By making Chani the moral center of his epic sequel, Denis Villeneuve sparked an unexpected debate that echoes centuries of tension over women's role as civilization's conscience.
When I watched this movie with my wife (who, to be clear, is excellent and does not at all resemble Movie-Chani), I'll admit that we had drastically different reactions to Chani. I definitely saw Chani as a "secondary antagonist" with no redeeming qualities as a romantic partner, who got her just desserts when Paul chose someone who MIGHT be more supportive as his wife.
But my wife still felt bad for Chani, in the end, for being rejected by Paul. She found it very sad, purely as a love story. The classic, "I loved him when he was a nobody, but now that he's some big bad Kwisatz Haderach, he went and got himself a princess."
Also, while I enjoyed this review, I think it got this point wrong. In the movie, I didn't think Chani had really left Paul entirely prior to him choosing Irulan -- which, in the movie, unlike the book, is seen by Chani as Paul dumping her. The movie seems to present their "relationship status" as still ambiguous at this point in the story. Chani thought they had had a big fight but maybe she was still his girlfriend, maybe she could criticize his political decisions but they could still be an item romantically. Kind of like when Kellyanne Conway's then-husband was vocally criticizing Trump while she was working for him, but sexes reversed.
When Villeneuve said, "I changed the nature of Chani’s character to create a perspective that I hope Frank Herbert will agree with ...," I really think he made Chani more militant in order to appeal to feminists. This had nothing to do with presenting Paul as a flawed hero. Good writing would allow the audience to surmise any flaws Paul might have without their being conveyed by smirks or petulance from Chani. Similarly, the recent Netflix "3 Body Problem" series is thoroughly feminist in its perspective. Most of the scientists and entrepreneurs are women or minorities. Even the alien presence has a female voice. Here again, characters were changed from the original book. I may not watch the next installment. It's too irritating.
Good analysis. I haven't seen the 2nd Dune yet. But two movies albeit made over 20 years that place men on a high moral plane; Second Hand Lions (Robert Duvall & Michael Caine) and Blast From the Past (Brendan Fraser).
Here's the thing, in the books there was already someone who's conscience resisted the path Paul was going down: Paul himself! He didn't want to become this messianic figure, but was forced into it by the necessity of survival (whom he resented, and and indeed thought of her as an enemy despite his love for her).
This is a very important point, I think, that gets overlooked. Attempts to reduce Dune to "great man bad" ignores the entire theme of precognition throughout the first four novels.
Paul also opposed the path of the Great Jihad until he awoke his precognitive powers. Once he had the ability to see the future, he realized that he had no choice. The Great Jihad was going to happen anyway, with or without him, and would be worse in his absence. Herbert might have walked this back in his later interviews, but the tragedy of Paul is that he couldn't avoid being the Great Man of History and the lament of Books 3 and 4 was that Great Men are inevitable.
What made Dune such a great work of art was the very complicated approach that Herbert took in books 1-4 about the questions of precognition, fate, Great Men and Great Movements. Was Herbert being ironic when he wrote about Paul's procognition? Perhaps. Even if it was meant to be ironic, the point is that Paul believed it, and in believing it became compelled to follow it. Modern attempts to dumb down the novels for 30-second-attention-span iPhone-brains can only destroy a great work of art. That's the problem with Villeneuve's movies.
I will also add that Chani of the books is a very real and complex character in her own right - and she makes sense as the product of the culture and social position into which she was born. I had my doubts that Zendaya could portray that kind of woman, but it seems that it does not matter.
When I watched this movie with my wife (who, to be clear, is excellent and does not at all resemble Movie-Chani), I'll admit that we had drastically different reactions to Chani. I definitely saw Chani as a "secondary antagonist" with no redeeming qualities as a romantic partner, who got her just desserts when Paul chose someone who MIGHT be more supportive as his wife.
But my wife still felt bad for Chani, in the end, for being rejected by Paul. She found it very sad, purely as a love story. The classic, "I loved him when he was a nobody, but now that he's some big bad Kwisatz Haderach, he went and got himself a princess."
Also, while I enjoyed this review, I think it got this point wrong. In the movie, I didn't think Chani had really left Paul entirely prior to him choosing Irulan -- which, in the movie, unlike the book, is seen by Chani as Paul dumping her. The movie seems to present their "relationship status" as still ambiguous at this point in the story. Chani thought they had had a big fight but maybe she was still his girlfriend, maybe she could criticize his political decisions but they could still be an item romantically. Kind of like when Kellyanne Conway's then-husband was vocally criticizing Trump while she was working for him, but sexes reversed.
When Villeneuve said, "I changed the nature of Chani’s character to create a perspective that I hope Frank Herbert will agree with ...," I really think he made Chani more militant in order to appeal to feminists. This had nothing to do with presenting Paul as a flawed hero. Good writing would allow the audience to surmise any flaws Paul might have without their being conveyed by smirks or petulance from Chani. Similarly, the recent Netflix "3 Body Problem" series is thoroughly feminist in its perspective. Most of the scientists and entrepreneurs are women or minorities. Even the alien presence has a female voice. Here again, characters were changed from the original book. I may not watch the next installment. It's too irritating.
Good analysis. I haven't seen the 2nd Dune yet. But two movies albeit made over 20 years that place men on a high moral plane; Second Hand Lions (Robert Duvall & Michael Caine) and Blast From the Past (Brendan Fraser).
Here's the thing, in the books there was already someone who's conscience resisted the path Paul was going down: Paul himself! He didn't want to become this messianic figure, but was forced into it by the necessity of survival (whom he resented, and and indeed thought of her as an enemy despite his love for her).
This is a very important point, I think, that gets overlooked. Attempts to reduce Dune to "great man bad" ignores the entire theme of precognition throughout the first four novels.
Paul also opposed the path of the Great Jihad until he awoke his precognitive powers. Once he had the ability to see the future, he realized that he had no choice. The Great Jihad was going to happen anyway, with or without him, and would be worse in his absence. Herbert might have walked this back in his later interviews, but the tragedy of Paul is that he couldn't avoid being the Great Man of History and the lament of Books 3 and 4 was that Great Men are inevitable.
What made Dune such a great work of art was the very complicated approach that Herbert took in books 1-4 about the questions of precognition, fate, Great Men and Great Movements. Was Herbert being ironic when he wrote about Paul's procognition? Perhaps. Even if it was meant to be ironic, the point is that Paul believed it, and in believing it became compelled to follow it. Modern attempts to dumb down the novels for 30-second-attention-span iPhone-brains can only destroy a great work of art. That's the problem with Villeneuve's movies.
Yes, those are great points.
I will also add that Chani of the books is a very real and complex character in her own right - and she makes sense as the product of the culture and social position into which she was born. I had my doubts that Zendaya could portray that kind of woman, but it seems that it does not matter.
I like both Dune movies. But I also find Chani annoying.