Dune Part 2: A Lesson in Good and Evil
I’ve recently watched the long anticipated sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 Dune. I came into the cinema fully expecting to be blown away and I’m very glad to say that he delivered (and went beyond) all my expectations. The 2021 film first introduced me to Frank Herbert’s Dune universe (or Dune-iverse if you will). I read the first book immediately after watching the film and became so immersed in the lore and the world building portrayed in the film. But what spoke to me most were the themes of religion and its correlation with power.
He who controls the spice, controls the universe.
These were the opening words that echoed in the beginning of part 2. Spice represents both monetary and spiritual wealth in the world of Dune. Therefore, the battle is not only for control over this precious resource, but for influence over the people it belongs to — the Fremen.
Control takes many forms. To the Harkonnen, control is subjugation, repression, violence. The Bene Gesserit however are known best for their ability to play the long game. To them, control begins with discovering what man desires — and desire is weakness. Control can therefore be achieved through love, adoration, and in the in the case of the Fremen: worship.
The Fremen have spent centuries under the oppression. The Bene Gesserit (ever the opportunists) saw this as a way to control the Fremen under the guise of religion and faith by planting a prophecy of the Lisan Al-Gaib, the voice from the outer world. Having built a strong belief and expectance for a Messianic figure that will come to deliver them, this desire for deliverance ironically becomes their undoing as when Paul and Jessica arrive, they see what the Bene Gesserit want them to see.
It means the Bene Gesserit have been at work here.
Planting superstition?
Preparing the way. These people have waited centuries for the Lisan Al-Gaib. They see you, they see the signs.
I will not be drawing parallels to any particular religion, nor will I assume that this film is a metaphor for any specific faith. But one thing every religion (or faith) agrees on is the distinction between good and evil. One which this film makes incredibly difficult to do.
What I loved about Dune Part 2 is the fact that you never know what game any of the protagonists are playing, and therefore which side you (the viewer) should be on. All their motivations are always thinly veiled, and what it does is create a very blurred line between “good” and “evil”.
Paul begins his arc by firmly rejecting his destiny as the messianic figure come to deliver the Fremen from the hands of their oppressors. He believes the prophecies to be false, having now understood how the stories have been long implanted in the culture of Arrakis by his mother and her Bene Gesserit sisterhood in the attempt to consolidate (subjugate) the planet under a religious banner. To put it simply, Paul refused to be an instrument of control for the “good” of the universe.
However as the story progresses and Paul learns the ways of the Fremen, he finds himself unwittingly becoming adored and revered by the people who see his initiation into the Fremen as a revelation to the aforementioned prophecy. Simultaneously, Paul is now seeing just how much the Fremen continue to suffer under Harkonnen rule and realizes that their true freedom can only come when all their enemies are gone. He now faces a difficult decision: reject his destiny in order to save the universe but at the expense of Fremen lives, or embrace his identity and embark on a holy war to truly free them.
This gives so much more weight to Leto’s words in the first film: “A great man doesn’t seek to lead. He is called to it, and he answers.”
Paul comes to accept his role as “Mahdi”, boldly proclaiming his leadership over the Fremen, and sends his followers to war. Billions die as a result. But Arrakis is free. Both choices contain elements of good and of evil. But where do we draw the line? Paul sees himself becoming an instrument of evil, slowly weaving himself into the web the Bene Gesserit have woven for centuries, but does so for the good of his people.
What’s to say that the Bene Gesserit hadn’t always suspected Paul would succumb to his ultimate weakness and come to serve their purpose? What’s to say Paul was subconsciously tempted by the promises of power that his title brings? Jessica had long groomed Paul for this exact purpose. It made me question whether the love she felt for her son was genuine. Maybe it was, or was it more reflective of a kind of protectiveness that someone would show to their investment?
What I learned from Dune is that ultimately, to those behind the veil, good and evil are irrelevant. “Good” and “Evil” are instruments of control. Jargon that keeps people in line. And those people are the ones who truly hold the power. Faith is hope to the oppressed but a weapon in the hands of the oppressor.
