Dune Part 2 + Letterboxd Reviews

Under the glorious black sun

idk its cute and i couldnt resist

Not_a_reference_to_WreckItRalph.JPG

There are so many places in the Villeneuve Dune adaptations where he just...takes all the narrative pieces that Frank Herbert laid out and subtly rearranges them into something that tells the story better--that creates dramatic tension where you need it, communicates the themes and message of the book more clearly, or corrects something in the text that contradicts or undermines what Herbert said he was trying to say.

The fedaykin are probably my favorite example of this. I just re-read a little part of the book and got smacked in the face with how different they are.

(under the cut for book spoilers and length)

The fedaykin in the book are Paul's personal followers, sort of his personal guard. They show up after his legend has already started growing (the word doesn't appear in the book until chapter 40) and they are people who have specifically dedicated themselves to fighting for him, and right from the moment they're introduced there is a kind of implied fanaticism to their militancy that's a bit uncomfortable to read. They're the most ardent believers in Paul's messianic status and willing to die for him. (They are also, as far as you can tell from the text, all men.)

In the book, as far as I can remember (I could be forgetting some small detail but I don't think so) there is no mention of armed resistance to colonialism on Arrakis before Paul shows up. As far as we know, he created it. ETA: Okay I actually went back and checked on this and while we hear about the Fremen being "a thorn in the side" of the Harkonnens and we know that they are good fighters, we don't see anything other than possibly one bit of industrial sabotage. The book is very clear that the organized military force we see in the second half was armed and trained by Paul. This is exacerbated by the two-year time jump in the book, which means we never see how Paul goes from being a newly deposed ex-colonial overlord running for his life to someone who has his own private militia of people ready to give their lives for him.

The movie completely flips all these dynamics on their head in ways that add up to a radical change in meaning.

The fedaykin in the movie are an already-existing guerrilla resistance movement on Arrakis that formed long before Paul showed up. Literally the first thing we learn about the Fremen, less that two minutes into the first movie, is that they are fighting back against the colonization and exploitation of their home and have been for decades.

The movie fedaykin also start out being the most skeptical of the prophecy about Paul, which is a great choice from both a political and a character standpoint. Of course they're skeptical. If you're part of a small guerrilla force repeatedly going up against a much bigger and stronger imperial army...you have to believe in your own agency. You have to believe that it is possible to win, and that this tiny little chip in the armor of a giant terrifying military machine that you are making right now will make a difference in the end. These are the people who are directly on the front lines of resisting oppression. They are doing it with their own sweat, blood and ingenuity, and they are not about to wait around for some messiah who may never come.

From a character standpoint, this is really the best possible environment you could put Paul Atreides in if you want to keep him humble. He doesn't get any automatic respect handed to him due to title or birthright or religious belief. He has to prove himself--not as any kind of savior but as a good fighter and a reliable member of a collective political project. And he does. This is an environment that really draws out his best qualities. He's a skilled fighter; he's brave (sometimes recklessly so); he's intensely loyal to and protective of people he cares about. He is not too proud to learn from others and work hard in an egalitarian environment where he gets no special treatment or extra glory. The longer he spends with the fedaykin the more his allegiance shifts from Atreides to Fremen, and the more skeptical he himself becomes about the prophecy. This sets up the conflict with Jessica, which comes to a head before she leaves for the south. And his political sincerity--that he genuinely comes to believe that these people deserve liberation from all colonial forces and his only role should be to help where he can--is what makes the tragedy work. Because in the end we know he will betray all these values and become the exact thing he said he didn't want to be.

There's another layer of meaning to all this that I don't know if the filmmakers were even aware of. ETA: rescinding my doubt cause based on some of Villeneuve's other projects I'm pretty sure he could work it out. Given the time period (1960s) and Herbert's propensity for using Arabic or Arabic-inspired words for aspects of Fremen culture, it seems very likely that the made-up word fedaykin was taken from fedayeen, a real Arabic word that was frequently used untranslated in American news media at the time, usually to refer to Palestinian armed resistance groups.

