The ending of Denis Villeneuve's Dune will most surely create a mixed bag of reactions.
You know that I adore the film and that I think from top to bottom it is an amazing cinematic
achievement in the areas of filmmaking and storytelling. But when it comes to the wider
range of viewers, some will find the ending of Dune as a perfect stepping point, but others will
find it slightly anti-climatic. In this video, I'm going to be discussing the ending
and giving reasons towards why I think it is a perfect example of adapting an ending.
This is of course just in relation to Dune Part one and until we get a Part two, this
is all we can go on. There is much to discuss and this analysis will also contain spoilers,
so if you do happen to be someone who hasn't seen the film yet, then I would recommend watching this
video after you've seen it. But if you want to keep up to date on any of my future content on
Dune 2021, then don't forget to support this video by giving it a like rating, subscribing to
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But without further ado, let's dive into the ending of Dune and why I think it is great.
So like I mentioned before, the ending of Dune is going to divide. I think that non-book readers
may find this as more of a setup than leads to believe while those who understand the
journey of Paul and how critical the film's ending is, will really enjoy it. At the same time,
if Part two does happen, then I think that the ending events of this film will be heightened
even more so for the general audience, and on rewatch the climax of Part one
will feel more important than ever. Think of it as an ending that excites you on a similar level
to the Fellowship of the Ring or the first Star Wars, in that you don't have all the
answers to the sprawling story, but once you do know them, the films only become more classic
because of the lore knowledge. To briefly recap, in the ending of Denis Villeneuve's Dune,
it's a pretty tense landscape for Timothee Chalamet's Paul Atreides and Rebecca Ferguson's
Lady Jessica following all the betrayal, extermination and visions that come along
the way. The ending of Dune: Part One depicts the pivotal moment in which Paul and his mother, Lady
Jessica, are accepted into the Fremen tribe living in the deserts of Arrakis. And,
to win the Fremen's trust, Paul must fight the Fremen leader Jamis. Previously, this ending for
the new film was leaked as one of two rumoured endings with the other being the famous water
of life scene from the novel. I predicted that the film would end at that particular moment,
but to my surprise, Villeneuve decided to end on a moment that reflects the transitioning of Paul.
As we see throughout the film, Villeneuve gives us visuals and moments in Pauls visions
that stimulate and emotionally pay off in the ending he chose. In the visions, Jamis is a
friendly character in some of them, but as we learn he is actually the one who would challenge
Paul to fight to the death. A detail I noticed is that Jamis appears very early on in the film.
He is among the group of Fremen that Paul sees with Duncan. Most notably, though, Jamis
can be seen in the right corner of the screen with the Fremen behind Paul on his ship above
Caladan in the vision of the Holy War period. I personally find this detail very interesting,
because it establishes Jamis from very early on in the film and his prominence in
Paul's visions towards the end of the film aren't entirely out of nowhere. You may not
have noticed it, but on rewatch it is something you will definitely pick out and it keeps in line
with the idea of Paul questioning what he is seeing. The climactic scene and the visions
prior to the conclusion of this fight also stay in line with what Paul tells the Reverend
Mother about his dreams after the Gom Jabbar test, in that things don't happen exactly as he dreams
them. A lot of the movie hinges on the reliability of his dreams and how he deals with what he is
seeing. Coming to a moment where he has to then fight to the death to be accepted and confront
his real fate is something that expands the meaning in a deep moment of character development.
Also, after we had already seen prophetic visions of Paul leading the fremen in a holy war,
this is further put into question by the character he finally meets in the ending
scene. Chani tells Paul that, unlike other Fremen, she doesn’t believe he is the Lisan Al Gaib,
their prophesied messianic figure from off-world. She also has no illusions
Paul will survive a fight against a skilled fighter like Jamis but she wants him to at least
die with honour by carrying the crysknife of a great warrior, a weapon which again is discussed
over and over, and one that he's sees in multiple visions. Chani adds the small comfort that
Jamis won’t let Paul suffer. Jamis is a master of the crysknife, whereas Paul has only been
trained in the duelling style befitting the use of defensive energy shields. The Fremen
and their stillsuits have no such shields. But while Jamis is indeed a fearsome fighter,
we soon learn that Paul gains the upper hand though and immobilizes him, urging him to
yield. But with the Fremen, yeilding is not an option. This is a fight to the death scenario and
Paul’s reluctance to slay his opponent is initially perceived as cruelly toying with him.
So Paul does what he must, reversing what happened in some of his future visions, and kills
Jamis. With that, the boy has become a man in the eyes of the Fremen,
who each give him a pat on the shoulder as a sign that Paul and his mother have
been accepted among them. Jessica also reveals to Stilgar that Paul has never killed a man before.
So what does this mean for Paul’s previously envisioned death and What was the meaning
behind it? Well, simply put, Paul Atreides had to die in order for Paul Muad'Dib to live. Paul’s
victory also means his vision of him becoming a warmongering messiah for the Fremen could come
true. His fear that this may be his inescapable fate weighs heavily on him throughout the latter
part of the novel, although it’s largely left up to Chalamet’s nuanced performance in the film
to suggest the dread he feels about his possible future. Paul agrees to fight
Jamis to demonstrate his willingness to abide by Fremen traditions and culture. In other words,
Paul’s fight with Jamis is not his idea, nor is it about him imposing his will on the native peoples
of Arrakis. In David Lynch’s 1984 version of Dune, most of the arc with Jamis is absent from the
movie's final cut and as several fans have noted, this is a major flaw within Lynch’s adaptation.
Paul fighting Jamis is partly motivated by Paul’s desire to avoid a larger galactic war, proving
to the Fremen that he is one of them. Whether or not Paul is successful is pretty much a matter of
opinion to the audience. But it is a huge critical moment in the development of what he becomes
and ending it here is my opinion was a genius choice.
Paul’s acceptance into the Fremen culture is the catalyst for the rest of the story,
which is partially linked to the eventual arrival of his baby sister Alia Atreides, which we see in
a vision and is confirmed in Part One. Essentially, Paul can’t become Muad'dib or the
Kwisatz Haderach without this fight. The bigger space politics of the story can’t happen until
Paul ascends within the Fremen culture, and that means the story can’t eventually end in Part Two
without this crucial fight first. It’s not the only domino in Paul’s story,
but it’s one of the biggest ones. Villeneuve could have ended the film at a point like the Water of
Life scene which is separated in time between books two and three in the first novel, or he
could have ended it at the end of the book following a big climax. But instead, he
chose a vital moment of character development for Paul, allowing the character to change throughout
this first film and then give us the necessary components that lead into a complete arc
by the end of the second film. It's genius because it wraps up the story of Paul Atreides in
this film, and then sets up what is in store for him as Paul Muadib and the universe of Dune Part
Two. The movie ends on a dark note with death but then it also gives us an overwhelming sense
of hope, as the Fremen journey back across the dunes to their home. When Chani turns to Paul,
smiling and it being reminiscent of a bright image he has seen in his dreams, she
assures him and the audience that, “This is only the beginning.” Coupled with a brief shot of
a Fremen native riding a sandworm alongside them and you instantly build the excitement
for what's to come. And there sure is a hell of a lot. In this regard, Denis Villeneuve
has succeeded in adapting an ending that feels finite to the early development as Paul being an
Atreides, but sets up his path as one among the fremen.
But that was my video discussing why I believe Dune Part One has a perfect ending.
Like I said I think viewers will be mixed on this ending, to begin with, but over time I think that
those will come to see the power of this finale to Part One through sheer character development.
Part two is only going to elevate the importance of it and I can't wait to see what
Denis Villeneuve and his team do with it if we do in fact get a sequel. But what do you
think towards the ending of Dune Part One and do you agree that over time a part two
will make the importance of this ending shine through a lot more. Let me know your
thoughts down below in the comments section alongside your overall reaction to the film.
For more breakdown videos on Denis Villeneuve's Dune, then subscribe to the channel and turn
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and follow me on social media via the links in the description. Over the next week, I will be doing
a video on Dune Part Two alongside an upload on the biggest questions of the first film,
so keep a lookout for whenever I post. But anyway,
I hope you guys enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make some noise.