Dune (2021) | REACTION (First Time Watching) 

I genuinely do not understand how people find this movie or book boring. It's so well paced and entertaining that there is a reason it is the grandfather of modern scifi!

White eye guy, is a Mentat, a human computer. Computers were destroyed in the Butlerian Jihad, so math is a 'priestly' skill.

So enjoyable & refreshing watching the two of you react to the movie. So many people simply say, I'm so confused, instead of letting it play out, but you two both embrace the unfolding of the story. A few things that may help frame the story (w/o giving things away): - They are all human, correct. It's set tens of thousands of years in the future after colonization of the galaxy. The Atreides can trace their lineage back to ancient Greece. - Atomics are banned, hence why you see a lot of artillery instead. Shields & lasers don't mix. If a laser hits a shield it creates a nuclear explosion, hence why you see swords & close quarters fighting. Shields & sand worms don't mix. Worms are attracted to their humming, hence why you don't see shields used in the open desert. - This is a post-computer future. "Thinking machines" are banned, hence why you have Mentats (human computers), people specially trained in calculations, strategy, etc. You saw each of the two houses had their own. - The same way the spice opened up Paul's latent talents and visions, spice does that to the Space Guild navigators who pilot the ships. They're able to see paths to travel safely while folding space. We only saw them in the background during the handoff scene on Caladan. They were in white robes w helmets full of orange spice gas. Therefore, spice is the only way to travel across the galaxy. - The leader of the Bene Gesserit who tested Paul was Jessica's teacher. She's also the Emperor's Truth Sayer (essentially his right hand). The BG are doing many things: 1) as you heard, they're secretly breeding bloodlines to create the Kwisatz Haderach, essentially a male BG w the ultimate power, but one they can control. Paul was not meant to be the KH, but Jessica gave birth to a son against her instructions & this has thrown a mega-wrench into their plans. 2) they're planting religious propoganda across all the planets through what they call the Missionaria Productiva. This is meant to protect the BG on all of the planets through superstition set into local belief. The idea of the Lisan al Gaib is part of that. Essentially it's another way to control others. Dr Yueh was right: they operate in the shadows & have their own plans within plans. 3) the BG can do many things: use the Voice, tell if people are lying, control their bodies down to the cellular level, speak to their entire maternal lineage going back millennia & gain their knowledge, skilled warriors on par w any other fighter, neutralize poison, control men through seduction & sex, & much more. - Keep those questions you have about Paul top of mind. Paul is the great unknown/the great disruptor. He may or may not be the Kwisatz Haderach. He may or may not be the Lisan al Gaib, because after all, it's just made up by the BG (or is it? lol). Does he stay devoted to his Atreides bloodline? Does he embrace the Fremen? Do they embrace him? Zealot? Prophet? Savior? Dictator? God? One thing is for sure though: no one's foresight predicted him. Many myths, events & plans are converging in the Dune universe right now all at once & he's unintentionally at the center of all of them. - Paul sees many possible outcomes in his visions, not definitives. You were right that there was a lot of metaphorical aspects to the visions. Ie, Jamis promises to teach him the ways of the desert in his vision. While Paul kills him in real life, he still in a way taught him the ways of the desert. Looking forward to your reaction to Part 2 whenever that happens!

When people are speaking around Paul in another language, they don't know that he can understand them

You'll realize in the Dune story there isn't traditional hero and bad guys. It's meant to be a realistic depiction of humans, their desire for power, and how bad things can come from good intentions. You'll understand in part 2

32:58 “But why did the Emperor send them all the way there?” Suppose that Henry III feared that Simon de Montfort would rebel against him, so he sent him to invade France for him. Simon would have the chance to gain French lands if successful, but if unsuccessful, would have his armies broken and be unable to threaten Henry’s power. Now suppose that Henry sent royal army units to fight on the side of the French. Now you have it.

A Sayyadina (lit. “Friend of God”) is a Fremen holy woman, approximately equal to a female bishop. Stilgar didn’t confer the title on her, he recognized that she already rated it.

Paul visions are him seeing multiple possible timelines. That's his Bene Gesserit breeding and Mentat training enhanced by his exposure to spice

You guys are some of the few people I’ve seen actually pick up everything and not think it’s boring. Congrats! You paid attention! 😂 Part 2 is fantastic btw.