Fedayeen is usually translated into English as fighter, guerrilla, militant or something similar. The translation of fedaykin that Herbert provides in Dune is "death commando"...which is a whole bucket of yikes in my opinion, but it's not entirely absurd if we're assuming that this fake word and the real word fedayeen function in the same way. A more literal translation of fedayeen is "self-sacrificer," as in willing, intentional self-sacrifice for a political cause, up to and including sacrificing your life.

If you apply this logic to Dune, it means that Villeneuve has actually shifted the meaning of this word in-universe, from fighters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for Paul to fighters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their people. And the fedaykin are no longer a group created for Paul but a group that Paul counts himself as part of, one member among equals. Which is just WILDLY different from what's in the book. And so much better in my opinion.

Jayvik

CHERIK + DECLARATIONS OF LOVE (X) FOR #REVIVECHERIK2024

A WIP can sit dormant for a year and a half and still be happy to see you.

you can literally say anything to men, it doesn’t matter

My brother and my pig he didn't want

Let’s talk about Spencer Reid’s love for Penelope Garcia.

From season 1 Garcia and Reid always had a special bond that Reid didn’t have with the others. She teased him and scared him like a younger brother and he never seemed to be confused about her intentions; he always knew she was teasing and he responded accordingly. He wasn’t afraid to be annoyed with her or to respond, he seemed really comfortable with her.

Whilst Reid was comfortable all of his team members eventually, in season 1, especially at the beginning, he seemed to have some sort of hesitance towards how he responded to them sometimes but he never showed that with Garcia. She also never showed the same hesitance with him: she didn’t treat him like the weird little nerdy kid but rather how she treated anyone else, she treated him with the same teasing and flirtatious remarks and she was never careful around him. They both were perfectly comfortable with eachother’s weirdness, whether it was Reid teasing her about her illegal hacking or Garcia teasing him about being in a ‘haunted’ house

We see it in bits and pieces through seasons 1-5 with Reid being by Garcia’s bedside the entire time after she was shot in season 3. Then in season 5 they were left together because Reid couldn’t travel due to being shot. Reid is seen doing Garcia’s work with her and the entire time they’re bickering like siblings. Again, we show a comfort between them that we rarely see Reid show. He isn’t nervous in his bickering, he’s willing to meet Garcia right where she is and she’s more than happy to have him there

We begin to see more from them from this point, with Reid matching Garcia’s phone call energy; ‘I will be eagerly awaiting your call’ and their teasing remarks between them; ‘what is he doing with their lips?’ ‘maybe he’s eating them’ ‘that image will forever be burned in my memory’ ‘you asked.’

Then season 7 episode 9 you have them both gushing about a friendly ghost together; again just completely enthralled in eachother’s oddness. In season 9 you have them needing to take the fit test together, here their dynamic is amazing. Again, we see a side to Reid we don’t normally see, where he’s willing to talk smack with Garcia and one that really stood out to me was when he touched Garcia’s arm and said ‘you work out? That’s cool I dont’. Considering he is very not physically affectionate, this was quite cute to me considering how comfortably he did it

When he gets shot in season 9 she’s with him the entire time and even protects him by shooting someone which I’m pretty sure is the first time she’s ever actually shot a gun

You have them going to conventions together and breaking the law together by breaking and hacking into Government files

Then we have him bringing her a croissant because he heard she was hungry to which she responds ‘oh you love me and I love you!’ To which he nods; again, up to this point he’s never shown such comfort with someone

Then you have him kissing her head and hugging her in season 12; again, consider the fact that he’s a huge germphobey

You have them getting kidnapped together and stressing to eachother how important to the team the other is

And then in season 15 you have her being at the hospital with him and being in charge of talking to Diana about his injuries, further showing how close they are

‘I will not be dancing at this wedding by myself, do you understand me Dr Reid?’ ‘Yes’ he says with no hesitance or embarrassment

Sorry if I rambled but I just love their relationship so so much

Let's make a deal (ft Bill playing with Ford's feelings)