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†Corresponding author.
Email address: odingp@163.com
ISSN 2444-8656
https://doi.org/10.2478/amns.2023.2.00082
© 2023 Hongjuan Ai, Pei Ding and Hyoun-Sun Moon, published by Sciendo.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution alone 4.0 License.
The information dissemination path of the sense of community of contextual beauty
universe based on the hierarchical analysis method - the science fiction film “Dune”
as an example
Hongjuan Ai1, Pei Ding1,†, Hyoun-Sun Moon2
1. Arts School, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu, Anhui, 241000, China.
2. Software Convergence College, Sejong University, Seoul, 05006, South Korea.
Submission Info
Communicated by Z. Sabir
Received October 16, 2022
Accepted February 1, 2023
Available online July 26, 2023
Abstract
Since its introduction into China, the film Dune has sparked heated discussions among Chinese moviegoers. This paper
explores the sense of cosmic community embedded in Dune, and its cinematic aesthetics conveyed to audiences through
the information dissemination path. This paper identifies the hierarchical analysis method as the main research method,
first identifies the definition of cosmic community in terms of content, and then conducts an appreciation of the sense of
cosmic community in the contextual beauty of “Dune”. The algorithmic framework is established by building a model of
the hierarchical analysis method, while the priority weight allocation coefficient is calculated afterward to determine the
priority weight of the program, and the results are evaluated using the fuzzy preference evaluation method. The data
showed that the highest ratio of movie viewers who liked science and technology very much or more was 36.09% and
35.49%, respectively, while the ratio of movie viewers who were interested in the topics of universe and space exploration
was 48.8%. The rating screen effects and movie music scored out of 10, and the average audience rating was above 8.2.
And Dune belongs to the topic of cosmic exploration, indicating that at least in terms of the movie audience, Dune already
has a large audience base in the early stage, which is one of the sources of the movie’s enthusiasm. This paper is feasible
and meaningful to explore the research direction of Dune’s cosmic community of contextual beauty from the contextual
level.
Keywords: Hierarchical analysis method; Context; Sense of cosmic community; Informational communication;
Film aesthetics.
AMS 2020 codes: 68T01
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1 Introduction
If grasping the world in daily life is to see the world from the small to the big, from the near to the
far, then grasping the world in science fiction films is the opposite, at least for those films that include
worldview construction. The latter tend to look first to the stars, fantasize about cross-celestial
interactions in the future, and even conceive all kinds of unbelievable cosmic communities. Dune is
one of the most recent examples. Dune demonstrates the philosophy of power, ecological concepts,
and ideals of life in a science fiction context, complemented by exploring the functions of technology,
dream allegories, and the value of life [1-3].
Film is a young art, and science fiction films are an independent literary genre developed in the later
stages of cinema. Literature [4] Science fiction films have developed based on science fiction, the
term “science fiction” was coined by American Hugo Gernsback in 1926, while “science fiction”
films were defined by science fiction writer Herb W. Te Frank as “science fiction films that depict
dramatic stories that take place in a fictional, but possible, model world.
Science fiction films can be said to have originated in France and flourished in the United States. The
literature [5-9] points out that the late 1970s to 1980s was a period of booming science fiction films,
and high-tech means were widely used in science fiction films. More than a hundred world-famous
science fiction films were created, including “Third Contact,” “Star Wars,” “Superman,” “Alien 1”
and “Alien 2,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Star Trek,” “ET,” “Blade Runner,” “The Terminator,”
“Back to the Future,” and “Batman,” which together formed the most influential science fiction film
boom in the history of science fiction films in the United States and the world. During this period,
science fiction films had a wide range of themes, advanced special effects, and more ornamental
visuals, and seven of the top ten movies in the world were science fiction films. Seven of the top ten
films in the world's film revenue list are science fiction films. The position of science fiction films on
the world film stage after the 1970s is mainly due to the development of science and technology and
the progress of film production. The literature [10] points out that mankind’s dream of space
exploration and the exploration of future models of the world are no longer unattainable; space is no
longer a nebulous world but a virgin land waiting for human exploitation. The development of natural
science has greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of human imagination, and all kinds of fantastic ideas
have been born. According to the literature [11], the application of science and technology in the field
of film has made it possible for human imagination to be transformed into palpable and visible artistic
images on the screen, which undoubtedly satisfies human curiosity and desire for creativity.
