Dune Part 2: Re-Invention of the Orient 20,000 years into the future.

• 25020297
• Oct 7, 2024
• 3 min read

Dune Part 2 is a reimagining of one of the all-time favourite proclaimed science fiction novels written by Frank Herbert set 20,000 years into the future.

The protagonist of the story, Paul, finds himself reuniting with the female lead, Chani, as he attempts to avenge his family. The film incorporates a big budget, some of the best actors, incredible cinematography, and editing, presenting a very impactful image and narration to the audience. Despite excelling in all matters of cinema and story narration, the point of contention is raised when looking at the film’s art direction—a snippet of what the audience globally received through the film’s trailer and Posters.

The importance of posters as a media piece is regarding their accessibility and interpretation. It gives an outlook on not just the film but also taps into the audience’s own social, cultural, political and economic inclinations and understandings, which are sometimes either reaffirmed or, at other times, seen to be challenged. Looking at these posters, one observes an orange-to-brown colour scheme, which is linked with desert areas; there is the presence of a distant shadow of a horse and a rugged landscape, an image which is once again connected to the East. Further, an aspect that visual media does so skillfully is also tapping into the emotions of its audience.

With a lack of infrastructural refinement and any form of “civilisation”, one dedicates danger and mystery. The very perception of words such as “civilisation”, “danger”, and “mystery” can be seen to have deep oriental inclinations and forms of understanding that both the East and the West utilise to make sense of their surroundings and reality in general. The presence of deserts and horses, tied to media presenting scenes of uneasiness and danger, is reaffirming oriental ways of thinking and perceiving the world. While presenting calm and peaceful sceneries and emotions, presenting Western landscapes is more common.

This oriental perception of the East, as Edward Said points out, is the White man’s opinions and understanding about the lives of a coloured man, which is then presented to all parties as proven facts and not opinions. When posters of films like Dune reembrace these ideologies, these opinions presented as facts are further solidified, enhancing the power dynamic which goes in favour of the white man naturally. They then have the power to determine what kind of human one can or can not be and if they are worthy of being called one in the first place.

This aspect can also be seen in the poster of Zendaya, the film’s female lead. She is presented with sharp blue eyes, with a look of fear and confusion inhabiting her expression, presenting an innocent, helpless girl. This poster mimics the nonconsensual photograph that an American photographer took of Sharbat Gula, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan. The image was widely popular and used as an example of

Here, the young Afghan girl inhabits expressions of confusion and fear, as seen in how the coloured man keeps the Orient woman. However, what was disregarded was the invasion of space and privacy that the white photographer did to capture the image.

This conscious or subconscious mimicking of the oriental ideas of presenting individuals in the Est has found its way into a science fiction film, presumably set 20,000 years into the future.

Hence, identifying the presence of oriental traits within the popular media we consume and being critical of it becomes an important step in educating ourselves and using media through a more conscious lens.