Dune is set in the year 10191, a time when human technology has advanced so far that space travel between planets is a routine possibility. Several planets function as territories governed by noble families loyal to the supreme emperor of the time, Shaddam IV of the Corrino Clan. Among them is a planet named Arrakis, characterized by vast deserts and extreme weather conditions. Despite its harsh environment, Arrakis holds a natural resource more valuable than money, gold, or diamonds: desert spice. The spice from Arrakis has the extraordinary property of significantly enhancing physical endurance, making it invaluable to interstellar explorers. As a result, Arrakis becomes one of the most coveted planets in the universe, sparking fierce competition among various clans.
A Fremen, or native of Arrakis, named Chani (Zendaya), recounts that the Harkonnen Clan had ruled the planet for 80 generations. The Harkonnens grew immensely wealthy during their reign, far surpassing even the emperor’s riches. Unfortunately, their rule was marked by cruelty, causing great suffering for the Fremen people. Suddenly, Emperor Shaddam orders the Harkonnens to leave Arrakis. Chani is skeptical, believing their departure won’t mark the end of the Fremen’s hardships. She suspects the emperor will send another group, potentially as oppressive as the Harkonnens. As part of his plans, Shaddam appoints the Atreides Clan from the planet Caladan to replace the Harkonnens as Arrakis’ new rulers. The head of the Atreides family is Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), father of Paul (Timothée Chalamet), the main protagonist of Dune.
Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), is a member of a secretive organization called the Bene Gesserit. The Bene Gesserit is an elite sisterhood with the ability to influence others using a powerful vocal technique known as The Voice. Jessica has passed down all her Bene Gesserit teachings to Paul, as he possesses special abilities, including visions of the future. Members of the emperor’s council, known as the Landsraad, are shown arriving on Caladan to deliver the message that the Atreides are to take over Arrakis from the Harkonnens. During this meeting, Jessica becomes uneasy as she notices one of the Bene Gesserit leaders, Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling), intently observing Paul, leaving her worried about her son.
Leto agrees to Shaddam’s request and vows to bring peace to Arrakis. Following the meeting, Leto dispatches some of his elite soldiers to Arrakis as spies. Before they depart, Paul warns Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa), one of the strongest warriors and his combat mentor, about a dream he had of Duncan’s death on Arrakis. Duncan reassures Paul, insisting he will be fine as he is not a weak soldier. Later, Paul asks his father for permission to accompany Duncan to Arrakis, but Leto refuses. He explains to Paul that the Emperor might be orchestrating a scenario to provoke a conflict between the Atreides and the Harkonnens.
This ploy is part of the Emperor’s strategy, as there are numerous nobles who want the Atreides Clan to replace the Corrino Clan as the rulers of the empire. On Arrakis, Leto plans to form an alliance with the native people who have long suffered under the Harkonnens’ rule. Upon learning this, Paul intensifies his combat training with another of Leto’s top officers, Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin). Meanwhile, on Giedi Prime, the home planet of the Harkonnen family, Baron Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgård), the clan’s leader, and his nephew, Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), discuss the Emperor’s decision to grant the Atreides control over Arrakis. Displeased, Rabban questions the Emperor’s motives, but the Baron calms him, hinting that this is merely the beginning of a larger plan.
Elsewhere, Jessica wakes Paul from his sleep and asks Dr. Wellington Yueh to examine him. Jessica takes this precaution because Gaius Helen Mohiam, who had been observing Paul intently days earlier, recently visited. Helen, a senior member of the Bene Gesserit and Jessica’s mentor, comes to determine whether Paul is the prophesied figure they have been waiting for. Helen conducts a test by instructing Paul to place his hand in a mysterious box, which confirms her suspicions. After Helen departs, Jessica reveals to Paul that the Bene Gesserit have been covertly influencing the empire’s governance. They have carefully orchestrated bloodlines across various clans to eventually produce a chosen one—a child with the potential to become the empire’s future leader.
Long story short, Leto and the entire Atreides family arrived on Arrakis and were warmly welcomed by the Fremen, who believed the Atreides were their saviors. Paul then tried to learn about Arrakis to ensure his clan’s work on the planet would proceed smoothly. While Paul was engrossed in his studies, a deadly insect emerged from the wall, which he eventually managed to eliminate. The assassin bug, it turned out, was controlled by a Harkonnen spy who had been buried inside the wall for six weeks, solely to carry out a mission to assassinate Paul. Enraged by the incident, Leto ordered Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson) to immediately hunt down any other Harkonnen spies, as Thufir was responsible for ensuring the safety of Leto’s entire family on Arrakis.
Meanwhile, Helen traveled to Giedi Prime to meet the Baron and deliver a message from the Emperor, who would provide additional elite Sardaukar forces for the planned attack on the Atreides. Helen informed the Baron that he was free to kill anyone except Jessica and Paul, as they were under the protection of the Bene Gesserit. Initially, the Baron agreed to the request, but after Helen left, he vowed to kill Jessica and Paul by throwing them to the giant sandworms. Back on Arrakis, after Paul and others concluded a meeting, they encountered Duncan, who had just returned from living with the Fremen for several weeks in the desert. Duncan reported that the Fremen lived in a central desert stronghold called Sietch Tabr, led by their supreme leader, Stilgar (Javier Bardem).
