Lisan Al-Gaib 🪱

Dune.

What a movie. What a scene.

    The entire film, lasting almost 3 hours, was unreal. Definitely the best cinematic experience I’ve had in years, probably since the last Avengers movie if I’m being honest. To say it was great would not doit justice to say the least.

    Everybody is jumping on the Dune train right now, no question about it. Every single person, who hates being left out, is jumping ship to promote Denis Villeneuve’s latest masterpiece. And rightfully so. Denis does an incredible job directing the entire series. The film is shot beautifully, with many different scenes, all helping invoke different emotions and feelings. From the harsh, red desert, to the black and white world of the Harkkonen- Denis delivers a masterpiece.

    Coincidentally, he also directed Scicario. The movie I spoke briefly about yesterday. It too was a masterpiece, in its own sense. Overall, Denis has been delivering film after film, truly hitting the mark and captivating audiences worldwide. If there was one job in the world which I would love to do, and never complain about- it would be directing. 

    Dune is an actual remake of an old book, written in the 60’s. The author then allowed the book to be turned into a film, later on. However, the film never reached the height of success as it is currently experiencing. To be fair, I’ve never seen it myself, so I won’t talk about it too much. It would be fairly hypocritical for me to criticize a film I’ve never even watched. I may go back and watch it, after Villeneuve wraps up his interpretation of the film, with Dune: Messiah to be released in a couple years.

    Out of all the great performances within the movie, the psychotic Harkkonen was by far my favourite. The individual who was on a warpath, destined for blood. He was ruthless and insane, through and through. His ability to focus and channel solely on his purpose, and what he was meant to do. This allowed him to have tunnel vision, strictly seeking out that which would lead to his rise in power. Unfortunately, however, he died. As did they all. Death and destruction. Funny how that always seems to follow those who seek the power to rule. 

    I believe the fascination between Dune and the population right now is more the story and its symbolism than anything else. The entire film truly helps build up the idea of the main character being the Messiah- a saviour from the outer world, sent to save the Freeman. The concept is one which is also extremely familiar, here on Earth. A voice from the outer world- God- sending a saviour- Jesus- to the world. Now, obviously, there is debate about that last part. The idea itself is not set in concrete. I won’t get into that part today. Instead, I simply wish to draw the parallels between the two, in order for the reader to understand where the passion for this story is stemming.

    The Messiah is meant to be delivered to the planet, and free the people from their oppressor. The same story has been told, countless times here on Earth. In fact, it has been the main source of faith for millenniums. The concepts of faith and spirituality, throughout the film, are the exact same, here on Earth. The concept of faith in an otherworldly voice allows one to continue their suffering, without falter. If one is able to believe, truly, that their salvation lies somewhere outside of their world- then the suffering they forego here on Earth is manageable. The idea to have a people or a faith, to continue to wait, all the while the chop wood and carry water, while they starve and thirst to death- is nothing new. It is the very root of all religion, here on Earth. I believe that is one of the reasons why Dune has become such a popular modern-day film.

    If we examine only a couple years ago, most individuals- including myself- were completely unaware of the Dune story as a whole. We were not forced or promoted the book, nor the old film, to force-feed us the propaganda which it contains. Yet here we are, in 2024, when things seem as dire as ever- and all of a sudden, a film about our salvation explodes on the scene. I’m obviously not trying to say that it’s all connected- but you’d have to be ignorant not to see the parallels once again. Overall, the idea is something which is desperately needed, here on Earth. Watching the film yesterday gave me the impression that our spiritual needs were being met, along with our entertainment ones. Not only are we thoroughly entertained by the movie, but we leave the theatres believing in something greater than ourselves.

    The movie Dune: Part Two is a masterpiece. Denis Villeneuve did an incredible job, as per usual. His track record with movies is extremely solid, with most of his films achieving critical success. Dune: Part Two will go down as one of the biggest movies in this decade, without question. From the tremendous performances, to the beautiful scenes- to the incredible story. The entire film screams of success. However, when all is said and done- the story will remain the most relevant. The script and the flow will be present and etched into the minds of the viewers for years to come. Not only will movie-goers continue to rewatch and explore the world of Dune, over and over again- they will come to memorize it. They will come to believing in a story about a Messiah being born, and brought to them, from the outside world. They will continue to hold on to their faith, in belief that an outer voice will be sent to be their salvation. They will continue to fight against their oppressors, with the faith that something- or someone- is coming to liberate them. 

        Glory Be,

                    Amen.