Lets just say part 2 will blow you away, I've seen it 4 times.

That was one of the most insightful reactions to this movie i have seen. Subbed.

Denis Villeneuve... love this man. Top tier movies. Dune 3 confirmed. So excited. Cant wait for Dune 2 reactions

Book fan here; you said Atreities correctly. in fact you said it the way the author said it is pronounced. I don't even pronounce it that way but many pronunciations are accepted. But the thing i was most impressed by was that you caught how Duncan Idaho's name might signify that this is the same universe as ours, And you are 100% correct. Most people don't catch this hidden detail but it has HUGE implications on the overall lore of the dune universe. This is why we see little hints of earth sprinkled around throughout the movies like the bagpipes, names of people, and even actual real arabic words used in conjunction with new words in the Fremen language. Dune takes place around 20,000 years after modern day Earth. During this time, all memory of "Old Earth" faded and it became a myth where nobody knows of its true fate. the only things left from earth are the occasional cultural, religious, and language artifacts and remnants that get scattered throughout the Emperium universe and great houses. To these people, Duncan Idaho is just a nice sounding name despite the origins stemming from Idaho the state and the name "Duncan's" scottish heritage; the origin and meaning of these names are long but lost to the dune characters who wield them. Another huge one is the name of the religion that the Fremen follow. its not islam, but rather a new religion called Zensuni. A religion that evolved from the merging of buddhism and sunni muslim cultures of old earth. The Fremen are direct descendents of these peoples from "Old Earth" but they have also largely forgotten their ancient origins.

The Atreides house symbol is actually a falcon/hawk, its the insignia on Leto's ring which he used on the wax seal. Jessica was a little arrogant but also fell in love with Leto and wanted to give him a son and heir.🙂

The book came out in the 60s. There was an attempt to make this in the 80s. They tried to fit the whole book in one movie. This movie really gets it

The bagpipes in the score were kind of a genius idea to me, as an Aussie with a scottish ancestry I've always associated bagpipes with the military, probably because my family watched the Edinburgh Tattoo most years, though I understand most folk around the world not having that thematic connection with the instrument. It also just has this epic swelling sound to it, particularly in the battle scene, good lord that moment moved me to tears my first time watching, knowing these men were all going to die, KNEW they were, but fighting with all their heart anyway, just a perfect moment.

48:51 what Paul saw was his symbolic death. Paul, refugee prince of a deposed royal house, was killed. Paul, junior squire of the Fremen and future Messiah, was born.

50:11 HIs visions (at this point) are visions of the future, visions of the past, and visions of possible futures he can lead the universe to. But Paul lacks the ability to be able to tell the difference most of the time. And Paul wasn't evil, he was scared of himself becoming evil, because of some of the brief images he saw of himself from the future (or possible futures).

*The significance of the little mouse in Dune 2* 😬💀🔪🐛

Thanks for the great reactions. You guys asked all the right questions and edited it nicely to answer the questions that could be answered with clips. Great stuff! Can't wait for more.

Great reaction. Niamh was so perceptive, she will love part 2. Now, run, run to the cinema to see it.

From the book the desert mouse (which you see multiple times in the movie) is called Muah'Dib. It's name is not mentioned in part one but it might come up in part two. I haven't seen it yet. Nice reaction as always. Enjoy you both.

8:50 Yes this movie is set in our universe about 20000 years in the future and about 10000 years after the Butlerian Jihad ended. The Butlerian Jihad was a war against AI (in the book they call them thinking computers, as AI was a relatively new term that most people didn't know) that controlled humanity for thousands of years.

46:48 Sayyadina (Friend of God) is a Freman name for a sister of the Bene Gesserit.

This is the first time you've popped up in my recommended and I enjoyed your reaction and insights into Dune! Subbed for part 2 and I'm about to see what else you've done. 👍

The most confusing part for those who haven't read the books is figuring out what's going on with those visions. Paul is starting to have greater vision. He has prescience which is an ability to see possible paths through the future. He is beginning to be able to look across multiple future paths and make choices, he saw futures where Jamis mentors him, then he saw futures where Jamis kills him in battle, and took a path that led in another direction.