The concept of community has been defined in different ways in philosophy, sociology, anthropology,
and ethnography, and the existence of community has been debated in academic circles. The literature
[12] points out that early communities were based on territorial, blood-based clans and communities
and that what Marx called “abstract or illusory communities” based on the industrial revolution were
not illusory, but Marx only compared them with “real communities Marx only compared it with the
“real community”, i.e., the association of free men, and gave the name of abstract and false essence.
Literature [13] The appeal of science fiction films is that they figuratively present imaginary worlds
and develop predictions about the possibilities of the human future in a new and different worldview
structure. The misuse of technology by scientists, the immaturity of biological and genetic
modification, and the destruction of the natural environment are the usual narrative backgrounds of
science fiction films in the exploration period, which provoke audiences to examine technological
development.
This paper is devoted to the study of the information dissemination path of the cosmic community
consciousness of the contextual beauty of “Dune”, determining the optimal weights and optimal
scheme weights, research sample sources and data through the hierarchical analysis method, and
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evaluating the research parameters with the fuzzy preference evaluation method. According to the
definition of cosmic community, the direction of appreciation and information dissemination path for
the contextual beauty and cosmic community consciousness of Dune are clarified to find the
connotation of cosmic community consciousness conveyed by science fiction films and provide a
new direction for the analysis of Chinese film appreciation based on a stream of consciousness.
2 Film “Dune” Introduction
Dune” is a science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothee Chalamet, which
premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy on September 3, 2021. Adapted from
Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Paul, the family heir who decides
to accept fate’s guidance to defend his family and people after the Ötradi family, which controls
precious resources, suffers a betrayal. The film blends and collides science fiction themes with the
real world, using a series of hot social topics such as family games, land desertification, water scarcity,
and personal destiny as the basis of the narrative, and using surreal expression techniques to tell a
mysterious and “touching” heroic story. The film adopts a humanistic and dramatic narrative strategy,
directing the narrative to the characters’ hearts and using delicate camera language to show the
complex changes in the characters’ psychology, demonstrating the unique narrative style and cultural
style of the science fiction genre. At the same time, the creators actively respond to the deep aesthetic
expectations of the public, adopt a broad narrative vision, and build an imaginative space full of
science fiction colors, fully demonstrating the individual aesthetics and aesthetic concepts contained
in science fiction genre films.
2.1 Hierarchical analysis method
The hierarchical analysis method, or AHP method for short, is a multi-objective decision analysis
method combining qualitative and quantitative analysis proposed by American operations researcher
Satiri in the 1970s [14]. The hierarchical analysis method allows quantitative analysis of non-
quantitative events and quantitative description of subjective human judgments. The method uses
mathematical methods to describe the problem to be solved and is suitable for large and complex
systems with multiple objectives, factors, and criteria that are difficult to quantify in their entirety. It
is also suitable for situations where the structure of the objectives or factors is complex, and the
necessary data are lacking.
2.2 Hierarchical model
The basic idea of solving complex problems by hierarchical analysis is to decompose the decision
problem into different levels of structure in the order of the general objective, sub-objectives,
evaluation criteria, and specific measures and then use the method of finding the eigenvector of the
judgment matrix to find out the weight of each element of each level to an element of the upper level,
and finally use the method of the weighted sum to recursively sum up the weights of the total objective
of each solution. The more important factors have greater weights, and the one with the largest weight
is the optimal solution.
