The movie Christopher Nolan called a “miraculous” achievement
In a world where reboots, sequels, and remakes dominate the box office, Christopher Nolan stands out as a champion of original ideas. With the notable exception of his Dark Knight trilogy, most of Brit’s films come from lesser-known books, historical moments, or his own brain. Say what you will about Tenet, but at least it was something new.
One of the most ambitious big-screen adaptations of recent years has to be Denis Villeneuve’s take on Frank Herbert’s Dune. Considered to be unfilmable for decades – just ask David Lynch – Dune is a dense tome of made-up nouns, religious metaphors, and lengthy descriptions of sand.
Scholars and fans alike were highly sceptical of the Canadian’s ability to pull this off, but Denis came good when the chips were down. Not only are the two Dune movies fantastic, but they’re also massive successes in every sense of the word. Both picked up ‘Best Picture’ nominations at their respective Oscars and generated over a billion dollars at the box office combined.
Nolan, who knows a thing or two about science fiction, is one of the many film lovers bowled over by Villeneuve’s achievement. “I watched the second half and I think it’s a miraculous job of adaptation, of taking that second half and making an incredible conclusion of the story,” he said, per Variety. Nolan was incredibly complimentary of the film but had some questions about Timothée Chalamet’s protagonist. “Usul, Muad’Dib, Paul, Lisan al Gaib,” he said. “How many fucking names can you give one character and expect us to keep up with it?”
One of the complaints about the Dune series – and all high sci-fi and fantasy in general – is the sheer volume of obscure names for things that people have to learn. Herbert was particularly bad for this, weaving in random mythology with very little explanation.
Outside of its confusing use of language, Nolan had other questions about the franchise. “Most adaptations, it’s a process of condensing things and simplifying things,” he said. “My feeling in watching both films, in particular the second film, is that this was an act of exploring a little further and burrowing into the complications and embracing those and the world building beyond even what’s in the book.”
This could be taken as either a criticism of Villeneuve’s work or a major compliment. Nolan is either saying that the director has strayed too far from the source material, adding more content to an already crowded story, or he’s praising his ability to put his own spin on the narrative without overly complicating things. Considering how mad the world of Dune is, especially on the page, and given how relatively easy to follow the films are, it’s probably a case of the latter.
Prior to Villeneuve, the idea of making a successful Dune movie had become something of a poison chalice among filmmaking circles, with Lynch falling flat and Alejandro Jodorowsky and Ridley Scott abandoning ship. Many people thought it could never be done; now, it’s one of the most bankable series in cinema today. Even if Sir Chris has issues with the characters’ names.
