I read the book a long time ago and could only remember something about a prophecy, a prophet (Paul), and massive sand worms the people of the planet would ride. So I’m not really making any comparisons with the book. This could be wrong, but I suspect most people that see the film won’t have read the book. So any comparisons with the book won’t mean that much anyway.

Having read the book then, when Dune Part 1 came out I wanted to go and see it. I’ve been known to fall asleep while in the cinema: but not with these films! I didn’t feel compelled to write about the first one, but I do want to make some comments on Part 2. Here then is:

Dune 2: A Few Observations

This isn’t a review then, it’s a more, as I say, a few observations for you to take or leave. I’ve seen the film twice now, both in the cinema. Before watching for the second time, I watched Part 1 again to try and get a better grip on my second viewing (Part 2). I think it helped.

The cinematography is stunning. Outstanding is every way. They must have used shed-loads of CGI and special effects, but it’s so brilliantly done I wonder if many would even notice. Experts would. I didn’t. It doesn’t spoil the film at all. It is an amazing film. The music / soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is incredible and fits so perfectly with the film. Both viewings were loud. I loved it.

I might be completely wrong, but here goes anyway.

It’s a Religious Film

There’s an obvious religious theme. And it’s a very powerful theme. So then, whatever else you might think about this film, it is a religious film. But as Brian Godawa puts it ‘…. the essence of storytelling in movies is about redemption.’ (Hollywood Worldviews, 2009, p.86) This film is no exception. People are looking for the signs, for the fulfilment of prophecy. These are the believers. Then there are the sceptics or the unbelievers. Believers and unbelievers are fighting the same cause and on the same side: and that’s something we find happening with respect to Free Speech today. Christians and Atheists on this issue do stand together. Even at the end of the film not everyone is won over to believe that Paul is the ‘Chosen One.’ Or ‘The One.’ There’s another dangerous group of Fremen down South, and these are the Fundamentalists – they get two mentions that I noticed. You don’t mess with these folk.

The Fremen are, it seems to me, Muslims. Obviously, they aren’t called that in the film, but really all they needed to do was cry ‘Alluha Akbar’ and the comparison is complete. These are the good guys by the way. There’s another thing about the Fremen: they have prophetesses. The women fight alongside the men and are skilled fighters. The prophetesses have a high place in the culture. So not everything translates as it were. For the record, Christians endow women with high honour. To be a wife and mother is a very very high calling. But we’ll see a bit more about this in another observation.

It’s their planet and they are fighting for their freedom against a powerful enemy. The planet has a commodity (Spice) the universe needs. The equivalent of oil – maybe. Anyway, there are huge machines that are taking the planets resources. It sounds like first world countries stripping the third world of their resources. The people doing this are the bad guys. At least the indigenous population don’t seem to get much out of it.

The Nuremberg Rallies?

The Harkonnen, as I say are the bad guys. And they mostly wear black. I don’t think they have beards. Maybe they have hats. But it all works. These people are just plain evil. They have gladiatorial combat. They have an arena. The other thing they have is massive displays of power. I was reminded by these of the Nuremberg rallies where Adolf Hitler displayed to the world the power of The Third Reich. These scenes looked like they were in Black & White as well, so it really looks a bit like an old news reel. I don’t know if that’s the feel they wanted, but if you’ve seen those newsreels you will be transported back to Germany in the 1930’s. There were no Swastikas though. But they wouldn’t have looked out of place. This isn’t unusual by the way, Russia also have their military parades to display their strength. Most of the wealthy nations do it.

A Pro Life Message?

One very interesting observation, that I missed the significance of in the first viewing, is where we have Paul’s (the prophet) mother (Jessica) carrying a child. The mother talks to the child and the child talks back (although we don’t hear the child speak, only Jessica does). Apparently, this isn’t in the book. Also in the book, I’m told, this is a very small incident of little significance. I can’t remember, and I’m not going to check. But it is in the film. Any child in the womb isn’t a clump of cells. And neither is this child. Nothing appears in a film by chance. It’s scripted. So this is deliberate. I don’t know the views of the director (or Frank Herbert), but this is a powerful Pro-Life statement – I think. The director has deliberately chosen to elevate the status of a child in the womb. This is redemptive in itself. Children in the womb, by so many, are seen as an irrelevance, an inconvenience, a burden. Not so here.

