Dune, the Anti-Blockbuster & the Chosen One Myth

“Any road followed precisely to its end leads precisely nowhere. Climb the mountain just a little bit to test that it’s a mountain. From the top of the mountain, you cannot see the mountain.” – Princess Irulan, “Muad’Dib: Family Commentaries”

“It’s one thing to think that you’re the center of the universe — it’s another thing entirely to have this confirmed by an ancient prophecy.” – Douglas Adams

“Well that’s just your opinion, man.” – Jeff Lebowski

What makes Dune an anti-blockbuster?

We’ve all been sold a bill of goods our entire lives, haven’t we? Sure, we may be stuck in drab and mundane existences, slowly ground down by The Machine until we are nothing but pulp to be used for compost, but maybe also we’re…The One. Our lives suck, but hold out hope because maybe someone will come along and show you your path to Purpose and Relevance, which of course leads to Glory and Immortality. Don’t worry, sleeper, for you shall soon be awakened.

Or so the prophecies, a.k.a. popular culture, would have us believe. It would be wrong to blame this on the amorphous being known as Hollywood because they’ve simply been retelling the same stories that have been told told for thousands of years. From Jesus Christ to Neo, the Chosen One has been front and center in most of the tales we tell ourselves. Hercules is the son of a god, Wonder Woman was formed in clay by an Amazonian Queen, Luke Skywalker is the son of one of the most powerful Jedi ever, Simba is born into royalty, Harry Potter is part of a prophecy; so often a person has been preordained to lead, and after Refusing The Call (thank you, Joseph Campbell), they step up to the plate, fulfill their destiny, and bask in the glory.

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