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Leto eventually met Stilgar and promised him that during his rule over Arrakis, he would never hunt the Fremen of Sietch Tabr, as the Baron had done in the past. The following day, Leto, Paul, and others observed workers harvesting spice in the desert. There, they met a Fremen clan member who also served as the Empire’s ecological expert, Dr. Liet Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster). They noticed a sandworm heading toward the spice harvester. When Paul descended from the aircraft to guide the evacuation, he accidentally inhaled some spice, triggering strange visions that caused him to faint. Fortunately, Paul was rescued by Halleck before he could become the sandworm’s prey.
When they returned, Paul shared a dream he had with his mother about a Fremen woman named Chani. He also described seeing his mother holding a baby with blue eyes like the Fremen. Meanwhile, on the planet Salusa Secundus, where the Emperor resided, the combined imperial and Harkonnen forces were preparing to head to Arrakis to wage war against the Atreides. Although aware of the Atreides’ formidable strength, they were undeterred because of their overwhelming numerical advantage. That night, as Leto realized the guards had been killed by an intruder, a deadly insect suddenly attacked, piercing his armor and paralyzing him. It was then revealed that Dr. Yueh had betrayed them to the Harkonnen because his wife had been taken hostage.
As an act of remorse for his betrayal, Dr. Yueh gave Leto a poisonous false tooth to use in an attempt to kill the Baron. Soon after, the combined imperial and Harkonnen forces launched an aerial assault. The attack successfully penetrated the shields protecting the Atreides forces on Arrakis. Halleck and the other soldiers could only brace themselves and try to fight the invading forces on the ground, as their aerial defenses had been destroyed. Eventually, one by one, the Atreides forces began to fall, overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemy troops. Meanwhile, after Duncan managed to defeat several enemy soldiers, he began searching for Leto, Paul, and Jessica. Unable to find them, Duncan decided to flee using a dragonfly-like aircraft captured from the Harkonnen forces.
Paul and Jessica, who had been captured by the Harkonnen soldiers, managed to escape using their Voice powers. Once free, they returned home, only to find the entire place engulfed in flames. Determined not to be captured by the Harkonnen again, Paul and Jessica hid beneath the sand. While in hiding, Paul inhaled large amounts of spice, triggering visions of himself fighting in the midst of a holy war. Elsewhere, the Baron killed Dr. Yueh, who had just sought to claim the freedom promised for his wife. When the Baron approached the paralyzed Leto, Leto exhaled the poisonous gas from the false tooth Dr. Yueh had given him. Unfortunately, the Baron survived the attack, as he had previously activated his armor.
Meanwhile, as Paul and Jessica emerged from hiding, Duncan managed to find them and reunite with Dr. Kynes. Duncan apologized for failing to protect Leto and the others. Shortly after, a sandstorm arrived, forcing them to seek shelter in an old station once used for ecological testing. Unbeknownst to them, the Sardaukar forces had discovered their location. Duncan bravely held off the Sardaukar soldiers to allow Paul and the others to escape. Using all his skills, Duncan defeated several Sardaukar before succumbing to their attacks and dying. Paul and the others managed to find an escape route, but Dr. Kynes chose to stay behind, as the aircraft they found could only accommodate two passengers.
Dr. Kynes activated a thumper to summon a sandworm toward her location. Tragically, the Sardaukar found her and fatally stabbed her from behind. The Sardaukar soldiers, unaware of the approaching sandworm, were all devoured by the giant creature. Paul and Jessica escaped the Sardaukar pursuit and continued their journey to Sietch Tabr to meet Stilgar. Unfortunately, their aircraft was damaged after navigating through the sandstorm, leaving them no choice but to proceed on foot. Using his visions as guidance, Paul successfully found the path to Stilgar’s location. However, they encountered another obstacle when Paul stepped on a Fremen sandworm-summoning mine near Sietch Tabr.
As the sandworm approached and revealed itself before Paul, someone activated a thumper that drew the creature away. Paul and Jessica continued their journey and eventually reached Stilgar. Initially, Stilgar was reluctant to accept Jessica, whom he perceived as a weak, old woman. To prove him wrong, Jessica challenged Stilgar to a duel. Demonstrating her martial arts skills, Jessica easily defeated Stilgar. Convinced of their strength, Stilgar accepted them and led them to the Fremen hideout. However, one of Stilgar’s followers, Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun), opposed Paul and Jessica’s presence and challenged Paul to a death duel, as per Fremen tradition.
Armed with a knife given by Chani, Paul faced Jamis in combat. Paul dominated the fight but hesitated to kill his opponent. He then experienced a vision showing that his naïveté could lead to his demise. This vision gave Paul the resolve to kill Jamis, honoring Fremen tradition. After the duel, the Fremen began to believe Paul was the chosen one. During their journey to the Fremen hideout, Paul saw a Fremen riding a sandworm as effortlessly as one might ride a horse. Astonished, Paul and Jessica marveled at the sight, but Chani explained that this was only the beginning. She hinted that there were even greater feats in Fremen culture beyond riding sandworms.