Both Had Wounds

One final very important observation to end. Maybe the most important one of all. This is where the book ends, I believe. [Big Spoiler alert here] Paul defeats the Harkonnen champion to great shouts from the millions of supporters (The Fremen). Paul is a conqueror, a champion. It was interesting to note that in order to win Paul chose to be wounded. I’m reminded of a hymn by William Williams ‘though two (Christ & Satan) had wounds there conquered One.’ It looked very much like the enemy had won. But he hadn’t. And he looks to be the chosen one. The Prophet. He stands, sword in hand, ready to wage a holy war. He is going to wage war upon the other houses of the alliance (you need to see it). When we look at the crucifixion it looks like the enemy has won. But he didn’t, and hasn’t. Christ through death has conquered death.

A World of War

We live in a world of wars and rumours of wars because we are sinful. Horrific as it always is, sometimes war is necessary and inevitable (the ‘Just war’). I won’t bother to point out the obvious. Atrocities are also inevitable. War is horrible! But the Lord Jesus Christ also wages war, but not like this. This is what powerfully struck me at the end. I said to myself ‘This is not the way of the Lord Jesus.’ That is not to say that Christians have not fought in wars, or that there has never been a religious war. We live in a sinful world. A world that can be engulfed in violence. But Salvation doesn’t come that way. That is the point I’m trying to make. Making converts to the Christian faith is not carried out by the sword. We don’t engage in holy wars. However, as Christians we are in a (spiritual) war, but ‘the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh (2 Cor 10:4).’  If you want to read about the Holy War we are always engaged in read John Bunyan’s ‘The Holy War.’ I only just found this out but part of the soundtrack is called Holy War by Hans Zimmer. Make of that what you will.

Death is Conquered Through Death

One final contrast I think it’s important to make. It’s a long film, but about halfway through Paul drinks the Blue stuff that comes from the small worms they keep in their ‘temple.’ Only the new prophetess can drink this and barely survive. Only women can do this. Except, that is, the chosen one. Paul drinks and eventually goes unconscious and it looks like he’s dead. His Fremen girlfriend sees him and says that he is dead. His mother, the prophetess, says he is not dead but his pulse is so slow it gives that impression. A tear from the girl, as prophesied, brings him out of the comatose state. I didn’t think of this straight away, but, on reflection this is a massive difference between the true Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ, and Paul ‘the chosen one’ in the film. The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t go into a coma. He really died. And really rose from the dead. There’s a theory, believed by (some) Muslims called the Swoon Theory. Basically, Muslims believe Jesus didn’t really die but merely swooned, and went into a state that looked like death but didn’t actually die. I have no idea if that is what’s being portrayed here, but it could be. If Jesus din’t really die he didn’t really rise from the dead and it’s all an elaborate illusion and we are all still in our sins.

Swoon Theory

You might think I’m making too much of this but it’s vitally important. Given the evidence we have from the Gospel accounts, and what we know historically of crucifixion, the Swoon theory is utter nonsense. There was no coming back from crucifixion. Thousands were killed by this most awful method. The romans were experts. No one survived crucifixion.

See Holman Quick Source Guide to Christian Apologetics by Doug Powell pp. 270-274. See also Your Questions Answered: a reply to Muslim friends by E. M Hicham. ‘So do not be taken in by any of the ‘swoon’ theories which imagine that Jesus was not quite dead but recovered in the cool of the tomb! He was most certainly dead.’ p.54.

So there you go. There’s something deep within us that is looking for ‘The One.’ The true One you are looking for is The Lord Jesus Christ.