Is Dune prophetic? The sci-fi spectacular is a tale of spice and sand worms. But writer Frank Herbert’s original novel draws on ancient history and religious tradition.
Biblical themes inspire blockbuster movie hit
Is Dune prophetic? The sci-fi spectacular is a tale of spice and sand worms. But writer Frank Herbert's original novel draws on ancient history and religious tradition.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Spice opera</h2>
The promised hour has arrived.
Today sees the release of Dune: Part Two, the eagerly awaited second half of director Denis Villeneuve's epic science fiction movie. The first was a commercial smash1 that won numerous awards.2
Part Two is on course to outgun its predecessorThe person who had a job before the current holder.. Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw calls it a "staggering spectacle". His Telegraph counterpart Robbie Collin found it "stately and sinisterThreatening, or suggesting that something frightening or disturbing will happen. ".3
Dune features stunning landscapes, lavishSpending more money than is reasonable. costumes and exhilarating action sequences. But there is more to it than thrills.
The films are based on a 1965 novel by the American writer Frank Herbert, often considered the greatest sci-fi novel ever written.
The plot follows two rival families as they plot to take control of an intergalactic empire. After Leto Atreides is murdered, his son Paul flees to the desert. He then plots his revenge, with the help of a group of poor desert-dwellers called the Fremen.
It is a simple story. But it has many real world parallels. In particular Herbert draws on the Hebrew Bible, a religious text in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The Bible contains numerous prophets. These are figures with a God-given power to predict the future. They often claim that a messiahThe promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people. will come to save the Jewish people from oppression.4 For Christians, Jesus is the fulfilment of this prophecy.
Dune's Fremen think that Paul Atreides is the saviour who will allow them to rise up against the empire. He mirrors Jesus. The son of God goes to the desert to battle the devil. Paul goes into it to tame a sand worm.
Yet Dune also questions the truth of prophecyMaking predictions about what will happen in the future.. We discover that Paul was bred to produce a saviour who would take the throne. The prophecies were planted to help political schemes. Herbert actually warns us to distrust religious predictions.
Is Dune prophetic?
Yes: Dune isn't just about prophecy. It is prophetic. Limited resources, dry climates, extreme views... Herbert presents a fantastical version of what our world might look like in a few hundred years.
No: Dune looks futuristic. But its concerns are drawn from history. From a declining empire to the rise of a world-conquering desert religion, Herbert is retelling Rome's fall and Christianity's rise.
Or... Dune draws on religious allegoryA story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning. . But it contains a lot more. Herbert's work is also a critique of these faiths, an attack on colonialism, a look at native people's struggles and an action-packed sci-fi yarn.
Predecessor - The person who had a job before the current holder.
Sinister - Threatening, or suggesting that something frightening or disturbing will happen.
Lavish - Spending more money than is reasonable.
Messiah - The promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people.
Prophecy - Making predictions about what will happen in the future.
Allegory - A story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning.
Biblical themes inspire blockbuster movie hit

Glossary
Predecessor - The person who had a job before the current holder.
Sinister - Threatening, or suggesting that something frightening or disturbing will happen.
Lavish - Spending more money than is reasonable.
Messiah - The promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people.
Prophecy - Making predictions about what will happen in the future.
Allegory - A story or poem that has a hidden moral or political meaning.