Why the 60-year-old novel 'Dune' still gets me enthralled?

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Two years back, I found myself dozing off in an IMAX theater, barely hanging on during Denis Villeneuve's rendition of "Dune: Part One"; fast forward to two days ago, I was utterly captivated by it when I watched it on my office computer and found it immeasurably interesting. What drove me to give it another shot? And what about it managing to change my tune?

First off, let's dive into why I wasn't vibing with it initially.

The sluggish pace was my major bugbear of "Dune: Part One". The film seemed to be addicted to slow-motion shots. Although these shots are as exquisite as oil paintings, they have nothing to do with its narrative. For instance, in the opening scene, Chani (played by Zendaya) drops some knowledge in her narration about the battle between the Fremen and their adversary, the Harkonnens, on the desert planet of Arrakis. What could've been a snappy 30-second spiel turned into a yawning two-minute ordeal, all thanks to those gratuitous slow-mos. If this design were used just in the intro, it’s no biggie. But it persists through the whole darn film, spanning over two and a half hours, which got my patience stretched thin. A story as simple as this could've been wrapped up in 90 minutes; I just couldn't fathom why the director chose to stretch it out.

Then there's the plot itself, as old as the hills and twice as dusty. Strip away the glitz and glamour, and you've got yourself a classic narrative about “the chosen one". Young Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet), a 15-year-old white aristocrat blessed with superpowers, rises from the ashes of his fallen family to save the day – yawnsville! Even his family’s downfall is straight out of the cliché playbook – power struggles lead to a coup; unsurprisingly, the good guys look gentle, while the bad guys look ferocious. By the end of the first 20 minutes, I could already guess how the story would progress.

The final straw was the use of cold weapons in a futuristic setting in the film. That's a head-scratcher big enough to rival the Sphinx, leaving me unable to immerse myself in the film.

So, that was my initial take on "Dune: Part One" – a snoozefest with a plodding pace, a stale storyline, and a mountain of obvious plot holes that outnumber those one can find in a slice of Swiss cheese. In today's world that seeks fast-paced thrills and novelty, it just didn't seem to cut the mustard.

But why did I give it a second chance? Enter my buddy, a "Dune" aficionado, who introduced me to the original novel written by Frank Herbert. To be more specific, it was Herbert’s passion for world-building that attracted me.

Why do I say so? Let me take you through its background briefly. The novel "Dune" hit the shelves in 1965, back when sci-fi novels were as niche as gluten-free vegan bakeries and hardly considered to be any kind of sophisticated work. But eight years before its official release, in 1957, Herbert was already cooking up ideas. He was a journalist at the time and was reporting on a project by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this project, the government successfully planted beach grass to prevent sand from overflowing onto the freeways. During those eight years, Hebert and his family visited Mexico twice to study the desert environment and life cycles of the crops. He accidentally tried a hallucinogen that later became the "spice" in his story that all the characters are vying for. These experiences, coupled with a voluminous amount of memories from his childhood, were transcribed and incorporated into the novel — there you have it, the makings of "Dune".

Herbert poured his heart and soul into "Dune", and even weaved himself and his wife into its narrative. Bold and decisive Lady Jessica was modeled after his wife, Beverly Ann Stuart, while he himself inspired the rugged leader of the Fremen, Stilgar.

According to this pal of mine who is a "Dune" connoisseur, behind the establishment of Arrakis and the sprawling Galactic Empire lies a metaphorical clash between Western and primitive civilizations. Sure, the Fremen may be highly primal beings, but Herbert's portrayal of them isn't an act of disparagement. They're isolated from civilization by vast deserts; they use hallucinogens in religious rites, much like the indigenous people of North America, the Navajo. At the same time, they're akin to the Jews – persecuted, driven from their homes by their colonizers, and seeking refuge in the wilderness.

It brings to mind another hot video game, "Red Dead Redemption 2". Comments about it are highly polarized. Haters find its pace as draggy as watching paint dry, while fans revel in its slow pace, which serves as a respite amid vigorous battles for players to take in the beautiful scenery of the American West. Similarly, the heart of the movie "Dune: Part One" and the novel "Dune" lies not in their plots. They are able to rise above others because of the countless highly imaginative and convincing details of the vivid tapestry of Arrakis.

My buddy excitedly explained that while watching the movie, I could examine Arrakis for any possible angle and would find that its details are well-constructed and can hold up to scrutiny, no matter how I look at it.

Oh, and about that head-scratcher of using cold weapons in the future – my friend had an explanation for that too. It's all thanks to the Holtzman Shield, a force field that can be adjusted to allow only objects traveling below the specified limit to pass through, rendering high-speed bullets and cannons, as well as kinetic energy weapons useless, in turn limiting armed conflicts between characters to the realm of cold weapon combat.

Well, slap my thigh and call me baffled – this explanation actually holds water! My biggest gripe from my first viewing was laid to rest. Looks like it's time for round two.

The feeling of rewatching "Dune: Part One" is incredible and cannot be simply described in a few sentences. It’s like finding a secret treasure on your usual route home every day. When you're in a rush for work and all you want is to reach your destination the soonest, the journey along that familiar road is nothing but a drag; but when you’re not in a hurry and take your time to stroll along that road, you’ll notice the beauty in the mundane – the flowers and plants on the roadside, and the rustling sounds of leaves when the wind blows. Suddenly, waking down that same old road isn't a chore anymore; it's a journey worth savoring and you wish it’ll last forever.

That’s all for my takeaways from my second viewing of "Dune: Part One."

So, buckle up, folks. In my next post, I'll be delving into the juicy details of the movie and novel "Dune" that kept me hooked.