If you know me and have had a conversation with me that has lasted more than five minutes, I more than likely brought up the “Dune” movies in some way. These movies, specifically the second one, hold a special place in not just my heart, but my Letterboxd account as well.
If you are not familiar with this franchise, at its core, it is the story of a boy, Paul Atredies, whose family is tasked to rule over a desert world named Arrakis. While there, they are sabotaged and destroyed by the very people who put them in power. Paul survives and joins forces with the native people, named the Fremen, on Arrakis and rises up to take back what he believes is rightfully his. Along the way, he also discovers that he is believed to be the messianic savior that these people have prayed for.
In these films, we follow Paul as he is “the new kid on the block” among the Fremen, searching within himself for something that he knows he must become, what he was made to become, in order to survive in such a hostile world.
Paul is played by Timothée Chalamet, and if you don’t know who he is, I really can’t help you there. Being the Chalamet fan that I am, I found much draw to these films when I learned that he was to be the lead role.
Chalamet, to me, as well as many others of my generation, provides that “movie star” flavor that films as of late have been missing. He has the power and ability to carry a movie like no one else can nowadays. He is the only actor of the new generation that I can truly say will make me want to watch something solely because he is in it. I am not one for comparison all that much, but when you think of actors and actresses who have that ability to pull in a crowd just because their name is attached to it, your mind goes to some of the all-time greats.
My parents’ generation had DeNiro and Pacino. We have Chalamet.
In an interview with the great Matthew McConaughey, Timmy expounded upon how he realizes he still has a lot to learn.
“I want to attack and to lead my life with vigor,” said Chalamet. “But I’m in the watching stage at the moment. Younger actors feel pressure to bring a pop to every scene, as the roles get bigger, I’m finding you can add layers and do less scene-to-scene.”
That acknowledgment and work ethic make Chalamet as renowned as he is, even though he is only 30.
With Chalamet being in the “Dune” films, that was the initial appeal for me.
Because I never read the books, my first exposure to this world was when I heard of the first film. I did not think much of it, as it did not seem that interesting to me. When the second one finally dropped, I decided I was going to watch the first film, and then I went to the theaters to watch the second.
That may have been one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I enjoyed the first one, don’t get me wrong, but the second one is generationally great.
The thing that made this film so great was not just the acting or the music or the directing. It was a culmination of everything that went into this film, whether large or small. Every piece was perfectly aligned and set in place to make it what it became, not just to me, but to many others as well.
I feel that Dune was as great as it was because it allowed the viewers to feel something.
Today’s world is all about the “Age of Average.” Most people will go to school from the time they are 5 to either 18 or 22 (depending on college), then find a job, work for 40 years, and retire. Society has become a rinse and repeat cycle of consistency that has made life feel boring and predictable at times.
“Dune” allows an escape from that.
These films allow those who might not have the courage or the desire to go against the grain to feel something for themselves. It allows them to be able to dream and sympathize with a character, Paul, who is literally doing just that, “pointing his own way”.
“Dune” allows people to feel.
In movies, we all try to look for that one specific point, that apex of emotion, where you are on the edge of your seat or simply just nodding with approval.
The “Dune” movies are RIDDLED with those moments.
One scene (my favorite scene from either movie) sticks out to me in particular when I am thinking about these moments.
In the second movie, there is a scene where Paul truly establishes himself as the one that the Fremen have prayed for. The true “Lisan-Al-Gaib”. To put it more shortly, this is Paul’s “I’m him” moment.
“I’m pointing the way,” shouts Paul to the large crowd. “There is no one in this room who can stand against me! Your mothers warned you of my coming!”
“Fear the moment.”
These lines radiate power and strength, as Paul knows who he is and who he has to become. It is just a matter of everyone else realizing it, too.
In a life full of consistent complacency and predictability, Paul Atreides and the “Dune” movies can bring excitement into the lives of anyone who watches them. These moments of triumph, of despair or of excitement will stick with you.
It shakes the foundations of your everyday lives in ways that can become addicting, that you begin to crave.
Only then do people truly feel the excitement that has been missing from their lives. All it took was a white boy riding a giant worm in the middle of the desert…