The Primitive Warfare of 'Dune'

Going forwards, back

I finally got to see Dune this past weekend. I will refrain from reviewing it here and offer no spoilers. Instead, what struck me anew in watching Denis Villeneuve’s vision of the Frank Herbert novel is how combat in the 11th Millennium AD has been imagined as a scene from the 3rd Millennium BC.

For example, the climax of the film is a fight between Paul…