History Film / Dune2021

* Title1: The film's true title is ''Dune: Part One'', since the novel has been DividedForAdaptation. ''Part Two'' has been greenlit for release in 2023.

* NothingIsScarier: The Baron keeps a horrific spiderlike creature, with ''human hands'' at the ends of its arms, as a pet; and when Piter claims it doesn't understand what they're saying, Gaius Helen Mohiam [[CompellingVoice commands it to leave]] and retorts that [[ItCanThink "It understands."]] What this creature is (or ''who'' it might once have been) is never revealed, leaving the audience to wonder.

*** Stilgar also gets a minor one during the duel when he asks Jessica if Paul is toying with Jamis...only to learn that Paul's actually hesitating because he's never killed a man before. Stilgar's reaction can be interpreted multiple ways (shock that someone who's never spilled blood is dominating one of his best fighters, horror at having thrust this boy into a life-or-death situation where, even if Paul wins, he'll never be the same...and finally perhaps realization that Paul is fullfilling one of the terms of the Freman's messianic legends.

''Dune'', or ''Dune: Part One'' (stylized as ''ᑐ ᑌ ᑎ ᕮ''), is an epic SpaceOpera ScienceFiction film and an [[TheFilmOfTheBook adaptation]] of Creator/FrankHerbert's seminal 1965 novel ''Literature/{{Dune}}'', produced by Creator/WarnerBros and Creator/LegendaryPictures. It is directed by Creator/DenisVilleneuve and co-written by Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth, and [[DividedForAdaptation covers roughly the first two-thirds of the novel]].[[note]]To be specific, the movie wraps up shortly before the end of Book II of the novel, though there's stuff left in that book to cover in the sequel.[[/note]]

** When Mohiam visits Geidi Prime, her shuttle passes a small flotilla holding position in a stationary orbit. While it ''can'' be seen as a home guard for the Harkonnen homeworld, or an honor guard meant to greet and escort a representative of Shaddam, [[spoiler: it's also presumably the fleet the Baron is assembling for the attack on Arakkis. That he's assembling it out in the open (which would be a security concern given Thufir's spy network), combined with Mohiam's orders, all indicate the planned strike is immiment.]]
** When the Herald of the Change arrives on Caladan, Thufir uses his Mentat abilities to calculate the estimated travel cost for the Emperor's delegation. It turns out to be a very expensive bit of Imperial pomp and pageantry, thus establishing that Spacing Guild travel ''ain't'' cheap. [[spoiler: This plot point comes back into play towards the end of Part One where the Baron reveals to Rabban the rough financial cost of launching a full military strike on Arakkis. Unsurprisingly, it turns out to be a ''far'' more expensive bill than the Herald's political theater and the entire operation has thus essentially left House Harkonnen completely broke.]]

* ProphecyTwist: One of Paul's visions of Jamis tells him that he will teach him the ways of the desert. When they finally meet in the climax of Part One, Jamis ''does'' indeed teach Paul. [[spoiler:Their duel and Jamis' death at Paul's hands ''is'' the lesson. On Arakkis, the way of the desert is death and it's kill or be killed.]]

** Once Lyet Kynes [[spoiler: defects and sides with Paul and Jessica, the plan is for her to contact the Landsraad and expose Shaddam's betrayal and House Harkonnen's complicity. Doing so will allow the House Atreides survivors to rally political and military support against the Emperor. Unfortunately, Kynes is ambushed by the Sardaukar before she can leave the Ecological station. With Paul subsequently choosing to remain on Arakkis rather than flee offworld, the Landsraad is thus left in the dark about what really happened on Arakis.]]
** When Paul and Jessica seek out the Fremen [[spoiler: following the massacre, the hope was to try and use their resources and contacts to smuggle Paul off-world to safety. What Jessica didn't anticipate was that Paul's visions and the ritual combat with Jamis would change her son's mind and convince him to remain on Arakkis with the Fremen.]]

* ProphechyTwist: One of Paul's visions of Jamis tells him that he will teach him the ways of the desert. When they finally meet in the climax of Part One, Jamis ''does'' indeed teach Paul. [[spoiler:Their duel and Jamis' death at Paul's hands ''is'' the lesson: on Arakkis, the way of the desert is death and it's kill or be killed.]]

* AscendedExtra: The Lieutenant Lanville, the bald commanding officer seen with Leto and the military in several major scenes, is revealed in [[https://kungfukingdom.com/interview-with-roger-yuan/ interviews]] to be the film's version of the nameless gladiator that would later fight with Feyd-Rautha. In the book, he receives no focus until he's forced into the arena, whereas in the movie he has a name, a speaking part, and a minor presence beforehand.