The specific method is by comparing multiple associated factors layer by layer to measure the top-
down direct influence relationship between various factors arranged in different levels and constitute
a hierarchical structure diagram. The highest level indicates the purpose of the problem. That is, the
ultimate goal to be achieved by the application of the intermediate level indicates the use of certain
measures and policies to achieve the intended goal involved in the intermediate links are generally
divided into strategy layer, constraint layer, guideline layer, etc., the figure is used in the guideline
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layer, the link between the boxes in the figure indicates the existence of relationships between the
factors at different levels, the hierarchical analysis model is shown in Figure 1.
Objective A
Guideline B1Guideline B2Guideline B3
Program C2
Program C1Program C3Program C4Program C5
Target layer A
Guideline layer B
Programme layer C
Figure 1. Hierarchy Model
2.3 Assignment of priority weights for hierarchical analysis methods
In multi-attribute decision-making, the commonly used methods for assigning weights are mainly:
1) Subjective method, which assigns weights by the subjective importance that the decision
analyst places on each attribute. The main methods for determining their weights are the least
square method, Delphi method, Saaty’s hierarchical analysis method, binomial coefficient
method, ring score method, comparison matrix method, etc. Since some of the given data are
judged by the decision-makers based on subjective experience, the final results are highly
subjective.
2) Objective method, the objective method refers to the method of determining the weights by
simply using the attribute indicators. The main methods it uses to determine the weights are
principal component analysis, entropy method, multi-objective planning method, program
closeness-based method, improved ideal solution method, deviation, and mean difference
method, etc. Since then, some scholars have combined subjective and objective and proposed
combined assignment methods. This section focuses on the determination of weights of
Saaty’s hierarchical analysis method.
The main idea of Saaty’s hierarchical analysis to determine the priority weights of solutions is as
follows:
With option set , based on a certain criterion , the options are compared two by two
in terms of importance and the judgment matrix is determined as:
11 12 1
21 22 2
12
n
n
n n nn
a a a
a a a
A
a a a
=
(1)
where indicates the relative importance of option compared to option , and
a larger indicates that option is more important than option .
Definition: Let the judgment matrix , if the elements of the matrix satisfy the following
conditions:
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1) ;
2) ;
3) .
Then is said to be the positive and negative judgment matrix.
Definition: Let the positive and negative judgment matrix , if
, , , 1,2, , .
ik
ij
jk
a
a i j k n
a
==
(2)
Then is said to be the consistency judgment matrix.
The following is a definition of indicator set for narrative purposes.
Saaty proposes that when the positive and negative judgment matrix is a consistent
judgment matrix, the elements of matrix
A
have the following logical relationship with the weight
vector :
,
i
ij
j
w
a i j I
w
=
(3)
Let the weight vector of each solution in the multi-attribute decision problem be
. Based on the weight ratio of solution , we can construct the
following positive and negative consistency judgment matrix of the weight ratio :
( )
1 1 1 2 1
2 1 2 2 2
12
/ / /
/ / /
A
/ / /
n
n
ij nn
n n n n
w w w w w w
w w w w w w
a
w w w w w w
==
(4)
where the matrix elements and .
Multiplying the weight vector right by the matrix , we have
1 1 1 2 1 1 1
2 1 2 2 2 2 2
12
/ / /
/ / /
/ / /
n
n
n n n n n n
w w w w w w w w
w w w w w w w w
Aw n nw
w w w w w w w w
= = =
(5)
From matrix theory, is the only nonzero and largest eigenroot of , denoted as , while is
the eigenvector corresponding to . In practice, although the weight vector is unknown, an
estimation matrix
of can be obtained by a two-by-two comparison method, and
is called the judgment matrix. Then the maximum characteristic root max
of is solved, i.e., the
maximum root of a monic polynomial max
that satisfies the following expression in determinant:
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11 12 1
21 22 2
12
0
n
n
n n nn
a a a
a a a
a a a
−
− =
−
(6)
The maximum characteristic root max
is found and substituted into the system of linear equations:
( )
max 0A I w
− =
(7)
and thus solve for the eigenvector corresponding to max
( )
12
, , , T
n
w w w w
=
(8)
If the judgment matrix is consistent, the feature vector corresponding to max
is the weight
vector of the solution set. In general, the judgment matrix may not be a consistent judgment
matrix with a positive inverse. To achieve satisfactory consistency, the roots are made as close to zero
as possible, except for max
. The absolute value of the sum of the remaining roots is averaged
to test the consistency of the judgment matrix, i.e.
