Dune 2’s Lack Of Weirdness & Grounded Sci-Fi Approach Explained By Villeneuve

Summary

• Denis Villeneueve reveals that he attempted to make even the more fantastical elements of the story feel plausible in
  Dune: Part Two
  .
• The director clarifies that Paul doesn’t have ”
  magic power
  “, he is just very sensitive to spice.
• Villeneuve has proven himself adept at making dense science fiction feel grounded and real through stunning visuals and a focus on character.

Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve addresses his more pragmatic approach to Frank Herbert’s source material. Released earlier this month, Villeneuve’s sequel picks up after the end of 2021’s Dune, following Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides as he grapples with a prophecy that paints him as a messiah figure for the Fremen. The film has been widely hailed as a major success, with critics and audiences alike responding to the way in which Villeneuve has used his eye for science-fiction to bring the world of Herbert’s 1965 novel to life.

During a recent talk with Steven Spielberg on the Director’s Cut podcast, Villeneuve dives deeper into his more grounded and accessible approach to the world of Dune: Part Two. According to the director, it was important that the story feel plausible, despite some of its more outlandish elements. Check out his full explanation below:

“I tried my best to be away from fantasy, meaning that I tried in that context to try to be as plausible [as possible]. You can almost explain everything, apart from the fact that his super powerful reaction to that substance that is the spice… I love the idea that Paul is not a messianic figure, really. It’s just that the context and the other people perceive him, and all the power they put on him, he doesn’t have any magic power, apart from being uber-sensitive to that substance. Spice is almost like LSD or something like that.”

Denis Villeneuve’s Grounded Approach To Sci-Fi In Dune: Part Two Explained

Movies Like Arrival & Blade Runner 2049 Paved The Way For Dune

Although he has also made harrowing films set firmly in the real world, like Incendies and Prisoners, Villeneuve is now a director widely known for his work in the sci-fi genre. His first major foray into science-fiction came in 2016 with Arrival, a critically-acclaimed film starring Amy Adams as a linguist attempting to communicate with aliens that have landed on Earth. Just the next year, Villeneuve would release Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to Ridley Scott’s seminal 1980 film that was unfortunately overlooked during its theatrical run.

Both Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 are very firmly in the sci-fi genre, but both also feel grounded and plausible. This comes in part from Villeneuve’s eye for visuals, with the filmmaker having a firm grasp of how to blend real photography with computer-generated imagery. Villeneuve also remains firmly invested in the human elements of these stories, with the effects never outweighing the characters’ personal arcs.

In addition to Chalamet, the

Dune: Part Two
cast
includes Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, and more.

While 2021’s Dune was well-received, the Dune: Part Two reviews are even better, and the film arguably serves as a perfect culmination of Villeneuve’s filmmaking career thus far. The film features breathtaking visuals, and it expertly communicates a sense of scale and place. It also, however, never loses sight of its themes, and Paul’s arc is especially powerful and emotionally resonant. It remains to be seen what Villeneuve tackles after Dune: Part Two, but the filmmaker’s grounded approach to sci-fi is evidently one of his greatest assets.

Source: The Director’s Cut