** In the book, Thufir Hawat is Paul's Mentat teacher and has an extended subplot where he tries to suss out TheMole. Neither of these aspects are present in the film, leaving him with a handful of scenes where he advises Leto; [[spoiler:his fate after the coup is unrevealed]].

** Similarly, [[spoiler:Gurney Halleck's survival after the attack]] isn't shown, as the film doesn't have the scene where he is recruited by a party of smugglers.
** At the point where the movie ends, in the book Paul [[spoiler:has already found out through prescience that [[LukeIAmYourFather the Baron is Jessica's father and his maternal grandfather]]]]. It remains to be seen if the sequel will follow up on this.

* HumanNotepad: In a vision, Jessica appears with scripture all over her skin.

* PagmaticVillainy: [[spoiler:Piter's alarmed when he realizes the Baron lied to Mohiam and intends to defy the Bene Gesserit's orders to spare Paul and Jessica. This of course isn't out of any concern for Paul and his mother's lives. Rather, Piter's alarmed that his liege is prepared to make an enemy of the Emperor's Truthsayer herself, let alone the entire Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, just to get Leto and his family. However, Piter's concerns are (more or less) ameliorated once the Baron explains the loophole he carefully inserted into his [[ExactWords pledge]] to Mohiam.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Subverted when Piter realizes the Baron [[spoiler: lied to Mohiam and intends to defy the Bene Gesserit's orders to spare Paul and Jessica. Oh, Piter's dismayed...but not out of any concern for Paul and his mother's lives. Rather, Piter's alarmed that his liege is prepared to make an enemy of the Reverend Mother herself, let alone the entire Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, just to get Leto and his family. However, Piter's concerns are (more or less) ameliorated once the Baron explains the loophole he carefully inserted into his [[ExactWords pledge]] to Mohiam.]]

** To emphasize its nigh-supernatural qualities and importance in an audiovisual medium, the Bene Gesserit Voice is monstrous-sounding in the film; in the book it was merely described as altering the speaker's tone.

* QualityVsQuantity: On Salusa Secundus, the Sardaukar Bashar questions why they are being ordered to assist Baron Harkonnen, since his soldiers outnumber those of House Atreides. Piter de Vries patiently explains that, thanks to [[BadassTeacher Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho]], ''"the Atreides legions are the finest in the Imperium"'' (present company excepted, of course). This is fulfilled when the Harkonnens storm the entrance to the Arrakeen Palace, and a single line of Atreides soldiery is enough to hold them at bay, until the Sardaukar intervene.

%%* SilkHidingSteel: Subverted. Jessica senses the crysknife her new housekeeper is hiding under her garments. Turns out it was a gift to the family.

* NothingIsScarier: The Baron keeps a horrific spiderlike creature, with ''human hands'' at the ends of its arms, as a pet; and when the Baron claims it doesn't understand what they're saying, Gaius Helen Mohiam [[CompellingVoice commands it to leave]] and retorts that [[ItCanThink "It understands."]] What this creature is (or ''who'' it might once have been) is never revealed, leaving the audience to wonder.

''Film/DunePartTwo'' was greenlit right after the release of ''Part One''. It covers the remainder of the book and was released on March 1, 2024. Villeneuve is hopeful to do a third film based on ''Literature/DuneMessiah'' (Music/HansZimmer is already working on the soundtrack), and he has also been announced to direct the pilot for ''Dune: Prophecy'', a live action SpinOff series [[ExpandedUniverse set in his film's universe]] and focusing on the Bene Gesserit, for Max. Diane Ademu-John is set to serve as showrunner. The RealTimeStrategy game ''VideoGame/DuneSpiceWars'', while technically not an adaptation of this movie, takes plenty of visual cues from it.

''Film/DunePartTwo'' was greenlit right after the release of ''Part One''. It covers the remainder of the book and was released on March 1, 2024. Villeneuve is hopeful to do a third film based on ''Literature/DuneMessiah'', and he has also been announced to direct the pilot for ''Dune: Prophecy'', a live action SpinOff series [[ExpandedUniverse set in his film's universe]] and focusing on the Bene Gesserit, for Max. Diane Ademu-John is set to serve as showrunner. The RealTimeStrategy game ''VideoGame/DuneSpiceWars'', while technically not an adaptation of this movie, takes plenty of visual cues from it.

* GratuitousRape: The guards taking Jessica and Paul out into the desert decide to rape Jessica even though they are under orders not to harm her and are afraid of being interrogated by a truthsayer. This prompts Paul to attempt escape.