By Isabelle King (Y12)
Dune is a fantasy novel and movie adaptation that follows the main character, Paul, through his journey from his home planet, Caladan, to the desert lands of Arrakis. Where he meets the Fremen and comes to terms with his false prophecy of being their messiah, as well as the tactical political invasion of his father’s land by the Harkonnens.
Dune is many people’s favorite movie for its frankly insane cinematography and awe-inspiring scenes of fights and fantastical elements that make it an overall magical experience to watch. This experience was the very thing that prompted me to read the book because I could not understand the plot to the level that I wanted to, so I naturally turned towards the original version. And boy, if you thought that the movie was confusing, you’d be in for a ride with the book, as it brings the confusion to a new extreme. Even after reading it twice and having a better grasp of the political motives and the inherently mystifying matter of Paul’s ability to see all possible futures, I still struggled to explain to my friend exactly what was happening while we watched the movie. It’s just that it deals with such an entirely different universe and way of functioning, without much introduction to immerse the reader comfortably. Personally, I enjoy books that challenge your brain to understand deeper motives and have critical thinking processes; however, this was simply not an enjoyable read for me, especially considering that I usually go to fantasy to escape reality and have a relatively easy reading experience.
I do, however, still realize the book’s perks over the movie, such as how it gives a much clearer idea of Paul’s prescient ability to bridge space and time. Which was very satisfying as an enjoyer of the movie to have further insight into the nature of his ability and to have a clearer idea of his strengths and weaknesses. On this train of thought, just like any movie adaptation, the movie has to exclude a lot of the dialogue, cut out less significant scenes, and limit character development for time reasons. Therefore, reading the book can be truly worth it to be able to find a more complete understanding of your favorite character’s motivations and inner thoughts. Moreover, the book does an excellent job at highlighting the political aspects of this world, giving it in-depth and semi-realistic governing systems that have clear goals and thought-out plans, which is something that I really enjoy seeing in books.
The thing that really makes the movie a must-watch is the visual interpretation of all the fantastical elements, such as the worm, which is a staple of the Fremen lifestyle. Furthermore, the book sometimes felt like it lacked emotion, while the movie brought that emotion to life with the actor’s portrayal of the characters, creating a story where the watcher can learn to care for the characters. So, as someone who has an immense love for visual representations of things, I definitely enjoyed the movie far more than the book. And I would say that reading the book is not a necessity, but could be helpful towards further understanding of the plot and adjacent matters. Which is highly unusual because I think that we can all agree that the book is, in most cases, better than the movie adaptation.
Work Cited: http://www.goodfon.com/films/wallpaper-diuna-dune-poster-2021-timoti-shalame-timothee-chalamet-paul.html