By Julio Bardini
Updated
It's all about that spice-fueled desert power.
Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for 'Dune: Part Two'.
The Big Picture
- Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two showcases divided Fremen factions - Northern Fremen are cautious of outsiders, while Southern Fremen hold radical religious beliefs.
- The changes to the Fremen add depth, complexity, and conflict, enhancing the storytelling and setting up future plotlines in the Dune universe.
- The Fremen are depicted as the true power of Arrakis, emphasizing the importance of their alliance in controlling the planet's destiny.
Taking a book to the screen is never an easy task, but sometimes it works just right. That's the case with Dune: Part Two, the second half of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel. Changes always have to be made, but Villeneuve adjusted the story in such a seamless way, that some would argue it works even better in the movie than in the novel. That's the case with the Fremen, the native people of Arrakis who survive in its harsh weather and unforgiving desert. As Chani (Zendaya) and Stilgar (Javier Bardem) guide Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) on the ways of the Fremen, they are revealed to be divided into two main factions, the Northern Fremen and the Southern Fremen. This is a major departure from how the Fremen are depicted in the novels — and for the best.
Dune: Part Two
PG-13
Sci-Fi
Drama
Action
Adventure
810
Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Cast
- Timothee Chalamet , Stellan Skarsgård , Florence Pugh , Zendaya , Rebecca Ferguson , Javier Bardem
- Runtime
- 166 minutes
The Northern Fremen Are More Cautious of Outsiders
At the end of the first Dune, Paul and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are forced into the desert after House Harkonnen decimates the remainder of House Atreides in the first Battle of Arrakeen. The capital city is located in the Northern Hemisphere, and they don't have to go far until they are found by the Fremen — the Northern Fremen. This faction lives closer to Arrakeen and, thus, closer to the political center of power on the planet — where the colonizers live. Every decision made on Arrakeen directly affects the Northern Fremen and disrupts their connection to the desert. This is why there are constant clashes between the Fremen and the imperial colonizers in the north, as native populations have every right to resist foreign occupation and exploration of their natural resources.
For this reason, in Part Two, Chani explains to Paul that the Northern Fremen are fewer in number and also more skeptical regarding spiritual matters. They have seen too much destruction and pillaging of their planet to maintain unshakable beliefs. They are weary of outsiders and make sure to let Paul and Lady Jessica know they are not welcome in Sietch Tabr at first, and only after some time are they both accepted as Fremen themselves. Especially among younger people, Northern Fremen are weary and doubtful of prophecies and are aware that these were mostly planted in their culture by the Bene Gesserit and their Reverend Mothers as part of their Missionaria Protectiva initiative and as a way of facilitating the colonizers' lives. Chani herself calls this out many times, even to Paul and Lady Jessica directly, saying "If you want to control people, show them a messiah," but, unfortunately, younger Fremen don't have much influence. Still, these younger groups are fierce in defending their people and are always focused on the collective good.
The only period in which the Fremen in the North lived in relative peace with the colonizers happened during the first Dune, when House Atreides tried to befriend them and even sent an envoy, master-of-arms Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), to learn more about them and make sure the Atreides could be their allies. Both before and after that, with Arrakis occupied by House Harkonnen, relations were hostile, the prime directive from Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) to his nephews Rabban (Dave Bautista) and Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) being to exterminate the Fremen and extract as much spice as possible.
The Southern Fremen Hold Radical Religious Beliefs
After Feyd-Rautha is made the new leader of House Harkonnen in Arrakis, the conflict with the Fremen escalates and culminates in the destruction of Sietch Tabr. The remaining Fremen in the north are then forced to leave and join their southern peers. This is when the tide begins to turn in their favor, because Paul then manages to rally all Fremen in one place and speak directly to the most faithful of them. When this happens, he has already taken the Water of Life and has had visions of his sister Alia (Anya Taylor-Joy) warning him about the upcoming jihad. This all but confirms that he really is the savior of prophecy — or, as the Fremen call it, the Lisan al-Gaib.
While the Northern Fremen have to deal directly with the colonizers threatening them, the Southern Fremen have different challenges to their survival. The South of Arrakis is considered inhospitable by the Harkonnens, who don't even bother going that far down until Feyd-Rautha takes over. This is a mistaken preconception, however, and shows just how little the imperial colonizers bothered to learn about Arrakis. Not only are there Fremen living in the South, but they also number in the millions, which makes them the ultimate military power on the planet and one of the most formidable forces in the galaxy.
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'Dune: Part Two's Most Underrated Scene Has a Deeper Meaning
"There are no sides. You of all people should know, Reverend Mother."
In the South, the extreme weather means the heat is even deadlier than in the north, which is why the Southern Fremen spend most of their time in the Sietches underground. Under such harsh conditions, faith usually takes a central role in people's lives, and the prophecies of the Lisan al-Gaib have taken much deeper roots than in the north. Chani explains to Paul that Stilgar, the leader of the Fremen, may live in the north, but that, as he comes from the south, he is deeply religious and firmly believes in Paul as the savior of the prophecy. This faith is also seen in the other millions of Fremen in the South, and, when Paul shows them his power in the great meeting underground, they don't hesitate to follow him into battle against the Harkonnens and the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) in Arrakeen. Their faith is so strong, that Paul knows he can't control them, and, after he ascends to the Golden Lion Throne, a jihad spreads like fire throughout the galaxy in his name.
The Changes to the Fremen in ‘Dune: Part Two’ Add a Depth to Them That Isn’t in the Novel
In the first Dune movie, Paul's father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), talks about "desert power" as the best way to rule Arrakis. According to his thesis, the strength of Arrakis lies not only in its spice production but also in the native Fremen population and even its fauna, including the giant sandworms. This is why having the Fremen as allies is so important to control the planet, something that mindless violent people like the Harkonnens would never think of. Part Two confirms Leto's desert power thesis and reveals the Fremen are indeed the true power of Arrakis.
By splitting the Fremen into two factions, Denis Villeneuve shows that achieving desert power isn't easy. In the novel, the Fremen are largely hom*ogeneous and live scattered around the desert or in Sietches, but dealing with Fremen in one place doesn't differ much from dealing with Fremen in another. From an anthropological perspective, it's highly unlikely that people who live scattered around a whole planet would all have the exact same beliefs and customs. In terms of storytelling, this change is not only plausible but also adds layers to the Fremen that aren't there in the novels. By giving the two Fremen factions different backgrounds, they have fundamentally different experiences with religion and prophecies, two elements that are at the core of their culture and can even lead to future conflict. Chani and Stilgar, for example, are on diametrically opposed sides in this sense, as she keeps her faith in Paul in check due to his being an outsider, while Stilgar fully embraces the prophecy.
This division in the Fremen is also helpful for the development of future Dune movies. In Dune Messiah, for example, Paul's rule as Emperor is contested many times, and some of his more diplomatic decisions to deal with this are taken by some Fremen as an offense, leading even to some conspiring against him. Later, in Children of Dune, a desert leader known as The Preacher shows up to try and undermine the rule of Paul's children, Leto II and Ghanima Atreides (any more than that could be experience-ruining spoilers!), and manages to sway a large portion of the Fremen to his cause.
Dune: Part Two is now available on Max in the U.S.
