Villeneuve preserves a challenging adaptation

First things first, there’s no way to faithfully recreate Frank Herbert’s 1965 literary space opera classic with all its subtleties, plot twists, and cosmic madness. This is not due to the novel’s overly intricate plot or excessive length (almost 600 pages with very few events), but rather to the fact that it lacks cinematic qualities.

There are long ellipses and significant character deaths that occur offscreen in the book. Something unimaginable happens on screen: the protagonists‘ thoughts are read continually. In addition to lengthy asides, the planet of Dune’s lore is detailed in the book’s appendices and supplementary publications. ‘Dune’ stays away from flashy spectacles even though movie has an enormous premise.

There are some shared elements with Asimov’s ‘Foundation,’ which is also undergoing a challenging adaptation: both books feature nebulous protagonists, ellipses that span decades, and a lack of action or confrontation in favor of intellectual and political struggles. However, that’s about it in terms of similarities. There is more action in Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” but the conversations, insinuations, and allusions to conflicts that occur offscreen are there the whole time.

In other words, conformity is not an option; conformity, adultery, is mandatory. The assignment is accomplished admirably by Denis Villeneuve, as he did with two other adaptations from abstract literary works (‘Enemy’ and ‘Arrival’) back in his day. Here Villeneuve cuts out sections that don’t contribute to the world building and puts more emphasis on sections that can pull off some spectacularism, like the hand-to-hand combat that Herbert manages to complete in a matter of pages. Crucial to the plot but under-emphasized by Herbert is the assault on the Atreides base on Arrakis, which forms the backbone of the picture.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Villeneuve’s Dune is, well, Dune. The outcome is spot on. Even with the inevitable gender and racial shifts that occur due to the decades that pass between the novel and the film, the characters remain intact and the plot flows smoothly. Despite Villeneuve’s clear departures from Herbert’s concise descriptions, every character and their actions are homages to the originals.

Villeneuve may have made his most groundbreaking contributions by bringing to life aspects of the book that the average viewer would find difficult to understand, but which Herbert’s readers would recognize immediately. An almost robotic facial motion, for instance, makes the Mentats’ rapid calculations crystal clear. The political underpinnings of the story’s prophecy and the eugenics-inspired interpretations of the Bene Gesserit’s actions are briefly touched upon, but they are certainly present.

If we had gotten a better and more extensive look into the Sardaukar, the Imperial Guard, would the world have been a better place? True, but we understand what’s going on after seeing a scene when the soldiers are blessed and a Sardaukar addresses the Mentat of Baron Harkonnen. Are we interested in seeing more terrifying scenes set at the Harkonnen palace? Certainly, but the noble family already delivers a fantastic performance of repulsiveness starring Dave Bautista and Stellan Skarsgård.

Maybe the real question now is whether Dune can stand on its own as a science fiction film, rather than merely being a solid adaptation. Maybe this is where the project falls a little bit short: the whole movie builds up to a third act, but it never comes. Despite all the warnings, the first act of Dune ends suddenly and doesn’t even partially wrap up the plot. (About half of the book is devoted to it, but that’s an issue we won’t face for a bit.)

During this time, Villeneuve figures out—and successfully implements—how the grandeur and splendor that existed in Herbert’s work, but only in passing. Villeneuve knows what has captivated countless saga readers for decades—the oppressive Bene Gesserit rituals and costumes, the enormous motherships, and the legions of troops from the various Houses—and he brings it to life on screen with intensity (sometimes too much: what a man without a tendency to humor) and a solemn and overwhelming feeling of grandeur.

Fans of the book series will have doubt fill in the blanks, so Villeneuve may have gone a little overboard with the action and character arcs. But who else in the crowd will be paying attention? Is a “to be continued” ending going to be acceptable to them? Because they get greater screen time in the novel, would they overlook characters who have little to no screen time in the film? Without a sure, this is a daring wager, but it has yielded impressive returns thus far.

Villeneuve preserves a challenging adaptation

By nr39r

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