max
.1
n
CI n
−
=−
(9)
In general, the larger the , the larger the deviation from consistency. On the contrary, the deviation
from consistency is smaller. In addition, the larger the order of the judgment matrix is, the larger
the deviation caused by the subjective factors of the judgment is, and the greater the consistency of
the deviation is. Conversely, the smaller the deviation consistency. Therefore, it is also necessary to
introduce the average random consistency index, which is noted as . The index varies with
the order of the judgment matrix, and these values are obtained by constructing the judgment
matrix with the random method, finding the consistency index, and averaging it after several iterations
of calculation, as shown in Table 1:
Table 1. RI Values
Order
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
.RI
0
0
0.52
0.89
1.12
1.26
1.36
1.41
Order
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
.RI
1.46
1.49
1.52
1.54
1.56
1.58
1.59
The ratio of consistency indicator to the random consistency indicator of the same order is
called the consistency ratio and is denoted as
.
..
CI
CR RI
=
(10)
The consistency ratio is used to test the consistency of the judgment matrix. When is smaller,
the consistency of the judgment matrix is better. It is generally considered that when , the
judgment matrix meets the satisfactory consistency criteria. Otherwise, the judgment matrix needs to
be revised.
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Example of a known judgment matrix
1 1/ 3 1/ 2
3 1 3
2 1/ 3 1
A
=
(11)
By solving for
, we get max and
therefore , so we have
1
2
3
2.0536 1/ 3 1/ 2
3 2.0536 3 0
2 1 / 3 2.0536
w
w
w
−
−=
−
(12)
The solution is .
To overcome the difficulty of solving the maximum eigenvalue exactly as the order of the judgment
matrix increases, one uses the following approximation to determine the weights of the scheme.
Least squares (LSM) method for positive reciprocal inverse matrices , the method of
sorting vectors derived by the following optimization problem is called least squares method.
2
11
1
1
m ( )
1, 0,
nn i
ij
ij j
n
i
i
w
inF w a w
w w i I
==
=
=−
=
(13)
Logarithmic Least Squares (LLSM) For positive reciprocal inverse matrices , the
ordering method derived from the following optimization problem is called logarithmic least squares.
( )
2
11
1
min ( ) ln ln ln
1, 0,
nn
ij i j
ij
n
ii
i
F w a w w
w w i I
==
=
= − +
=
(14)
The gradient eigenvector method (GEM) sets the positive mutual inverse judgment matrix as
and its pseudo mutual inverse matrix as
( )
Among he, m /
tij
ij ij
nn ji
a i j
A a a w w i j
==
(15)
To find the eigenvector of , we obtain the recurrence relation:
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1 1,
1
12 , , , 3 1
n n n n
n
i ij j
ji
w a w
w a w i n n
ni
−−
=+
=
= = − −
−
(16)
The method for deriving the ranking vectors from this is called the gradient eigenvector method.
Least deviation method (LDM) for positive reciprocal inverse matrices ; the method for
deriving the ranking vectors from the following optimization problems is called the least squeezed
difference method
( )
11
1
min ( ) / / 2
. 1, 0, 1,2 ,
nn
ij j i ji i j
ij
n
ii
i
F w a w w a w w
s t w w i n
==
=
= + −
= =
(17)
has a unique minuscule and is the unique solution to the following system of equations
11
, 1,2, ,
nn
ji
ij ij
jj
ij
ww
a a i n
ww
==
==
(18)
The goal planning method (LGP) The goal planning method was proposed by Brynon, who took into
account the variability of people’s perceptions and established the relationship between the elements
of the judgment matrix and the weights by introducing positive and negative deviations
0
ij
i
ij
j ij
w
aw
+
−
−=
(19)
By solving the following optimization model
( )
11
min ln ln
. ln ln ln ln ln , , 1,2, , .
