Dune: Part Two is showing in theaters now. This is a good time to look at what changes Denis Villeneuve made to his film compared to the book original. Some of these are extremely important interventions into Frank Herbert’s source material.
Dune: Part Two – what changed in the film compared to the book?
The text provides key information about the plot of the second part of the Dune film and the first volume of Frank Herbert’s book, and also reveals some information from the second part of the Dune Messiah saga, which may serve as the basis for the third film, Dune 3.
Dune: Part Two is not considered one of the most faithful adaptations of the source material. It avoids many of the themes and characters presented in the novel due to time restrictions on film screenings.
To fully convey all the events from the first volume, an entire season of the series, consisting of 10 or even 12 episodes, would be required.
Although the omission of subplots is less significant than the changes to key narrative points and characters made in Dune: Part Two. In this article we will talk about the most important changes introduced in the second part of Dune.
The events of several years have been compressed into several months
The film “Dune: Part Two” greatly simplifies the events described in the second part of Frank Herbert’s novel. In the first part, Paul (Timothée Chalamet) spends approximately 5 years with the Fremen, building his position among the natives of Arrakis.
In this process, characters such as Aaliyah, the daughter of Prince Leto and Jessica, as well as the son of Paul and Chani, named after his grandfather, appear. However, in the film, this entire story is compressed into a few months, if not less.
The film does not depict scenes where Jessica likely becomes pregnant on Caladan before moving to Arrakis, or immediately after arriving on the new planet.
At the end of the second part of the film, Aaliyah was not yet born. In the book, she plays a key role in one of the final scenes with the Emperor and the Baron after their arrival on Arrakis – it is she who delivers the fatal blow to her grandfather. In the film, this scene was changed, and Paul delivers the fatal blow to the Baron, and not Aliya.
Chani and Jessica, a 180 degree character change from the book
However, the film’s major changes involve the storylines of Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) and Chani (Zendaya). The film shows Paul’s mother plotting against her son, who refuses to lead the Fremen in a religious campaign against the Harkonnens.
Jessica becomes responsible for Paul’s decision to drink the Fremen poison called “Water of Life”. Jessica herself undergoes a test to transform this substance during the ritual of ascension to the position of Reverend Mother.
“Water of Life” is a deadly poison taken only by Bene Gesserit trained to neutralize harmful substances. This drink significantly enhances prophetic abilities, and in Paul’s case it was supposed to enable him to fully develop his gift of seeing the past and future.
In the book, the decision to drink the poison was a completely independent decision of Paul, who sought to finally make sure whether he was the Kwisatz Haderach. Jessica did not directly influence her son’s decision and was not involved in the conspiracy against him.
Dune 2 Ending Explained, what has changed compared to the book?
In the book, Chani (Zendaya) is introduced as Paul’s great love, accepting his leadership of the Fremen community and remaining by his side until the final pages of the first novel. Paul decides to marry the emperor’s daughter for political reasons, assuring Chani that Princess Irulan will receive nothing from him except her name.
In the film, Chani does not follow Paul into the path of religious leadership, and after the duel between Muad’Dib and Feyd-Rautha, we see how, devastated, she breaks away from Paul and his followers, who went to jihad.
Chani goes into the desert and summons the Worm. The question we’re faced with is how Denis Villeneuve will decide to take Paul and Chani’s story in Dune Messiah in light of these significant changes.
“Dune Messiah” – what happened in the book?
In the book, Paul and Chani remain together, trying to create another heir, despite attempts to prevent them from Irulan, whose son was killed in the Harkonnen attack on the Fremen in the first part.
Dune Messiah takes place 12 years after Paul became Emperor. A religious war in the name of a new ruler results in the loss of more than 60 billion lives, but Paul realizes that this is not the end of the violence, and the shadow of total destruction hangs over humanity.
The plot of the second volume centers on the actions of conspirators seeking to overthrow Muad’Dib and stop the tyranny the Atreides have imposed throughout the universe. The main roles in the saga, in addition to Paul, are played by Chani, teenager Alia, Princess Irulan, as well as the characters Stilgar, Duncan Idaho, representatives of the Guild and the Bene Gesserit Order.