Dune Part I Movie vs Book Analysis

Michael Villanueva · Post by **Michael Villanueva** » 07 Jun 2022, 11:56

Watching Denis Villaneuve's Dune adaption prompted me to re-read the book, and what I found is that much of my enjoyment of the movie was in seeing the novel on the big screen. After re-reading the source material and re-watching the movie I found that movie had a style over substance problem.

The movie had some beautiful scenes and great cinematography. How the movie was shot was a work of art. I also enjoyed the actor's performances, and the dialogue and character interactions were all great. My issue is that the movie had a run time of over 2 1/2 hours, but with all that time, I began to wonder why so much of Frank Herbert's world building was left out?

The emperor and his royal house fail to make any appearance, the build navigators are depicted briefly in the beginning (it happened so quick that I only caught it during my second viewing), but are never discussed as a meaningful faction with their own motives, the CHOAM company are not mentioned, the Landsraad with the other noble houses aren't mentioned, and the internal politics of dune with the minor houses are not mentioned. An example of the internal Dune politics from the novel is best captured during the dinner scene where Leto invites many of the local nobles and merchants over for a meal. The scene became a nerve racking game of cat and mouse game between Harkonnen agents who infiltrated the dinner that are cleverly exposed through dialogue. There is no 'action' in the scene, but the scene is important because it shows that the struggle over Dune goes beyond brute force, it involves subterfuge and depicts spheres of influence in an escalating power struggle.

All these factions, their motives, and interplay produced a rich world that the reader wanted to explore. The rivalry between the Atreides and Harkonnens is the A plot, but without the supporting cast the story loses much of its depth.

I believe that Denis had the screen time to bring many of these factions to life. The landsraad and CHOAM are not directly depicted in the novel, but they are discussed and accounted for by the characters when decisions are being made. Scenes from the movie when characters are talking could have easily dropped lines about these other factions that play a role in the Dune universe.

The only reason why this did not happen was that the story was deliberately streamlined to appeal to mass audiences. Atreides are good, Harkonnen's bad, and there is little to nothing else for audiences to consider. Imagine if the show Game of Thrones only depicted the Starks and Lannisters. That may have been the A plot from the book, but a big draw of the show before the later seasons was all the politicking and backstabbing between the many sub-factions as depicted in the novel.

I enjoyed the the Dune movie, but as a fan of the novels, I believe that the movie sacrificed too much story for long scenes of beautifully shot vistas, often with characters silently starring out into the distance.

Post by **Leasa Ana Maria** » 08 Jun 2022, 05:11

I didn't read the books, and I only saw the movie. But I also agree with the fact that in most cases such as this one, when a movie is made, many things and details are left out, sacrificed. Therefore, I keep asking myself what I lost from the story of Dune by only watching the movie.

Michael Villanueva · Post by **Michael Villanueva** » 08 Jun 2022, 09:34

Dune is definitely worth the read. For years I had only read the first book, and I am just now getting through through the series. Dune is a solid stand alone that can be read without feeling like there's a cliff hanger. The later books are written with the series in mind, but if you are interested in reading the first book, don't feel like you have to commit to reading the whole series.

Brandon Sanderson · Post by **Marie Chalupová** » 02 Oct 2022, 12:26

I read the book first time shortly before the movie and was slightly disappointed as it didn't quite match the hype. My biggest problem probably was connecting to the characters, I felt they were quite emotionally cold. So, what movie did for me was that it helped me to connect to these characters and seeing the world sparked even more interest in me to re-read Dune and continues with the series. So, for me the movie was sort of a companion to the books.

I did notice lot of small things that were put for people that read the books. So yeah, the movie is either for wide audience that don't care for the intricacies of the book or for the people that already know the story and therefore can enjoy the spectacle rather than hear more exposition.

Despite its shortcomings I still think it’s one of the best adaptations I ever saw. I just wish the 5-hour version was released with all the cut scenes, then it might have been perfect.

David Milaham · Post by **David Milaham** » 11 Jan 2024, 16:20

My opinion is that I think I'm fine with everything. It's hard for me to decide what's best with things like this sometimes, and I guess I might pick they movie

David Milaham · Post by **David Milaham** » 01 Sep 2024, 13:39

I'm okay with both. It's hard for me to decide what's best with things like this sometimes, but I think I'll say I like the books better.

Blueberry Dragon · Post by **Blueberry Dragon** » 27 Sep 2024, 23:26

Michael Villanueva wrote: ↑08 Jun 2022, 09:34 Dune is definitely worth the read. For years I had only read the first book, and I am just now getting through through the series. Dune is a solid stand alone that can be read without feeling like there's a cliff hanger. The later books are written with the series in mind, but if you are interested in reading the first book, don't feel like you have to commit to reading the whole series.

Thank you for the recommendation, @Michael Villanueva. I will try and get a copy of this. Do you think it might be a better idea to watch the movies first to avoid the disappointment?