Dune Part Two: The Second Awakening

Star Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Dave Bautista, and Florence Pugh 
Edited by Joe Walker 
Cinematography by Greig Fraser
Music Composed by Hans Zimmer 
Directed by Denis Villeneuve 

Statutory Warning: This review contains GIGANTIC SPOILERS for the film and the book. Please watch or read them before proceeding.

Let’s climb into our imaginative Time Travel Capsules and land beside our ancestors – The Cave Men. They would attack us without any second thought as we would be perceived as a threat. If we found a way to prevail, we would be asked to learn hunting with them, their ways of living and if we manage even that, we would be looked upon as the “God-send” creatures or “Messaiahs” or “Saviours” who have come to change their lives for good or worse; that is debatable. Now, let’s not go back into the past as there are chances of people killing us at first instinct and involves us adapting to tougher ways of living which our bodies can’t handle – scientifically and metaphorically. Let’s travel to the future – a time where a dystopian world and draconian system are expected to prevail. If we cannot change the past we could be able to change our future. As the present doesn’t seem to change soon, maybe telling those future generations about harmful effects or changing something in that ecosystem might bring some formidable change. With that hope, imagine we have arrived in such a place. So, do the people look at us as an ancestor or will they again ask us to prove ourselves even though they’re supposed to be scientifically and mentally advanced from us? Do we still need to adapt? Still need to prove our “worthiness”? Won’t we be captured or somehow restricted from entering by then advanced AI? Ok, this all seems like a story that I can develop or is this all what Dune is all about? Well, Dune is all about past and future coming together and existing at the same time in a Present.

Follow me into this thought bubble:

Past: In the past, humans lived much like other animals or mammals, respecting the natural world. If you were born in a place with green pastures, life was abundant. You could eat, sleep, and develop hunting techniques suited to that environment. Conversely, if you were born in a desert, survival meant adapting to harsh conditions, procuring water, and making do with whatever meager sustenance you could find.

Future: Fast-forward to the future. Humanity has changed. We’re no longer just “humans.” Survivors and rulers coexist, but the concept of humanity has shifted. Survivors want to move to the places that rulers hold and rulers want to subdue this rebellion, and abomination and bring back “Order”. When we imagine things like this – wait a minute – do we have to imagine all this? Won’t we know already that this is Truth? Our collective history is etched in sediment layers, revealing where we’ve been and where we’re headed. Perhaps imagination isn’t necessary; reality speaks for itself.

Now, let’s return to the matter at hand: Dune. This novel exists in the Present that tries to talk about Human Nature and the Primal Instinct to Survive.

The Story’s Origins and Themes: The story of Dune draws from a rich tapestry of mythological influences. While it doesn’t have an Islamic origin, it weaves together elements from Kurdish and Afghan myths. At its core, Dune reflects the beliefs found in Abrahamic religions. These beliefs center around the anticipation of a Messiah, a guiding figure who will lead humanity toward a better future. Simultaneously, the novel paints a darkly realistic picture of our trajectory, where money becomes the epicenter of power.

Middle-Class Divide and Democracy: Consider the present: the middle class, once a bastion of stability, now faces increasing division between the rich and the poor. The allure of a “noble world of democracy” wanes as economic disparities widen.

Mythological Echoes: In Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu takes nine avatars, with another expected in a dystopian future. Similarly, in Islamic and Christian mythologies, God communicates through intermediaries, ushering in new Messiahs. These divine messages are disseminated as “Prophecies,” and believers and skeptics alike engage in debates and questioning.

Greed and Hope: Within our own dangerous habits lie the roots of our struggles. Greed, that insatiable hunger for control, dances alongside Hope, the fragile beacon of resolution. Those who grasp power – often driven by inner greed – extend their dominion across generations, perpetuating ‘unholy’ rule. Yet, hope, like a deceptive mirage, can veil the stark truths before us, steering us down treacherous paths. And so, greed persists, an unwavering specter, regardless of whose hands clasp the reins of authority.

Human Nature in Dune: Enter Dune, where characters like Stilgar and Harkonnen grapple with these very themes. As humans, we remain perpetually unsatisfied unless our greed is tempered by a realistic outlook and resolute hope—not just for others, but within ourselves.

In this intricate dance of belief, power, and survival, Dune mirrors our own complex existence.

