Do you like drinking alcohol? Do you like 2.5-hour long movies? Do you like giant, teethy worms sneakily emerging from the sand to either eat a tank or say, "hey, what's up" to Timothée Chalamet? Then look no further.
Dune started streaming on HBO Max on Thursday, 10/21, at 5:00pm CT. By the time I'm writing this on Monday, 10/25, I have personally watched it 3 times and collectively, the Highbrow Lowbrow staff has watched it at least 15 times. We like the movie.
Whether you're a die hard fan or never heard of Dune until you saw a trailer with Chalamet and Zendaya and suddenly cared, this game will elevate the movie watching experience. It will also make you drunk. But do not fear the drunkness. Fear is the buzz-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total sobriety. Drink your fear. Permit it to pass from your can/bottle through you. And when it has gone past your mouth you will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the beer has gone there will be a buzz. Only a buzz will remain.
If you need to double check the actors and names for characters I'll be referencing below, check out the IMDb cast list here. I don't claim to be a Dune expert, so please forgive me if I misspell or inaccurately reference something below. But also, chill the f*** out bro.
Dune Drinking Game Rules
Take 1 Drink when:
A bull is shown or referenced.
A blade is shown on the ground or exchanged between 2 characters.
Paul and Jessica share their mommy/son special language which seems to just be one-handed sign language.
Character with blue eyes (Fremen) looks directly at the camera.
A weird hat is worn (basically every Bene Gesserit outfit).
Take 2 Drinks when:
Timmy Chalamet is shirtless!! Woo!
Zendaya (Chani) appears in a scene and doesn't have any lines. This will be every time Paul has a vision.
The Voice is used.
Paul becomes a giddy school-girl because he sees Duncan Idaho (Jason Mamoa).
Waterfall Drink while:
There's a freakin' bagpipe on the screen.
The Sardaukar float to the ground with swords like bad asses.
Paul's hand is in the box.
Finish Drink when:
Barron Vladimir Harkonnen escapes death by hugging the ceiling really tight.
Thufir Hawat (House Atreides' Mentat) breaks out his delicate, seemingly pointless umbrella.
If you're trying to elevate this drinking game further down the golden path, then check out the added rules below for GOD EMPEROR mode.
GOD EMPEROR MODE
Take 2 Drinks when:
You see a sand worm's teeth.
Aggressive, high pitched yelling comes out of nowhere. This soundtrack is amazing, but very often startling.
Random person whispers to Paul in some unrecognizable language or tells him that he is The One.
An ornithopter (dragonfly helicopter) takes flight.
Take 4 Drinks when:
Josh Brolen (Gurney Halleck) has a line that reminds you of his portrayal of Thanos (he uses the same voice!)
House Atreides' soldiers chant "Atreides! Atreides!" (feel free to chant along).
Finish Drink:
Duke Leto Atreides is nakey! Put some clothes on, Oscar Isaac!
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen makes you feel uncomfortable or creeped out. This will vary person to person, but will likely make you drink every scene he is in especially during his open-door steam session and extra thick oil bath.
You don't have to know everything about Dune to enjoy the movie. However, if you are looking for a better understanding of the Dune novels and you're illiterate, check out the hilarious podcast series below from The Last Podcast Network. They break down all the characters and plot lines you need to know to understand why Timothée Chalamet is so damn special.
They're not incentivizing us to share this (or even know that we exist), but that'd be cool if they did. Like SUPER cool. Like OMG, the coolest.
