The Biggest Difference Between David Lynch’s and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune? Female Agency

(Oh, and a plot) *SPOILERS AHEAD*

Image by Patou Ricard from Pixabay

As many people who grew up on 1984’s Dune can attest, it’s a visually stunning work that tells the story of Christlike figure Paul Atreides. Like Christ (and Harry Potter and Neo and Katniss Everdean) Paul is meant to bring order to a chaotic universe where good might forever be snuffed out by the forces of evil, and he is the only person who can do so. In both versions of the film — 1984’s version directed by David Lynch and 2021’s version directed by Dennis Villenueve — this concept is crystal clear. What the new Dune does so much better, in my opinion, is twofold. First, it expressly lays out the plot instead of assuming the audience has read the book. Lynch’s version of the story is almost impossible to understand unless one has read the book, but it excels at revealing the story in an ethereal manner that makes for a heady experience that really is like a trip, in every sense of the word. Villeneuve is tells the story in a more straightforward way so the audience isn’t left guessing about much.

But the other difference — and it’s huge — is Villeneuve gives the women back their power in this film. In Lynch’s version, Paul’s mother Jessica Atreides is a gorgeous woman who’s by no means soft, but she’s presented as…