Went for Timothée, stayed for the plot
It is absolutely no secret how attractive Timothée Chalamet is. Seriously, I have no idea how people don’t understand the hype. Not only is he easy on the eyes, but he is also a complete sweetheart (yes, I am talking about that video of him greeting his co-stars by kissing their hands). So, naturally, when Dune, the sci-fi movie starring Timothée Chalamet, came into theaters, I was there. I would like to point out that while I’m not necessarily the world’s biggest science fiction lover and I have never seen Star Wars (a comparison a lot of people had been making to Dune), I was not going to miss out on an opportunity to stare at the world’s most attractive man for two and a half hours straight.
Five minutes into the movie, after the amazing shirtless shot, I realized that this movie actually seemed incredibly interesting. It was pretty fast-paced, each scene having a relevant purpose to the overall film. I don’t know when it happened, but after taking AP Literature in high school, it is impossible for me to watch any film or read any book without doing an analysis of the plot, the settings and the characters. As Dune progressed, I found myself completing this analysis without really finding any flaws (though that may be biased).
All aspects of the film were rather interesting, but the part I found myself extremely focused on was the politics in the movie. As a political science major, I like to look for connections in fiction with political theory relevant to our society as well as what I am studying in my current poli-sci class. The movie’s plot really revolves around a planet whose leadership was chosen outside of the will of those who inhabit the society of the planet. As the movie progresses, the true injustice of this is revealed when war breaks out for the planet’s resources and the all-knowing emperor is exposed for being easily manipulated.
As Timothée Chalamet’s character Paul Atreides begins to recognize the ruthlessness of those who wish to secure power, he also realizes his own power when the people of Arrakis recognize him from the past somehow, knowing he may be the leader they have been waiting for. I, personally, thoroughly enjoyed this because it just meant more emphasis and shots of Timothée. The cinematography of the film was absolutely beautiful, each shot truly capturing the beauty of the film and its settings. Another fantastic thing the movie did was foreshadow the next part, by including all of Paul’s visions in extreme detail. Was it a little confusing? Yes. But will it most likely be answered in the next film? Yes. These visions definitely foreshadowed Zendaya’s role in the next film. Although I agree, they had no business having her promote the film as if she is the main character. Either way, the anticipation and the hype is definitely present for the next movie and now it seems 2023 can’t come faster.
Overall, I would watch this movie again not only for Timothée Chalamet but also to deeper analyze the plot and the shots. If you haven’t already, please watch Dune either in theaters or on HBO Max.