Similar to how J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" novels did much to codify, establish, and popularize many of the classic tropes of the fantasy genre, Frank Herbert's "Dune" can be held up as the definitive inspiration for many sci-fi elements that would later be seen in "Star Wars." That's an enormous amount of historical influence to ascribe to any single piece of media, but "Dune" more than holds up to such scrutiny. That's not to say that it's perfect, which is where the complaints about white saviorism come in. In a recent roundtable interview attended by /Film writer Vanessa Armstrong, Villeneuve addressed these concerns and (hopefully) set some minds at ease.
"It's a very important question. It is why I thought that "Dune" is, when I'm reading it, relevant. It's a critique of that. It's not a celebration of a savior. It's a critique, it's a combination of that criticism of that idea of a savior, of someone that will come and tell another population how to be and what to believe and try to tell them how ... So it's not a condemnation but a criticism. That's the way I feel it's relevant and that can seem contemporary. That's what I will say about that. Yeah. Frankly, it's the opposite."
To his credit, Denis Villeneuve appears to have put much thought into this, to the extent that the question didn't seem to catch him by surprise. He acknowledges the seriousness of the potentially thorny issue while emphatically denying (Denis-ing? Sorry) that his adaptation will fall into the same tropes that the source material succumbed to at times. Honestly, it's refreshing to hear an established filmmaker speak out about how depiction doesn't necessarily equal endorsement, which is a common problem that seems to plague social media and audiences in general. It's entirely possible that "Dune" may present Atreides and his family as white saviors without genuinely taking the moral position that it's Good, Actually.
Of course, we'll have to come up with our own judgments over whether the film succeeds with this goal or not. We won't have to wait too much longer, as "Dune" will come to theaters and HBO Max on October 22, 2021.
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