Noted as one of the greatest novels of all time and widely regarded as the best Science Fiction has to offer, Frank Herbert's Dune novels have encapsulated millions around the world. The story of Paul Atreides, as he battles the evil Harkonnens, his own inner demons and the planet of Dune itself, is a no doubt a huge prize for any budding filmmaker or director to get his or her hands on. Telling the epic story of a boy who becomes a prophet/God in a story full of ecological, anthropological and theological themes and issues is always going to be a challenge for any film company.
1984 - David Lynch's Disaster
The first man to complete a big screen version of the novel was David Lynch. Known for his surreal style, it was thought he could do the book justice. However, issues between the director and producion company and limits to what could be done with special effects meant that the film became a clumsy mess. The plot was confusing and inconsistent, the action scenes were also poorly constructed and the omission of several key characters vital to the story meant that, at least amonst many critics and Lynch himself, the movie was a failure. Another issue comes from the decision to make only one movie. The story is grand in scale and lengthy, to compress it all into 2-3 hours is a difficult task and can only lead to problems. It is thought that, in amongst the many shortcomings of the movie, that the actors were well cast and the general "look" of the movie was a success.
Television To The Rescue?
Perhaps a few words should be mentioned about the Sci-Fi Channel's Dune miniseries aired on television at the turn of the millenium in 2000. With a much smaller budget than the 1984 movie, the sets, costumes and cast were hardly memorable. However, what it lacked in visual style, it more than made up for in loyalty to the book. The plot was flowed much more than its big screen predecessor and all the major characters made an appearance. Although it followed the book closely, there were some deviations and it was far from flawless. Perhaps a lovechild of the two productions would have yielded a successful Dune film.
Paramount And Berg Team Up:
And so we come to the latest attempt to bring the Kiwsatz Haderach to life. This time, it is in the hands of Paramount studios and Director; Peter Berg. Berg, of Hancock and The Kingdom, is somewhat of a journeyman in the film making industry. His movies, re: the latter two, have performed relatively well with audiences and critics but have not stood out as anything special. This is not a huge issue, for example, how well known was Peter Jackson before Lord of the Rings? The fact that a movie company the size of Paramount want to participate may be a double edged sword. On one side, the budget will be there, the prestige and the pull that is needed for great actors is there. On the other hand, they are a massive company and will have plenty of say in how the production is carried out. This, just like in Lynch's 1984 attempt, could doom it to fail.
Sandworms and Shields
There is no question that special effects have come a long way since 1984. The issues that cropped up in Lynch's production are unlikely to occur again. Even the Sci-Fi miniseries managed a few nice touches when it came to special effects. The depiction of personal shields, so pivotal to the Dune imagery and the iconic Sandworms should therefore be no problem for Berg and could be the foundation for some of cinemas truly epic scenes.
One Novel, One Movie?
It is often thought that Dune is too long and too complex a novel to be translated to the big screen. This may be the case and if so, then one has to wonder why in 1984 the decision was made to make only one movie, and why the decision has been made to attempt that again. The Hobbit is reportedly going to be two films, the last Harry Potter novel will also be translated into two feature films. Many would consider Dune to be at least at their level, therefore, one would assume it should get the same respect from the movie studios. Perhaps not. The movie could work as a single adaption, and this is one fan desperately hoping that is the case, a hope that is no doubt shared by millions.
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