The blue eyes are because of prolonged exposure to spice. They say it in the movie 😊

Fantastic reaction you two! Seeing Niamh's expressions and joy/amazement while watching this wonderful film was so much fun, took me back to seeing this in IMAX the first time for me! And great job putting things together; I mean Danny may have remembered some stuff, but honestly she put so much together. Its so enjoyable to see reactors react but not speculate wildly with little to no information. Usually I'm yelling at my phone "be quiet and *pay attention* to the movie!" It will provide more info in time. Finally, I don't want to spoil the even more amazing second part, but I was so stoked Niamh picked up on the clues as to Paul's future. Bravo! Subbed 😊

Bene -Jesuit- Gesserit are a religious/political order that finds endless ways to make themselves useful (influential) to the powerful families. They never take direct or overt control of the empire, which is Orange Catholic (Gurney's book in the bagpipe scene). And their missionary program is top notch.

33:01 The emperor sent them to Arrakis because on their planet (Caladan) they had an entire planet of people loyal to them, and the equipment needed to repel any force. On Arrakis they only had a small portion of their forces, and no way of getting backup.

the entire movie was incredible. but the final sequence when they're walking and paul realizes his vision of Shonee was almost deja vu, and them realizing the freman are riding the worms sent shivers down my spine. Truly aw inspiring film-making.

I really like that both of you are actively trying to figure out what is happening, not just reacting passively to it, there were some really good catches! Part two is amazing, I watched it on imax two times with friends and family and one in a regular cinema, looking forward for your reaction to it.

I first read the Dune series in my early teens and i read it many times since then. When i saw this world come to life on a big IMAX screen i had chills all over. Incredible. Great reaction, i can’t wait for you to watch part 2. Dune Messiah just got confirmed.

It’s a Harry and Neville situation to some extent, but really the Bene Gesserit knew who they expected to be the One - the child of Jessica’s daughter. When Jessica created a son, she put that on Paul instead, intentionally or not. He’s not exactly the perfect bloodline they calculated, but he’s so close that he’s worth their consideration. And yes, there are other prospective near-Haderachs, such as the man who would have been Paul’s husband if he was a woman.

12:30 she's been throug this. You are the first reactor so far that got this point

A general comment about why the Emperor drew house Atreides out to Arrakis. You have seen for yourself through the movie that the Atreides are generally fair and just rulers garnering loyalty and even affection from those that serve them. On their home world, they have an entire planetary population that would come to their aid should someone try and attack them there. Arrakis itself is sparsely populated due to the ecology of the planet with most of the surface covered by desert. Further, whatever native population does exist would have no loyalty to them. They were much more vulnerable drawn away from their home planet.

“The thing in the nose” is to recover the moisture in the breath from the nose.

I feel like if people are trying to understand every detail of Dune it’s not going to happen, you need to feel it, let the story flow naturally and pay attention to the eyes, gestures and words. Movies like this can’t truly be understood in one viewing, by trying to talk everything out you end up missing the forest for the trees.

15:25 Fun fact about the bagpipe anthem: While most people today associate it with Scotland (and it is indeed part of Scottish culture), the bagpipes actually originate as far back as ancient Persia, and Scotland was one of the final places it landed in. House Atreides can supposedly trace their lineage to a legendary figure of ancient Greece on Earth, so that's why they use bagpipes. Their anthem is actually played on the Arabic scale, closer to how it originally would have been heard when it came to Greece.

You guys caught so much because you paid attention to not only what was being said or what was going on but rather how it was said and presented. As a Dune series fan for decades, I'm impressed how much you guys understood and figured out with the clues given in the movie. Well done Edit: one clarification about the lisan-al-gaib, that is a thousands of years old prophecy, in different forms depending on the culture, the BG seed on most planet's to assist any wayward sister who is in need of local assistance and in case a real kwizats haderach was there too. The plan of crossing bloodlines to produce the KH is an experimental process rather than a mystical prophecy. Both are converging at this point because of Paul and the circumstances his family is in.

7:53, in the books the Fremen are so impressed with Duncan Idaho that they allow him to join their tribe.

