that I wasn’t very hyped up when the first movie came out. I barely paid attention to the film world because I had fallen in love with reading. However, the 2024 hype for Dune Part Two permeated that wall and I became excited to watch the two movies.
I’m not the biggest sci-fi book reader, if one at all, but I’ve loved sci-fi movies since I was a kid because they translate so well on the screen. A visual, creative feast.
After watching it (multiple times ah-hem), Dune has become a full-on obsession. And it also became the perfect distraction at a tricky time in my life. It has somewhat taken my mind away from being on submissions for long and the disappointments that come with this. I’ve been excited about the film analysis, cast interviews on YouTube, behind the scenes facts, and so on. The escape it’s giving me might be one of the reasons I love it even more. But before we get to the psychological impacts, let me review the movie itself!
Elements I Love
• The Tight-Knit Family Unit
When I first started watching the movie, I didn’t know what to expect—besides a hero’s journey and big battle scenes. It certainly wasn’t a tight-knit family unit in a science fiction movie. (No cliche orphan MC here, yay!)
The earlier scenes were used to both establish world building and character building. We spend time with Paul and his mother, Jessica, and see her both strictly teach him to use his abilities while also experiencing her motherly affection and protectiveness of her son. We spend some time with Paul and his father, Leto, and find out that Leto wants Paul to accept his Ducal heritage, while he also tells Paul that even though Paul ultimately decides he doesn’t want to be the Duke of their House (House Atreides), that he is proud Paul is his son anyway.
Like YES to loving sci-fi/fantasy dads!! They are so rare! (My youngest brother—who’s a big fantasy reader—and I made this exclamation when watching haha.)
I didn’t even notice it then, but from that first quarter I was emotionally invested. And I realize that this isn’t something I feel with a lot of sci-fi/fantasy movies. Most times, the directors are so focused on the explosions and battle sequences that they neglect emotional resonance. Emotions are handled soooo beautifully here, very well balanced with the action.
For over the first half of the movie, as House Atreides move to their new planet and navigate its treacherous sands, we continue to glimpse this closeness between the Atreides family. It won them my loyalty instantly. And even beyond the trio, we see their love for their soldiers and other members of their House. It’s like House Stark again. That one house in a large political world that feels down to earth and you fall in love with.
• Leto and Jessica
Man oh man did this two have the most beautiful chemistry!! Dune Part One isn’t a romance story in any way and I love it—sometimes, stories can work without a big romance arc at the helm of it. However, Leto and Jessica were already a couple (albeit in a slightly twisted manner) before the start of the film. And it was amazing seeing two busy and prominent characters share these tender moments together. Whether it’s just in holding hands where other people can’t see or exchanging glances of encouragement across full rooms. I adored all their conversations.
And I’ll say, I can read romance books about older characters and endure it until I get over the age (yup I’m looking for trouble haha!), but I’m not a fan of most older characters’ romance on television. Older characters in films like these tend to have a stiff air between them, like they’re now too old to pretend to be in love, even when playing a married couple. So the fact that these two’s relationship intrigues me this much says a lot about their effortless chemistry! It definitely helps that they are both hot.
I’ll go more into this in part two’s review, but: Leto and Jessica’s romance and on-screen chemistry trumps Paul and Chani’s hands down.
• Plot and Twists
Now with me already so attached to House Atreides and it’s members, I was the ideal viewer for this movie. Primed to feel every intended emotion and gasp at every twist. It helped that I’ve not read the book so I wasn’t expecting any of the curveballs.
I’ve seen a few people say the film was boring, obviously because they were expecting bombs and bullets from start to finish. I ABSOLUTELY loved that there wasn’t that much physical conflict. The film really is like Game of Thrones in this aspect, where a good deal of the focus is on wit and scheming—which is brilliant! There definitely were big explosions and giant sandworms devouring things, but not as often as the trailer might suggest.
I was already enjoying the gradual weaving of the plot, but when the Emperor and House Harkonnen’s scheme to eliminate House Atreides in the sand planet finally clicked together…
I think that’s still one of the reasons I’m mind blown. It’s one thing to say, this House will kill members of this other House out of jealousy in the beginning, and then make it go down in the most predictable way possible. It’s another when you watch both the planning and then the execution in real time, while thinking and hoping the plan will fail, and then watch a full-on obliteration of your favorite characters.
