I rewatched Dune part 1, hoping to take away a better impression than I had when I saw it in theaters. Unfortunately I still don’t find much of value in it. I still need to rewatch part 2, and maybe that could still change my mind. But I’m not holding my breath.
In brief, Dune seems deeply misanthropic. The message is: the masses are irrational and easily duped by conniving populists that promise revolution. Simultaneously Horseshoe Theory and Great Man Theory. It is a diatribe against democracy and the intelligence of the underclasses.
Am I massively missing the point of this story? I have sought a Marxist analysis of these movies, and the ones I have found only ramble aimlessly the cleverness of Villeneuve for subverting the spaghetti-western hero trope and for being “self-aware” about Orientalist and colonial themes. As far as big-budget media goes, I think Andor is far more useful for leftist agitation than Dune could be.
Yeah my critique of it isn’t that vellenevue wants to make a white savior, and Herbert didn’t either. But that the gaps left by subtext and lacking material explanations leaves a gap which can fill its opposite intended narrative easily. We can blame conservatives and libs for misreading art, or get serious that responsible art shouldn’t allow itself to be useful in any way by enemies. Andor has no way to be read as positive to empire or settlers.