58:00 for all that is holy and good in the world, PLEASE go see it at the cinema on the biggest screen you can find before you watch it on a little screen. It is a once a generation cinema event! Watch it again for the channel, we won't mind, besides, a 2nd viewing is worth it for picking up details. But you owe it to yourselves to see it as it was meant to be. Especially if you enjoyed part 1 this much :)

I have to say kudos to the both of you. You showed an fantastic grasp and understanding (and raised great questions.).

8:40 Yes, it does imply Earth once existed. Dune is meant to take place in our own galaxy far in the future, something like 23000 years in the future. As to what happend to Earth is not known, it's mostly forgotten as the cradle of humanity at that point. Kinda like how most of humanity now doesen't think about that humanity originated in a valley in Ethiopia. There's also a reason why there aren't stuff like more advanced computers and AI, there was a war between humanity and AI where AI were wiped out and outlawed. 26:20: No, Leto and Jessica are not married, because Leto wanted to be open for political marriages. She was his concubine.

Unlike Star Wars and other Sci-fi films, Dune takes place 20,000 years in the future of earth. The idea is that when humans migrate to different planets suitable for life, we’ll evolve and adapt. Similar to how people have adapted and developed unique traits due to environment. (ex. Melanin) (Spoiler maybe??) So far, it hasn’t been discussed in either Part 1 or 2. Yet, according to the book the Atreides family came from a noble family that originated in Greece on Earth. They rose to prominence during the war against AI. The Harkonnen originate from northern Europe on ancient Earth. The region of Earth called Suomi, also Finland. as Härkönen is a 20th-century Finnish name.

Well done. Thought you two grasped the concepts really well for Dune noobs. I read the books thru Covid and listened to the audio performances, which are the best way to experience the saga, imo. The movie adaptations are sensational and feel incredibly accurate visual interpretations of Arakis. I envy you the discovery of this masterpiece of cinema; the 2nd film blows everything up to an incredible epic scale and is surely THE movie experience of the century to date. Immerse yourselves in the mythic journey of Paul Atreides.

In three parts, hope you enjoy the 2nd part. Luke Skywalker "releasing" is based on Paul Atreides "releasing".

15:30, the Atreides family are actually Greek. Fun fact the bagpiper player is actually Han Zimmer himself.

great reaction guys

paul in the books had been trained by the best people in the 'imperium' in all the languages and mentat stuff and fighting. He knows the languages and signs.

They had to use the term Holy War because of the original usage was Jihad and even an updated terminology was Crusade. These terms had to be changed from the original book script to even the old 1984 movie terms too. All because of the connotation they would bring.

I loved you're reaction guys. You get it straight away. Amazing

33:41 "that's so sick! oh, that's not. that's not." -Niamh "ah geez. that's sick in a different way." -Danny 😆

I can probably tell you 2 useful things. 1. Paul doesn't just see the future; he sees possible futures. That's why Jamis was a mentor to him in some of his visions but he ends up killing him in the duel at the end. Back in the Gom Jabar/box test at the beginning the Reverend Mother asks if his dreams always come true and Paul says not exactly. 2. Dune is set in our future. Although the date is said to be 10,091 it's not by our calendar. The idea is that humans have stopped using computers (particularly AI) as they had become dependent on them and some groups had been able to dominate most people through them. The date is actually measured from when computers had been abandoned. In order to replace computers humans had developed their own mental abilities over thousands of years -in particular 3 groups; Mentats who are human computers supposedly much more powerful than any mechanical computer ever was, the Bene Gesserit sisterhood who have unusual abilites and the Spacing Guild who have learned how to navigate through interstellar sace without computers (but are reliant on Spice).

Fantastic watch along, you's get what makes these videos appealing.

Such a great and fun reaction and yall had really good takeaways about the story and the character.. super excited to see what you guys think of Part 2!!

I can't recommend the books highly enough. It's a fascinating universe and Frank Herbert was a genius and a philosopher with a lot to say.

"That man is made of serious stuff!" - I love that comment!

I watch this movie three times in the theater and more than 7 times with different reaction channels and you are the only people who pays attention to whats going on. Beautiful reaction, I'll be waiting for the second movie!

