Issue 31: Dune Part 1

Dune. Arrakis. Desert planet. Frank Herbert's 1965 novel has had a really weird journey to the silver screen, but Denis Villeneuve's 2021 remake is an incredibly polished update to the cult classic story.

We re-read the book and re-watched the David Lynch version to go over some of the big themes and questions. We tried fairly hard to keep spoilers limited until the very end of the episode, so you should be (mostly) safe to listen if you've only seen Dune Part 1 and don't want to see any big reveals coming from the upcoming continuation.

That said, what do we make of Herbert's weirdly dense future humanity, with a struggle set on a denuded planet over the fuel of starships and metaphysical awareness alike? What is good and what is evil in a world covered with a morality as beige as its topsoil? And will Ben and Megan make it through a whole episode without accidentally saying "George Herbert" instead of "Frank Herbert?"

All this and more on this week's Comic Belief!