Science fiction has had a long history, but there is one story that has defined the genre. Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi epic, Dune, was unlike anything else of its kind and would go on to influence all sci-fi that came after. The dense tome was full of philosophical quandaries, built in a world of immense mythology. While sci-fi boomed with Dune-adjacent stories like Star Wars, the foundational book failed to get the adaptation it deserved.
After David Lynch’s solid but admittedly flawed attempt, Denis Villeneuve reached incredible heights and greeted the greatest franchise in sci-fi history. In 2021, the filmmaker had built enough of a sci-fi foundation to attempt a real Dune adaptation, and surprisingly, he created a near-perfect franchise that has incredible rewatch value on HBO Max. It would be one thing if the first entry into the world of Arrakis and the Kwisatz Haderach was a fluke, but somehow, Villeneuve continues to top himself as Dune rushes to its inevitable but highly anticipated conclusion.
In 2021, Timothée Chalamet was on the rise. His roles in Call Me By Your Name and Little Women made him an actor worthy of conversation. Even so, it is a huge leap to take on one of the most famous protagonists of sci-fi, Paul “Muad-Dib” Atreides. The archetype that influenced all the hero’s journeys in sci-fi down the road, Paul was epic while also highly misunderstood. Chalamet would miraculously be the Paul that sci-fi fans had been waiting for in his portrayal of the vulnerable yet doomed leader of Arrakis.
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You're a systems thinker who can't help but notice the seams in things.
The wasteland doesn't reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That's you.
You'd survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn't have it any other way.
Dune: Part One charts Paul’s rise as a Duke’s son on the temperate planet of Caladan to the known ruler of the universe. This is quite a journey that was proven to be impossible to tell in one movie. Denis Villeneuve rose to the challenge and split Frank Herbert’s first book into two parts. This was the right decision, as viewers would come to realize. Not only was the book too dense with lore and action to be told in one full-length feature film, but it also deserved more.
More it indeed received because Villeneuve used the time to tell an authentic story that honored the source material while also expanding on the book. Dune Part Two was even better than its predecessor, almost because of the radical change the director made. Instead of shoving Paul’s concubine, Chani (Zendaya), into the background, he arguably made her the main character. Chani is a conflicted character who wars with her feelings for Paul and her duty to her people. This is a far cry from the complacent character in the book.
Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), also changes with the times, becoming more of a devil on her son’s shoulder. She fans the flames of fanaticism, pushing him closer to damnation and taking control of the Imperium. All of this comes together in a two-part series that is near-flawless.
As much as fans would love for Dune to continue forever – and finally see that God Emperor sandworm – everything must eventually come to an end. Released sooner than expected, Denis Villeneuve has created the wrap-up to the story in Dune: Part Three. A translation of Frank Herbert’s second book, Dune: Messiah, the third movie in the trilogy will show the consequences of Paul gaining full, unchecked power.
Dune: Part Three will show everything that people have missed from the first two movies. Paul is often misunderstood as a hero archetype, but he is quite the opposite. He is someone who traveled down the road that was paved with good intentions. Though he wanted to liberate the Fremen, he ends up taking their world for himself and committing genocide among the stars.
An adaptation of Dune: Messiah was necessary, and it is finally time to get it. With Anya Taylor-Joy cast as Paul’s strange and complicated sister, Alia, this installment may be the best iteration yet. Villeneuve’s changes to the female characters will have massive consequences, but will be intriguing to see. Paul’s story will still be told the way it is meant to, even with these differences from the book.
Demonstrated to be more unhinged than ever, Paul’s portrayal by Timothée Chalamet may prove to be the definitive one. December 2026 will conclude one of the most anticipated sci-fi franchises of all time that continues to have relevance even five years after its introduction.
