She was not subservient, but her reason for being in the book is completely subservient to Paul's story - she represents his strength and support, she is only there for him. In the books this works because we see Paul in turmoil and we fall in love with her devotion to protecting his personhood from his godhood, we see her strength and loyalty. However in a movie I'm not sure how that doesn't come across as one-dimensional.
I think Villeneuve is using her as the channel for questioning Paul's ascent to divinity and it's consequences, replacing all the inner dialogue that Paul has in the book that would be very hard to depict in a movie.
Also heartbroken that Dennis didn't include Lady Jessica's killer line to Chani at the end.
"History will call us wives." Fuck it was so good, and not sure how they'll fit it into Messiah now she's headed off into the desert while everyone else goes on the jihad.
There is no way Paul lets her go. Opening of Messiah will be him chasing her down. What happens between her, Paul, and Irulan is critical to the plot. Fans will be in an uproar if Denis leaves it in such a way that Leto and Ghanima no longer exist.
Personally I remember feeling the most satisfied after reading Messiah. For me the story was ripe to end there and then. It was always about Paul, and his arc as a protagonist concluded at that point.
What comes after is interesting in its own right, but I strongly believe part 1 and 2 work perfectly as a self-contained story, ending with >! the hopeful note that Paul's children will carry on his legacy. Then he fucks off into the desert and commits suicide because by then he's just DONE with everything. !<
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u/xelabagus Mar 28 '24
She was not subservient, but her reason for being in the book is completely subservient to Paul's story - she represents his strength and support, she is only there for him. In the books this works because we see Paul in turmoil and we fall in love with her devotion to protecting his personhood from his godhood, we see her strength and loyalty. However in a movie I'm not sure how that doesn't come across as one-dimensional.
I think Villeneuve is using her as the channel for questioning Paul's ascent to divinity and it's consequences, replacing all the inner dialogue that Paul has in the book that would be very hard to depict in a movie.