Love this reaction! This movie really is the perfect setup for part two, while also being perfect on its own. Can't wait to see your reactions to it soon (I hope)!

spoiler free: it plays over 20k years in the future / 6:53 he is a mentat and can calculate very quickly / 8:45 yes earth exists. after a war was it uninhabitable / 10:50 helps the baron to move more easily / 15:13 is the orange-catholic bible a combination from all main religions on earth, I think / 15:28 there are bagpipes from many different parts of the world. atreides are descended from agamemnon/greece. / 18:50 i think they made this creature out of yueh's wife wanna. this was not in the book / 21:20 filtered sweat, pee and poo / 26:17 leave open the possibility of a political marriage / 46:39 syadina is a freman priestess / 48:48 he sees many different possible paths for the future // I have read about 18 dune books

Jaimis showed him the way by losing the battle and allowing him to join the freman

If anyone survived for 11,000 years and through constant intergalactic warfare it would be the scots 😂

First time I see reactors actually following the storyline. Very enjoyable.

1st subscribe ,The things you guys picked up on(especially in the visions/possible futures) has really impressed me and ive watched all the part 1 reactions,I've watched part 2 several times and when I go back to part 1 I'm seeing visions that were fulfilled in part 2 but didnt notice in multiple viewings(its blowing my mind still), not one vision shot is wasted,i honestly think we will see some of the shots in the visions In part 1 appear in dune messiah which is unbelievable as when part 1 was made part 2 wasn't even greenlit. This Dennis guy is an absolute genius, he's had this all planned out for years and because of that we could end up with the greatest trilogy of all time these films make you have to put in some work in with names and the history(those who think its boring didnt do this but will have the chance to anytime in the future as unlike starwars(which I love and thank dune for, its dated over time. The art in this will never date)if you put the effort in the payoff is so satisfying cause you've earned a bit of it.

Frank Herbert described Paul's talent as when you pass thru time possibilities are many but at any particular moment "Time becomes a narrow door." Possibilities become constrained. If you think about any moment in your life "as it happens" that becomes self evident. Of course the better prepared you are, the more choices you have. The Bene Gesserit seeded a variation of the messianic myth across all inhabited planets in the imperium. What Paul encountered was just that particular variation. He came about a generation early which caught the Bene Gesserit off guard. The voice isn't magical like in Star Wars. Hmm... I've seen how others react emotionally, shoot watch yourselves at certain points in this movie. Observe how what and how you say something to your kids, how it can move them to act despite not wanting to. NOW, push that ability into a talent honed over many generations, taking into account the ability to "read" people, by the way they act, background, psychology, personality. Imagine a whole system of breaking down step by step how to teach someone to do this Instinctively ! That is a portion of the Bene Gesserit way and you keep it and many other talents within an "order" a whole set of secrets and you can understand why the Bene Gesserit are called witches.

This was a fantastic reaction. I've been reading the entire Frank Herbert series since my early teens. You guys picked up on quite a bit. I definitely suggest getting that book off the shelf and reading it. There's so much to the Dune universe that just wouldn't fit into 2 movies. Why there aren't any computers, why they fight with blades etc etc. The Bene Gersserit are one of the most interesting groups in sci-fi. Their training allows them to control their bodies down to the molecular level, so yes, they can choose the sex of their offspring. This is the Dune adaptation I've been waiting for. So glad you enjoyed it.

For two guys not having read the books, it was astonishing, that you got the message, that Paul actually is NOT a hero. Most people do not recognize it by the movie , some even not by reading the first book (thats why Frank Herbert wrote the second)

The tube in their nose. Is part of the still suit. It captures moisture from the exhale of breath.

37:15 "is what?" -Danny Danny, sensing danger, switches to whisper mode. 🤫

Read this when I was in high school around 1978 and can't wait to see part 2

It was so enjoyable to watch your reaction. You were amazing, you got all of it. I cannot wait to see your reaction to Dune Part Two. It's a beast of a movie.

