In Dune 2 there is a change among the Fremen that gives the film a brilliant perspective that the book lacks. At least that’s what Leya, the editor-in-chief of MeinMMO, believes.
Warning: The following text contains spoilers for the story of Dune 2. If you haven’t seen the film yet, feel free to check out my spoiler-free review.
To adapt a science fiction epic like Dune into film, some adjustments are necessary to make the story work within the limited time and on the screen. Thus, there are also some changes in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation compared to Frank Herbert’s original.
The adaptations are of course eagerly debated by book lovers. I would like to highlight a change that I particularly liked:
The opinions of the Fremen about Paul Atreides and the prophecy of the Prophet (Lisan al Gaib) differ.
Fremen have a long history
The Fremen are the native inhabitants of Arrakis.
They are dismissed by the rest of the Empire as primitive barbarians. They descend from a religious refugee group, the wandering Zensunni slaves. These had already come thousands of years before the events surrounding Paul Atreides on the desert planet.
Arrakis is the most valuable planet in the universe, as spice can only be harvested here. The planet and the Fremen are exploited by spice mining.
A prophecy states that one day the Prophet, the Lisan al Gaib, will come to free the Fremen and Arrakis. Now we know that this prophet is seen in Paul.
Division among the Fremen adds more depth to the story
In the book, the Fremen are largely described as a homogeneous group, all believing in this prophecy. They live all over the desert planet in so-called sietches, cave-like living units beneath the surface of the earth.
Denis Villeneuve chose to divide the Fremen into two groups:
- The Fremen in the north, who are directly threatened by colonization by the Empire
- The Fremen in the south, where the weather is so extreme that no one dares to go there. Until Feyd-Rautha takes control of spice mining. Millions of Fremen live in the south.
Due to the extreme heat in the southern part of the desert planet, the Fremen spend most of their time underground in sietches. The story of Lisan al Gaib, who leads the Fremen to freedom, is deeply rooted in their culture there.
In the north, however, the culture is different. Especially the younger Fremen are extremely skeptical of Paul Atreides here and sometimes even mock the southern belief in the Prophet.
This change is brilliant!
For one, it seems much more realistic to me that on such a large planet with so many inhabitants, there would also be different cultures. Furthermore, it adds much more depth to the entire discussion about a false prophet, holy wars, and charismatic leaders.
Paul also has to work much harder to convince the Fremen to join him in his quest for revenge. This gives more insight into his thought process on how he can enlist the Fremen for his purposes while not shying away from manipulation.
This helps to better represent the core of the story even in a shortened version.
Chani and Stilgar as symbolic figures of the factions
Most fan discussions I found were about Chani and Stilgar. Because their character traits were adapted for the film:
- The once stoic Stilgar provides most of the laughs in Dune 2 with his stubborn belief that interprets every action of Paul as part of the prophecy
- Chani’s attitude towards Paul is changed so that she becomes the biggest critic of the prophecy and Paul’s appearance as the savior of the Fremen
I have now seen Dune 2 twice in theaters, and nowhere was the reaction as strong as to Stilgar’s unwavering belief in Paul Atreides as the great savior of the Fremen.
Even when Paul himself says that he is not the great Lisan al Gaib, Stilgar is convinced that such humility could only be shown by the Prophet. This is reminiscent of Monty Python’s Life of Brian. It’s narratively so skillfully done, because later the laughter pretty much gets stuck in your throat when millions of Fremen want to follow their savior Paul “into total war.”
Moreover, this is currently generating numerous memes around Stilgar, over which I have been laughing for days:
Chani’s role is, as I see it, the most debated among book lovers, as it completely changes her story arc.
Chani takes on the role of the skeptic. Again and again, she tries to convince the other Fremen that they must free themselves. Waiting for a prophet and the stories surrounding him would only serve to control her people. The Fremen must actively take action and free themselves.
In the books, Chani is also a standalone character and has her conflicts with Lady Jessica and Princess Irulan, but all her actions are driven by her love for Paul.
That Chani turns away from Paul at the end of Dune 2 and goes into the desert alone is a huge change from the original. I am very curious to see how Denis Villeneuve will handle that in a third part. This makes her much more of a main character with her own agenda.
Here, too, the story gains more depth, as Paul must somehow win Chani back for himself. Chani’s reaction to Paul’s marriage plans with Princess Irulan also seems more realistic to me.
All in all, I am a big fan of these changes to the Fremen. It makes the story feel more rounded for me and brings out the core better.
What is your opinion? I am interested in both the views of book lovers about the Fremen and those of people who have only seen the films.
If you want more background on Dune, I recommend the article by my colleague Matthias Hopf from Moviepilot: All the information you need before Dune 2 to understand the biggest sci-fi movie of the year
