Let's Discuss: Dune: Part 1 and the Hero's Journey

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. Things have been running non-stop for me, so I apologize I did not get this out sooner. Some exciting news regarding Trinity of the Broken, I have teamed up with ACX to have Trinity turned into an audiobook, and production is well under way. The goal is to have production wrap up by mid November so we can have it published by end of November, beginning of December. The process was incredibly easy to set up and within a week I was signing the agreement to begin production. I will keep you updated as we move forward and maybe share a some sneak peak sound bites.

This week I have had the pleasure to see a movie that I have been anticipating for some time now, Dune: Part 1. While I have never read the books, I am a big fan of the original movie from 1984 with Kyle MacLauchlan, Sting, and Patrick Stewart. I was just a kid when it came out, but I watched it for real when I was in high school, and it became a spring board into my Scifi phase. I loved everything about it, the lore that preluded it, with the AI war and the development of people capable of super-computer level computations, to the interstellar feudal system that developed. If that wasn't enough, it was a beautifully developed movie that held up for decades after its release, not to mention the amazing cast. 

This, of course made me both excited and worried when I heard they were remaking Dune. My worries were mislead, however. From the opening scene, it was clear the Denis Villeneuve was looking to do right by the books and the original movie. The first thing that really hit me were the visuals. From start to finish, I was taken aback by how beautiful each scene was. In regards to the cast, I was unsure about Timothée Chalamet, and I honestly would have liked to possibly have seen a few others in the roll as my first pic, but he did a fantastic job. I feel his success came from the support of the stellar cast around him, helping and lifting him to level he had not reached in previous works. Jason Mamoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, and Sharon Duncan-Brewster all helped to shape and support each other throughout the movie and allowed for an immersive experience that is so important to movies of this scope. 

My only criticism is that it ended when it did. Thought the original movie moved quickly through the three parts to the story, Villeneuve makes each arc a full story. The detail and character development is appreciated and never did I feel like I was watching a nearly three hour movie, yet when it finished I only wanted more, which we will not get until 2023.

Watching Dune had me thinking about the story structure known as the Hero's Journey. For those that are unfamiliar with this, it is a twelve step progression of a protagonist on his journey from mundane to Hero of Legend. While not every heroic tale follows this model exactly, it is standard enough that most hero stories can be broken down within its structure. These steps basically start with an ordinary person in an ordinary place, who is motivated in someway to set out on an adventure. This of course will be unwanted and rejected by the protagonist, but ultimately they are forced to go forward. On this journey, they will encounter helpers and mentors, face initial trials that will help develop their skill and mental constitution, until they are faced with their own internal fears that they must overcome. Eventually, they achieve their goal, develop a level of character growth, and travel home to complete their mission.

Dune does not hit all of these points, but it is only the first part. If taken as the first act, Paul Atreides is set firmly on the Hero's Journey. There are many authors I have talked with that feel that the Hero's Journey is overused and has outlived its usefulness, but I disagree with that perspective. People want to see and experience what it means to be a hero. People are already living in their normal, boring lives, they are not looking for a story that maintains the status norm. They are looking to lose themselves to someone who is no longer constrained by the world they themselves so often find themselves restrained by. 

The hero is what people should aspire to be. They should be the ones who make the moral choices, not because they are easy, but because they are right. They want to see the hero overcome their challenges and trial, because it inspires them to face and progress through their own challenges and trials. Finally, they want to see a hero face their own faults and weaknesses, because if they can overcome theirs, then maybe the reader can find the energy to overcome their own. 

The Hero's Journey is not a very complex format to write in, nor is it necessarily prone to ensure a good story. What it does do is work as a story trope that enables a level of familiarity that readers and writers can be comfortable in and give a level of expectation within the story. It does not mean that every story should be set up in this way, but it should certainly not be dismissed simply because it is used often. Sometimes, things are used over and over because they work. If it did not work, people would not keep gravitating towards it and I feel the world would be much less for it.

I want to thank you for giving me your time, it is invaluable and I am honored that you have shared it with me. I hope you feel it was time well spent. May your days be fulfilling and your path be clear of trouble. All the best, and speak to you soon.