The Harkonnens aspire to rule, and for them, the way to achieve it is by spreading “fear”. They don’t like peace treaties and don’t believe in sharing power. On the other hand, Stilgar is from those Fremen tribes that have been subjected to so much natural and economic harshness that they succumb to religion. The religion has been spread to manifest this fear that will help rulers to never be questioned about their ways. The Bene Gesserit has been created to spread this religion all over so much so that rulers will also believe in them and only them. If you remember my earlier words about spreading the “Word of God”, well, that is how the Bene Gesserit looks to remain in power like religious gurus. If you delve into history, which I don’t want to turn this into a historical lesson, you would see how each emperor, ruler, and king has been guided by their religious beliefs with these “Guru” figures as their guiding force.

Consider the intriguing parallels with historical figures: Akbar is believed to have created his own religion to be the most powerful as Mullahs or religious gurus were becoming too much to handle, or because he had a “second awakening” with him reading every possible mythological literature. There are two ways to look at his “Fatehpur Sikri”. But when it comes to Aurangzeb and Shivaji Maharaj, we know what drove them both. Bene Gesserit-like people are present in both of their stories. We can say that Lady Jessica is Shivaji’s mother who wanted him to establish a Hindu Rajya against Aurangzeb while the Mughal Emperor was guided by his guardians’ and religious teachers’ beliefs.

In a fictional Indian adaptation of Dune, envision a scenario where “Shaddam IV”, the emperor, mirrors Aurangzeb, and Paul assumes the role of Shivaji. However, I sincerely hope no one takes this idea from me – I value my copyrights.

Well, I tried to provide a context to understand how the characters in Dune are driven by religion and how our ‘Present’ could lead to that ‘Future,’ which will again lead us to the ‘Past.’ In Hindu mythology, there is a belief that time is a circle and that the ‘Kal Chakra’ will force everything to repeat itself. Hence, Vishnu takes the Ram Avatar in one version of 10,000 versions of Treta Yuga and Krishna Avatar in one version of 10,000 versions of Dwapara Yuga. He will become Kalki to end Kali and Kali Yuga only once, to bring back real balance and make Satya Yuga the only prevailing time. That is, he will end Kali’s existence itself to prevent any chance of Treta, Dwapara, and Kali Yugas from existing. Treta is possible because 1/3rd of Kali enters into the established universe, 2/3rd makes it Dwapara, and full influence makes it Kali Yuga. I don’t know if Frank Herbert, the original writer of Dune, ever read Hindu mythology in this way, but we can equate his Dune to this cyclic nature of time. He states how past mistakes of rulers made Arrakis an uninhabitable place and how the two sects of Fremen tribes have differences in religious beliefs. Lady Jessica, being a Harkonnen, used her Bene Gesserit powers to spread the ‘God’s Words,’ making her son, Paul, a Messiah who will change Arrakis forever.

Denis Villeneuve, in his adaptation of Dune, accurately captures the central theme and perfectly identifies the characters and their motivations. He refrains from portraying Paul as an absolute hero or Lady Jessica as a cunning villain, instead highlighting how power can corrupt and hope can blind us. However, he falls short in doing justice to the characters of Paul and Chani. While the film focuses on the broader picture that Dune presents, it fails to adequately depict Paul’s journey and Chani’s integral role in it. The book allows readers ample time to journey with Paul and understand his decisions, but the film does not effectively establish his transformation. The crucial aspect of spice production is not clearly stated in the first part of the film either. While the visuals are impressive, the writing needed to complement them in establishing this galactic empire falls short. Arrakis is just one world in this vast empire spread across the galaxy, a fact that becomes clear after reading the book but not from watching the film. Leto, portrayed as the ideal ruler or king, is better understood through the book than the film.

Villeneuve has a unique way of elaborately presenting everything, yet rushing certain parts, leaving us feeling as though we’ve sat through a long keynote speech filled with great anecdotes, visuals, and a musical score that elevates the facts, but it remains just a speech and not a grand presentation of mind-bending ideas. The technical team has outdone themselves and the ensemble’s performances are brilliant. The infra-red action sequence, the use of background score, and the editing patterns in the first hour all work well. However, the climax feels rushed and seems to do a disservice to its own ambition of achieving technical brilliance.

While climbing a sand dune in the desert is difficult, and when you successfully reach the top only to slip due to your own mistakes, you may need a “second awakening” to truly accomplish what you’ve set out to do. Dune Part Two feels like that movie where revisiting certain choices might have elevated it to the masterpiece it aspires and deserves to be, while it currently remains at a good experience level.

Theatrical Trailer: