Dune: Part Two is really Zendaya’s movie
Denis Villeneuve’s planned trilogy of Dune movies is unmistakably focused on telling the story of Paul Atreides, as played by Timothée Chalamet. But just because it’s Paul’s story doesn’t mean he’s the main character of all of the movies. In fact, one of the cleverest, most effective methods Villeneuve uses to show us Paul’s journey in Dune: Part Two is by subtly shifting the Freman warrior Chani (Zendaya) from her initial role as narrator and love interest into the movie’s main character. And Zendaya is one of the few actors who could actually pull that off.
[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers forDune: Part Two.]
At the beginning of Dune: Part Two, Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), is slowly consolidating power, trying to convince both the Fremen and Paul himself that he is the prophesied messiah, Lisan al Gaib. That prophecy was planted by Jessica’s Bene Gesserit organization many generations ago as a means of controlling the Fremen. At first, Paul is resolute in refusing to back Jessica in manipulating the Fremen, who saved Paul and Jessica’s lives after the Harkonnen family attacked them and drove them into the desert. Paul doesn’t want to be the Fremen’s messiah, he wants to be their equal.
But as the movie progresses, Paul’s desire for revenge against the Harkonnens grows, and the idea of surviving without taking control of the Fremen on Arrakis begins to look less and less possible to him. By the time he decides to go south and meet with the Fremen fundamentalists, it’s clear that Paul has chosen to accept the role of the Lisan al Gaib, something he knows will bring about the death of billions of people across the universe. His Fremen lover Chani wants to steer him away from that future, and she can’t.
Communicating his shift from main character and hero to something far darker and more complicated is one of Dune: Part Two’s greatest challenges. It would probably have been impossible for the movie to fully make Paul a villain. It wouldn’t
Read more on polygon.com
