A moment of reflection after watching the 2021 reintroduction to Frank Herbert's classic, Dune. An epic of, well, epic proportions, following a young Paul Atreides, as he embarks to the inhospitable Arrakis with his family, beginning the unfolding of numerous nefarious plots that not only wish Paul and his family harm for gain of power, but for a prophecy to come true.
Dune is a beloved book by all. It has been noted for inspiring other works such as Star Wars, Game of Thrones, the Chronicles of Riddick, and even Futurama.
I know it sounds like a crazy thing to say, but when it comes to a prolific film such as Dune, thank goodness for reboots.
The original Dune (1984) bit off more than it can chew, attempting to portray a technological future that had no bounds - only to be restricted by, well, the 80's. They did okay with the overall theme for Dune, they followed the stories, but the costumes, effects, and Sting, were all over the place. You cannot blame a vision, especially if it is an artistic take such as Jessica being the only Bene Gesserit to not have a bald head, allowing her to stand out in a physical and traditional sense. You can, however, blame a vision when the Harkonnen's are all red heads, the Count is a cartoon villain who is tired of being thwarted by the Atreides house, and the shields obscure the action between people fighting.
That's where I say, reboots can be permissible if they give stories a chance to be portrayed correctly. I do not agree with reboots for just a cash grab, for an easy story we already know and no advancement of the story.
I want to be invested in something new. To branch out with my imagination and consider a new perspective mediums such as books and movies can provide.
Dune did exactly that. It did not let Frank Herbert's work die in the 80's. It told the story, and did it so beautifully. The effects, the acting, the cinematography and choreography were insanely amazing. You felt like you were immersed in this world, even if you didn’t know anything about it, and you didn’t want to leave. You enjoyed the power that the Bene Gesserit have, the strength of the Fremen, the callousness of the Harkonnen’s because everyone was crafted for their own narrative, every character strong, and everyone had skin in the game you wanted to see flesh out, and we almost didn’t have it.
Reboots can be permissible, if they make people want to read the source material. I cannot tell you how many holds I have placed for Dune at my work, how many conversations I have shared about the story and the characters. It is so cool to see such a surge of interest and eagerness to understand the unknown, (looking at Leto II, the third of his name).
Reboots can be permissible if they inspire you to write a story too. Those who don’t think people will “get” their work, are afraid that they won’t like it, that it’s not “good” enough.
It took 6 years for Frank Herbert to write Dune. He was rejected 23 times before Dune was finally published. 37 years to retell the tale of Dune.
Read, write, be you, reboots are permissible, and so is what you create.