Dune's Discomfort with Religion

"These films could have aligned with Frank Herbert's science fiction book Dune (1965) and allowed the audience to see the dangers of religion and religious manipulation through the perspective of lead characters Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica. Instead, at the risk of offending faith-based viewers, they push the simplified view that religion and faith are backward and unappealing, especially to enlightened young people."

"The bigger problem is that, because the key religion in Dune followed by the Fremen is coded as Islamic, the films reinforce an Orientalist perspective that believers are unthinking victims stuck in an irrational belief cycle and that freedom will only come when they embrace a secular outlook."

"In the book she is niece to the Fremen sietch leader Stilgar, and she is a young warrior who both becomes a respected religious leader among the Fremen and supports the integration of her beloved Paul into their culture. In the film, she is cast as a kind of liberated girlboss, untethered from the looks and behaviors of the religiously devoted women of the Fremen, yet perpetually discontent with her situation."

Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptations diverge from Frank Herbert's source material by promoting a pro-secular perspective that dismisses religion and faith as backward and irrational. Rather than exploring the dangers of religious manipulation through character perspectives as the original novel does, the films present a simplified critique that alienates faith-based audiences. This approach is particularly problematic because the Fremen religion is coded as Islamic, reinforcing Orientalist narratives that portray believers as unthinking victims requiring secular enlightenment. The character of Chani exemplifies this editorial choice, transformed from a respected religious leader into a liberated, secular-coded warrior who rejects traditional Fremen religious practices and aesthetics. This adaptation strategy prioritizes appealing to contemporary Western sensibilities while avoiding controversy, ultimately sacrificing narrative complexity and cultural nuance.

Read at Apaonline