This movie is so great. I read the book twice. This director knows pacing and scope. Absolutely beautiful

Fantastic reaction! 😊❤

So... I know you want to see part 2 on a streaming service in order to film your reaction to it, but to be honest, I really, really suggest that you go see it in theatre. It's one of the best experience I've had in cinema in decades (I guest the last time was Lord of the Rings, but mind you, I haven't seen Interstellar and I know it was a big thing to see in theatre too). All that to say... part 2 in a good theatre is just something else.

Paul doesn't necessarily see the future, his visions are more the endless threads of potentiality.

Very astute reaction! Love it!

The visions seem very metaphorical in this movie, so Jamis in the vision does teach him the ways just not in the way you think he teaches him through a fight to the death

P. S the digital online/home version of Dune Part 2 is available as of now. Watch it on the biggest screen you can find/buy/steal/hire/borrow.

20:09 "that makes sense that's disgusting." DannyxNiamh 😆

You two did a great job taking in the movie and its intricacies.

35:01, it helps to remember that Paul is not the hero of this story. He is a Chosen One archetype for sure. Dune greatly inspired George Lucas when he was creating Star Wars. Many people assume Paul is the Lucas Skywalker of the story. He isn't Luke he is Anakin Skywalker. Dune is the origin story of a super villain.

If Jamis already taught Paul (through Paul’s visions) everything he had to teach him; then Jamis makes a place for Paul in the sitech by dying, is he not Paul’s mentor and Friend?

The book Gurney Halleck is reading is the Orange Catholic Bible. Many centuries before, a council of religious leaders from many groups joined together to create a Bible that they all could agree on. The Orange Catholic Bible is the result. The Harkonnen pet would be the work of the Bene Tleilax. They don’t show up until Dune Messiah.

15:27 I could be mistaken, but I think they are supposed to be mostly of mediterranean origin. The name Atreides is greek. The name Paul is latin. They do bullfighting like the spanish (and some other mediterranean cultures), and the bagpipes are celtic (it is traditional to play bagpipes in some parts of Spain, like Galicia, for example, because of the celts). Also I believe a big part of the industry in the planet of the Atreides in the books was fine wines, orchards and fishing, which would also point to mediterranean cultures. Since this is supposed to be thousands of years in the future, they are most likely a bit of a mix of different cultures, but probably mostly mediterranean.

Paul's visions are of different outcomes or different paths.

37:41 Bruh she called it

"You were told to bear only daughters" What? Can she choose? Yes. It's one of the many powers of the sisters of the Benne Geserit.

“oh my god this is stunning…ly horrific” 😭😂

Can't wait to your part 2 reactions

Really excited for y’all to watch Part 2! New subscriber here! :)

Paul does understand everything people said to him in other languages, because he is super gifted to the point is kinda of an internal joke from the author, Paul is both a Mentat, a Bene Gessarit male, and and was trained from birth in a lot o Martial Arts and Strategy, the only reason you cannot know all of that if you only see the movie is because this is mostly exposition used in the book to justify how Paul has the posibilities to fullfill his objectives.

you guys were picking up things that I didn't even notice in my first watch. I had to read the book to understand many things lol

Really enjoyed your reaction. I'm looking forward to your reaction to part 2! Although I wish you could react while seeing part 2 in the IMAX theater! It is an experience then 😅

Wonderful reaction. I enjoy watching people discover good sci-fi for the firsttime. =) Looking forward to your reaction for PPart Two... and possibly Three. =)

i have got to see this movie. for the algorithm. 👍🏼

Bless the Maker and His water!! Always great to see newcomers to the Duneiverse!!! If you want to go further down the Wormhole… Quinn’s Ideas is a fantastic channel!! Many hides to scifi novels but his Guide to the Dune universe is completely brilliant!! I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about Dune!!! 😎🤓

The pet is Wanna

8:50, all of these characters are humans descended from people who migrated from Earth thousands of years in their past. About 10,000 years before this story Earth was destroyed at the end of a war (i.e. The Butlerian Jihan) in which humanity fought against Thinking Machines. Ironically, it was one of the Atreides ancestors who gave the order to begin the nuclear bombardment that rendered Earth uninhabitable. Earth at this time was the capitol planet of the Thinking Machines.

I really like the Dune Book and this adaptation! I also like the 1984 version, I watched that movie before I read the Book! I need to watch part two of this version! Great reaction as Well!! 🙂❤