On one hand, I think there’s nothing new in stories about opposing Houses working to destroy each other. We’ve seen it in Game of Thrones (although this book was written before Game of Thrones fyi!). And yet the way it’s done in Dune—a film I watched after GOT—felt completely fresh and unique to me. I almost started crying during the destruction of House Atreides, but I played myself because this is a sci-fi/fantasy movie, not a romance or Marvel/D.C. films. I should’ve known people were gonna die. 🥲
• Strong Female Characters
While fantasy books are filled with strong female leads—so much so now that I kinda worry for male readers—it is still a budding development on television. So I still get really giddy every time I see films with female characters as strong and clever as the men.
Lady Jessica was AMAZING!! So badass and yet loving and loyal. Watching her and Paul go on to be a mother-son team up is something I’ve never seen in fantasy/sci-fi before. I was living for it. The Bene Gessirit were also fantastic as a whole—women controlling the government from behind the scenes. Yes please!
I also loved Kynes! Loved seeing a strong, black female character being sharp, and loyal, and prominent!
• Costumes And World Building
The costumes were astounding! I read that the director didn’t want to do the over-the-top type sci-fi costume where characters probably wear helmets and silver suits. (Because for whatever reason, when we think future, silver is the prevalent color 😆.) I loved how captivating these costumes were, while still having a subtlety to them. Even Lady Jessica’s outfits, which were on the bolder side, felt realistic.
The world building comes from the book and it’s all props to the author. It’s the type of world building that makes you wonder why you didn’t think of it. Haha. There is so much symbolism to “spice” and many parallels to the world today, even though the book was written in the 1900s. The Fremen’s blue eyes, because of exposure to spice, was also genius.
• Paul Atreides
I enjoyed Timothee’s performance. I haven’t watched the previous movies or read the books, so I can’t do a comparison. But I loved watching a young, vulnerable hero grow into his character, rather than be all confident and sure from the start. I loved that he was really just a boy at the beginning following instructions and deferring to his parents.
I wasn’t sure about the actor at first, I haven’t watched any of his movies before, and I assumed that a more physically “buff” actor would fit the infamous Paul Atreides better. But then as I watched, I learned what his character and arc was, and he felt perfect for the role! I would say he wasn’t my favorite character though; I was more intrigued by literally everyone else in House Atreides: Leto, Jessica, Duncan, and even Stilgar from the Fremen side.
Elements I Felt Iffy About
• The Setting
The visuals were great. I especially loved our time in Caladan and wished we could go back there! However, these days I’m more interested in character work than the Big Booms. My brothers were absolutely enthralled by the scale of battle and sandworms and gadgets, so these elements were definitely awesome. 5/5. But for me, they were still just a backdrop to what I was more interested in—the story and characters. This isn’t to say it wasn’t fantastic. It was. It just wasn’t always my area of focus!
• Chani
Chani had a smaller role in part one than in part two, but I will admit, while I like Zendaya (and have also loved hearing her speak in the cast interviews about the movie) I’m not too sure she was the best actress for the role. In part one, I couldn’t stop seeing Zendaya, when I should be seeing Chani. And while I understand that she’s meant to doubt who Paul is claimed to be, I felt she overdid it to the point where she just felt removed from the tight-knit feel of the cast. I felt like the rest of the cast were professionals who knew their jobs and fell smoothly into their roles, while Zendaya seemed like she was trying too hard to fit into the story, but it had the opposite effect.
That said, I do love hearing her insights on her character in the interviews, and I’m glad for her that she’s in the movie!
• The Ending
The ending felt anticlimactic. After all the big battles and explosions we’d seen in the middle of the film, to end with a one-on-one combat between Paul and Jamis felt like going from 100 to 10. I know it had significance—Paul’s first kill—but it still felt anticlimactic. When rewatching, I don’t bother to get to that scene!
All in all, this was a 5 star movie for me! As close to perfection as a film gets, in my opinion. I am also so happy that we have this type of franchise again. My review for Dune Part Two will be coming soon—I’ll be rewatching it with my brothers. (All photos are from Google!)
* I wrote some other posts based on Dune before I decided to write this movie review. So they’ll come later, and have some of my thoughts on watching the films too!
Lucia's Fiction 
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