nn
ij ij
ij
i j ij ij ij
s t w w a i j n
++
==
+−
+
− + − = =
(20)
Determine the weight of the scheme, where
is a non-negative real number. If the pieces of
The fuzzy preference method Mikhailov considers that if the positive reciprocal inverse matrix
satisfies the consistency condition, then
0,( , 1,2, , )
ij j i
a w w i j n− = =
(21)
Rewriting the above equation into matrix form is
0RW =
(22)
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where . If the positive reciprocal inverse matrix does not satisfy the
consistency condition, an approximation can be used, i.e., , to construct the optimization
model as follows
1
max
, , 1,2, , .
.. 01
1, 0
j j j
jj
n
jj
j
d R W d
d R W d j n
st
ww
++
−−
=
+
− =
=
(23)
where is the rd row of . The weights of the scheme are determined by solving the above model.
Other methods for solving the ranking vector are the generalized least deviation method, the mixed
least squares method, and the quadratic programming method, etc. All of the above are performed in
the framework of the logical relationship between the program weights of Saaty and the elements of
the judgment matrix, i.e., , with a single decision model.
The study shows that when the judgment matrix has consistency, the least squares method,
logarithmic least squares method, gradient eigenroot method, etc. agree with the ranking result of the
eigenroot method, but when does not have consistency, there will be deviation.
2.4 A sense of cosmic community
The cosmic community in science fiction films is precisely the “hyper-real”, “anthropomorphic”,
“hyper-real,” and “hyperspace” in Jameson’s sense [15-16]. To strengthen the difference between
reality and the virtual, the cosmic community in science fiction films often intentionally highlights
the deviation from the real world, and its real space has the stability of physical form and the
dimension of virtual space, pointing to the infinite possibilities of science fiction imagination, and
also guiding the audience to actively relate the cosmic community in films to reality and illusion.
3 Appreciation of the sense of cosmic community in the film “Dune” in the context of
beauty
Science fiction films are also called “science fantasy films”, that is, “feature films with science fantasy
content, whose basic feature is to make fantasy descriptions of the future world or scenarios of the
distant past from the scientific principles and achievements known today”. Unlike the traditional hard
science fiction, such as mecha, iron bones, cyberpunk, artificial intelligence, and other science fiction
films that put technology in external things, the film “Dune” focuses on people themselves. The
narrative relationship of science fiction films in the period of diversified development can be
considered as a whole from the perspective of “pictorial history”, which can form a commercialized
narrative category around “utopia” and “heterotopia”. The structure of heterotopia in science fiction
films is shown in Figure 2.
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Figure 2. Heterotopia structure in science fiction films
Science fiction films tend to set up a heterotopic space that is different from the real world but exists
in reality. The space of spectacle and alienation allows one to reflect on the lived or perceived space
and the imaginary space as an ideology. The heterotopia space is full of “utopian colors” that envision
the future society, which better balances the relationship between the taste of the public and the
connotation of spiritual civilization and conveys the national ideology in the emotional resonance
with the audience, forming a form of commercial film creation with strong dramatic conflict and a
happy story ending.
3.1 The Community of Crisis Universe in Dune: Disaster, War, and Adventure
Dune is a magnificent film. The mutual game between the forces of nature, secular forces, and
religious forces in the fields of species production, material production, and spiritual production
constitute the heart-stopping plot of Dune, making it a unification of science fiction disaster film,
science fiction war film and science fiction adventure film.
As a science fiction disaster film, this movie is a twisted reflection of the ecological crisis faced by
the Earth. The transition from a sandy desert to a lush green landscape surrounded by blue water is
often seen as an evolution of the planet’s ecosystem; conversely, desertification degrades the planet’s
ecosystem. The colonists’ exploitation of technology could have a variety of orientations, but in the
lust for profit, it is not the technology of sand control that gains importance, but the technology needed
to extract, process, and sell spices. Thus, the ecological catastrophe appears to be a natural disaster
but a man-made one.
