Every movie has a MacGuffin – the thing that instigates the action and drives the characters’ motivation. Sometimes the MacGuffin is obvious. Other times it is not. That’s when you need The MacGuffin Report. (Cue theme music.)
It takes a guy like Baron Vladimir Harkonnen to loudly exclaim something we all already know. “He who controls The Spice controls the Universe!”
The Spice is incredibly useful. Its number one use, obviously, is to help you make sense of the enormous and sprawling plotline that is Dune. If you ever forget why House Corrido is planning double crosses, it’s because they want the Spice. Covert operations by the Bene Gesserit? The Spice. Very handy.
The desire to control the Spice can tear a man apart. It can also build him up. Take a gander over at Sting up there. The drive to once more be at the helm of what is, essentially, a commodities trading consortium, turned him into a man of pure steel. You can hardly tell where the truss ends and the man begins. To Sting, and the Spice, we say: if we ever lose our faith in you, just give us a taste of whatever Spice you're using.
Whether it’s House Atreides or House Harkonnen in control of Arrakis, one thing remains constant: The Spice Must Flow! Even film director David Lynch, as seen above, understands extracting the mélange is paramount of all things. Therefore, he puts himself in the role as foreman, overseeing this key activity directly.
But let's take a step back. Is the Spice REALLY that great? Sure, it can fold space to allow your ships to travel interstellar (intergalactic?) distances in no time (literally) at all. But if you are floating brain mush in a glass tank, like the head of the Spacing Guild, where can you possibly go with all that rigmarole? You think you'll get a table at a nice restaurant with all that?
No, no. We take it back. Exposure to the Spice makes your eyes more gorgeous than the late Paul Newman's. Plus you get to wear a totally rad stillsuit that allows you to a) urinate in your pants without anyone knowing and b) afford you an opportunity to wear an awesome cord coming out of your nose.
In conclusion, Dune is an impossible mess of a movie, show, collection of doorstops called books, but at their core there are a bunch of Kings fighting each other (and dodging enormous worms) to get a MacGuffin called The Spice. Can't wait til the French dude behind Taken tries his hand at it.
