These 16 "Dune" Scenes Are The Reasons Why Fans Are Clamoring For A Sequel

The legend is finally born.

Denis Villeneuve's Dune has finally been released, with many audiences loving this adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi masterpiece.

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This epic space opera is full of breathtaking and exhilarating scenes that have left audiences wanting more. And so, we're going to take a look at the top 16 scenes from Dune: Part One. 

🚨WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!🚨

16. Training With Gurney

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In his first fight scene of the film, Paul (Timothée Chalamet) battles his House's weapons master, Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), introducing the audience to this world's unique style of fighting. With both men armed with a dagger and a protective force field, the film presents a flashy new form of fighting akin to a lightsaber duel that prepares Paul and the audience for the battles later on.

15. The Sardaukar Rally

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Traveling to the Imperial Army planet, the Harkonnen's mentat Piter De Vries (David Dastmalchian) enlists the emperor's elite soldiers, the Sardaukar, to take part in the baron's invasion of Arrakis. With the army lined up in the rain getting the blood of their human sacrifices marked on their heads, the audience gets hints of the Sardaukar's savagery and the threat the heroes will have to face, all to the tune of a guy who sounds like he's playing the didgeridoo. 

14. Paul Duels Jamis

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After finally reaching the Fremen, Paul is challenged to a ritual duel to the death by their member, Jamis (Babs Olusanmokun). It's not a particularly exciting fight scene, but it is important, nevertheless, as it ends with Paul embracing his future as the Fremen messiah by making his first kill. Despite this, Jamis's death is ultimately a tragedy, as it was implied in Paul's visions that he would be a teacher and dear friend to our hero in the future. But nothing is set in stone.

13. Enter the Baron

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Here, the film introduces its main antagonist: Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. As he is bathing in a veil of mist, the Baron is visited by his brutish nephew, Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), who is furious over handing control of Arrakis to House Atreides. Harkonnen reveals the emperor's jealousy of Leto's popularity, implying their true plans for the duke and his family. Stellan Skarsgård's look and performance in this scene harken back to Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now, making for a gloriously terrifying new villain for the ages.

12. The Gom Jabbar

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This was Paul's first step in his journey. After hearing of his prophetic visions, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) travels to Caladan to test him through the gom jabbar. Paul is subjected to intense pain by placing his hand in a box, desperately trying not to remove it to avoid being poisoned by Mohiam. Paul's struggle is juxtaposed with Jessica's (Rebecca Ferguson) fear of losing her son, making for a particularly suspenseful trial for the both of them.

11. Liet-Kynes' Death

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After escaping from the Sardaukar with Paul and Jessica, Dr. Liet-Kynes (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) prepares to ride a sandworm by activating a thumper. Unfortunately, she is fatally stabbed by a Sardaukar, who reprimands her for betraying the emperor. Staring death in the face, Kynes declares that her allegiance is only to the sandworm, which arrives to swallow them all whole. It's a powerful moment that shows Kynes fully embracing her Fremen heritage and dying on her own terms.

10. The Duke's Trap

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After being paralyzed by his family's doctor, Wellington Yueh (Chang Chen), Leto (Oscar Isaac) is brought to Baron Harkonnen. Yueh is himself betrayed and murdered by Harkonnen, but he still plants a poison gas capsule in Leto's teeth to use against the baron. With the duke's death juxtaposed with his son finding his ring, this scene marks the father passing his throne onto his son. Though Harkonnen survives this attempt on his life, it is still satisfying to see Leto get the upper hand on this wicked tyrant. 

9. Flying Through the Storm

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Paul and Jessica are pursued through the skies by the Sardaukar as they escape in an ornithopter. Desperate to evade their fire, Paul flies into a massive sandstorm that nearly destroys his ship's wings. However, in a scene reminiscent of the climax of Star Wars, Paul has a vision of the Fremen Jamis, who basically tells him to "let go." Our hero then decides to close his ship's wings and go with the flow of the storm, allowing him and his mother to survive.

8. Worm Attack

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This scene introduced us to the sandworms in all their destructive glory. After coming across a spice harvester failing to escape an oncoming worm, Paul, Leto, and Gurney try to save the harvester's crew from being swallowed whole. Though Paul is nearly overcome by the spice's effect on him, he and the others manage to escape, with the sight of the worm devouring the harvester one to behold.

7. Facing the Sandworm

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Though we've already seen a sandworm at this point in the film, this is the first time we see one in full view. As Paul and Jessica venture through the desert alone, they flee from a sandworm burrowing toward them. Paul eventually meets the worm face to face, and both he and the audience can only stare with fear and awe at this great beast. Fortunately, the sandworm is drawn away by the sound of a thumper used by the Fremen. While this scene left the audience hoping for more, we can look forward to Paul actually riding one of these creatures in Part Two.

6. Duncan Fights to the Death

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When the Sardaukar track Paul and his group to an abandoned research station, Duncan (Jason Momoa) and the Fremen hold them back, helping the young Duke escape. Duncan eventually takes on a bunch of these soldiers by himself inside a small hallway, and he ends up losing his life to them, just as Paul's visions showed him. His noble sacrifice to save his protege is reminiscent of Obi-Wan Kenobi's own sacrifice to save Luke in Star Wars: A New Hope. But it doesn't make it any more painful to see Duncan go.

5. Arrival on Arrakis

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Truly an entrance worthy of royalty. In this scene, House Atreides arrives at their new home on Arrakis, and they are greeted with bagpipes and a vast welcome party from their servants, as well as the locals, who worship Paul as their savior. The cinematography here is truly amazing, and whoever designed Rebecca Ferguson's stunning costume deserves an award.

4. Paul and Jessica Join the Fremen

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After achieving victory in his duel to the death, Paul joins the Fremen as they journey to their city in Arrakis. Showing Paul's smile and Jessica's concerned look in the face of their future, the film ends with the implication that both glory and tragedy are in their path. But with Paul witnessing a Fremen riding a sandworm and Chani saying this is only the beginning, audiences know that they can expect greater things in the sequel in 2023.

3. Paul's Premonition

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When Paul and Jessica hide in a tent in the desert, Paul inhales enough spice to give him a vision of his bloody future as the Fremen messiah. He sees armies being led into battle, bodies being burned, and a holy war being fought across the universe in his name. Though his mother tries to comfort him, Paul lashes out and blames her for what he's going through, even calling himself a "freak." It is one of the most emotionally charged scenes in the entire film, one that solidifies the internal struggle the two of them face.

2. Intro to Arrakis

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Similar to the first Lord of the Rings film, Dune opens with an introduction to the planet Arrakis and Fremen's battle against the Harkonnens narrated by Zendaya's character, Chani. In about two and a half minutes, we see Fremen popping out of the sand and attacking Harkonnen soldiers, lasers blowing up giant airships, and rockets flying down from above. It's an exciting and stunning opening that definitely gets audiences hooked into the rest of the film.

1. Harkonnen Invasion

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After Dr. Yueh lowers Arrakeen's defenses, Harkonnen's army comes down and attacks the city in a visually spectacular invasion. With fire and starships raining down from the sky, soldiers clashing on the battlefield, and explosions galore, this assault from the Harkonnens serves as a worthy introduction to the epic war that has just begun. This action-packed scene is also elevated by Hans Zimmer's hauntingly electric score, truly setting the stage for the great battle that is to come.

Do you agree with this list? Were there any scenes from Dune that we missed? Please let us know in the comments section below!