When comparing David Lynch's Dune from 1984 with Denis Villeneuve's Dune from 2021, there are some immediate differences in the way Paul Atreides is portrayed as a character. In Lynch's version, he's played by Kyle MacLachlan in his first starring role, and in Villeneuve's version, he's played by Timothée Chalamet after several critically acclaimed roles in smaller-budget films. Each of them is interpreted through the director's vision, the actor's creative choices, the era in which the movies were made, and of course, Frank Herbert's Dune novel, upon which the whole Dune universe is based.
While there are some big differences between the 1984 Dune and 2021 Dune, in both films Paul is the son of Duke Leto and part of one of the most powerful families in the universe, eventually set to inherit House Atreides. The Duke is given the planet Arrakis by the Emperor, from which the highly-coveted spice flows making all space travel possible, not to mention the clairvoyance of the Mentat. After his father's death by the greedy House Harkonnen, Paul flees into the desert with his mother Lady Jessica, and encounters the Fremen, who eventually accept him as their leader, and support him on a path of liberation and revenge.
11 Chalamet's Paul Conveys His Training More Emotionally In Dune 2021
In the infamous Gom Jabbar scene in which the Reverend Mother makes Paul place his hand into a box filled with untold pain and suffering, Timothée Chalamet is able to convey myriad emotions including arrogance, pain, fear, anguish, and finally triumph with just the varying intensity of his eyes. Chalamet seems aware that this scene lights the spark for Paul's first steps into becoming who he's meant to be. In Herbert's Dune, Paul's thoughts are communicated via internal monologue, but Chalamet silently mouthing the Litany Against Fear both reflects his mother's training with the Bene Gesserit and as a Mentat as well as negates a cheesy voiceover.
10 Timothée Chalamet's Paul Focuses More On His Darkness In Dune 2021
In Herbert's novel, Paul Atreides is described as having wisdom beyond his years that makes him seem alluring and out of place. Chalamet's Paul seems to have this otherworldly quality as well as a darkness that, while it has led to a few unpopular opinions about his Paul Atreides, nevertheless transforms him the moment he comes to Arrakis. After the death of his father and being driven into the desert with his mother, he transforms from an entitled aristocrat born into a centuries-old breeding program and into someone who has gone through a gauntlet of trauma in order to be reborn as the planet's messiah.
9 Kyle MacLachlan's Paul Is Less Complex In Dune 1984
Since Dune was intended to be a sci-fi epic like Star Wars, Kyle Maclachlan's Paul Atreides was fashioned into a Luke Skywalker-esque hero. While there might have been some remnants of teenage angst in his performance early on, all that is abandoned once his father is killed and he becomes the leader of the Fremen. His Paul fits into more of a classic hero archetype, with a mission to liberate the Fremen from the evil House Harkonnen, without a lot of the soul-searching, anguish, and introspection that comes through rom the novel.
8 Kyle MacLachlan's Paul Is Older In Dune 1984
Both Kyle MacLachlan and Timothée Chalamet were 24 when they played Paul Atreides, but Kyle manages to look a lot older, and could convincingly pass for a young man in his mid-to-late-20s. In Herbert's novel, Paul is 15 years old, and Timothée can pass for someone who's still in his teens. Not only that, but Kyle's Paul seems more confident and sure of himself, while Timothée seems more confused and petulant, such as whining about practicing The Voice to his mother over breakfast, which helps his performance seem more nuanced over time.
7 Kyle MacLachlan Better Explores Paul's Leadership Skills In Dune 1984
Dune: Part Two has yet to be released in which Paul's leadership style will be more fully showcased, but in 1984 his skills were already on full display. Kyle's Paul is already the charismatic leader of the Fedaykin in Lynch's movie, and has moving speeches that show him becoming a true desert warrior and a mighty messiah. Since Lynch's movie had to fit a lot of Herbert's novel into one movie instead of being able to split it into two parts, it was necessary to expedite Paul's transformation into the leader of a movement, which he inhabits for the majority of the film.
6 Dune 2021 Is A Coming Of Age Story For Timothée Chalamet's Paul
Since Chalamet's performance skews younger and truer to Herbert's novel, Dune becomes a coming-of-age story for his character. He transforms from an entitled teenager of a powerful house, expected to inherit a title from his father on a lucrative planet, to a young man who understands the meaning of sacrifice and selflessness by spending years out in the desert with the Fremen. He goes through several life-changing events that help give him valuable life experience at a young age which, when added to his preternatural wisdom of being trained as a Mentat, gives him perspective and purpose.
5 Timothée Chalamet's Paul Has Jihad Visions In Dune 2021
After the Harkonnen raid of the palace and his father's death, Timothée Chalamet's Paul begins having visions that he can't understand involving the Fremen, sandworms, and other things that will become a more important part of his life in the future. In the tent with his mother, he tries to process their meaning, particularly the ones that emphasize the Jihad he will one day lead. It's something that is integral to Herbert's novel that the 1984 film skips over entirely.
4 Kyle MacLachlan's Paul Is More Analytical In Dune 1984
It's easy to interpret Kyle MacLachlan's performance as wooden given that he's not prone to as much emoting in the 1984 version, but interpreted another way, he can be seen as more analytical. Throughout Lynch's version, he's shown to be thinking through every situation to arrive at multiple conclusions, which conveys his superior intelligence. Not only that but since Herbert's novel often describes Paul (particularly towards the end) as someone who could see things before they happened, a dissociative look conveys how much time Paul spends in his head.
3 Kyle MacLachlan's Paul Has Voiceovers In Dune 1984
So much of the characters' thoughts are communicated in Herbert's novel through internal monologues, something that's difficult to convey in a visual medium like film, and probably why the 2021 version of Dune committed them in favor of using actions and gestures. The 1984 Dune endeavors to capture these internal monologues by introducing voiceovers so that audiences can connect with the characters' motivations. Sometimes, the voiceovers are helpful to convey context, but other times, they're distracting, particularly since the actors have to stand around looking bored while they're sharing their contemplations.
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Chalamet's Paul Explores Paul's Family Dynamic Better In Dune 2021
Due to Chalamet's age-appropriate looks and actions, he makes a more believable son who will benefit from his parents' teachings. His Paul is part of a family dynamic that feels authentic and well-realized, which is an important part of his transformation. If there wasn't such a strong familial foundation, then it wouldn't be so shattering to lose it, propelling him toward a destiny that will help him rebuild his family the way that he wants to, including the Fremen.
1 Paul's Combat Is More Faithful To The Book In Dune 2021
Given the immensity of the lore in Herbert's novel and the complexity of some of its belief systems and practices, it can be difficult to faithfully adapt them on screen, but the combat style Paul learns from Duncan is more successfully translated to film in Chalamet's Dune. Due to the 1984 version reducing the unique hand-to-hand combat Paul learns into a "sound gun" it could never be as true to the novel, but the 2021 Dune does its best to describe the art through Paul using it in training and in battle. It comes across as lethal and practical, which is also why death doesn't scare Paul in his fight with Jamis.