A first look at the forthcoming Dune sequel pulls us back into the strange sandpit. But how much farther into Frank Herbert’s psychedelic universe is Denis Villeneuve likely to venture?
• Spoiler alert: this article includes plot details from several of Herbert’s Dune novels, including the ending of the first
It has often been noted that George Lucas’s 1977 film Star Wars was greatly influenced by Frank Herbert’s Dune. The desert-covered central planet; the blending of religion and magic to the point where they are virtually indistinguishable; the depiction of a galaxy where democracy has failed and gilded nobles battle for control of solar systems: all are present in both works of sci-fi-fantasy. And yet Dune is not Star Wars, even if Part Two, the first trailer for which dropped this week, will without doubt provide audiences with the burgeoning saga’s most Star Wars-like moment so far.
In 2021, the first part of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation managed the remarkable feat of keeping us interested despite focusing almost entirely on the horrifying fall of House Atreides at the hands of the putrid and relentless Harkonnens, and leaving any sense of hope and future glory seemingly buried deep beneath the sand dunes. In the book, there is always a sense that the Atreides’ forebears as rulers of Arrakis are going to get their comeuppance, because scion Paul is clearly going to end up as the Bene Gesserit’s predicted messiah and probably take over the known universe. In the film there are fewer hints but it matters less, because the sci-fi eye candy on display is like nothing we’d seen before on the big screen.