As a science fiction war film, this movie presents the political and economic causes of the Battle of
Erracos. The emperor is good at ruling, and when he finds that Duke Reto is embraced by all the great
families and poses a threat to his position, he wants to get rid of him, although he is his cousin. He
used an appointment to transfer the management of Errakos to Duke Leto, who brought all the elite
troops to Errakos and then encouraged the Harkonnen to attack while they were still unstable. This is
a high-tech war. Both sides have powerful space fleets and clusters of barge-winged aircraft. The
Harkonnens were not as strong as the Etruscans in terms of military power, but Baron Harkonnens
paid off the Sadoka Legion, who was the Emperor’s soldiers and kidnapped the wife of Dr. Yue, a
close friend of Duke Leito, to force Dr. Yue to work for him. Baron Harkonnen did not hide the
economic purpose of the war. That is, the war was fought for spices.
As a science fiction adventure film, this movie depicts the main character, Paul’s birth and death
experience. Paul is a boyish young man who grew up in a deep house but is eager for adventure. His
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father hires a first-rate fighting instructor, and his mother teaches him the Sisterhood’s art of tongues.
When Duncan, an officer, was ordered by the Duke of Leito to go to Errachos on a forward mission,
he volunteered to go with him but was refused by Duncan, who feared that this would violate the
military law but was courageous after all. After arriving in Erracos, his father asked him to attend a
meeting of his ministers so that he could have a clearer understanding of the strategic situation of the
entire planet. After his father’s death, he wore a ring that represented his title and functioned as a seal,
mentally assuming the mission of raising the dead and the dying for the benefit of the people.
The disasters, wars, and adventures portrayed in Dune involve numerous characters but mainly
revolve around the experiences of Paul. The Sisterhood’s breeding program prepares the orthodox
descendants of the Harkonan to become super-prophets with psychic eyes which can lead their people
into a glorious future, known in the film as Quisatz Hadrak. This plan was implemented through fine
genetic selection and lasted for over ninety generations. But Paul, after all, is not a clone created by
a genetic engineering assembly line but a human being with an independent will. Therefore, the
writer-director is committed to showing his unique journey. Figure 3 shows the movie poster of
“Dune”.
Figure 3. Movie Sand Dune Poster
3.2 The Aesthetics of Context in Dune - Dreams, Love and Self-Discovery
Dune updates our understanding of dreams, love, self-discovery, technology, and more with vivid
depictions. Dune opens with the statement, “A dream is a thought that comes from deep within.”
What Paul had was a prophetic dream. He could dream about a person’s past, present, and future and
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thus could predict, in a sense, the fate of the imperial powers. Even Our Lady wanted to know what
he dreamed, which shows the importance of Paul’s dreams. More than Our Lady, he was a master of
mind-reading, knowing his dreams and those with whom he had direct contact.
Love is a destined destiny, at least the divine love presented in Dune is. The Duke of Leto trusted his
wife highly and did not ask about it, although he knew she was privately involved with the Sisterhood.
Thus, in Caladan, a better balance is achieved between the forces of nature, secular forces, and
religious forces. However, the film endeavors to show not only the marriage history of the Dukes of
Leto but Paul’s search for the girl of his dreams. The film begins with Paul’s affirmation of the
function of dreams, followed by the dream girl’s statement to Erakos, and finally, Paul confirms that
Cydney of the Erakos aboriginal group is his dream girl and follows her to the dungeon. It seems that
Chani also knew him, although she did not expect him to be so young as the “Chosen One”. When
Paul fought the warrior Jaime, who was on the way to winning the Fremen’s acceptance, Cheney’s
eyes showed her concern for Paul. When the slain Jaime is carried away by the clan, her look shows
her admiration for Paul.
Dune” is a science fiction and coming-of-age film that illustrates the philosophical understanding of
how to exist in the world through the growth of its main character, Paul. The film opens with a scene
in which a Freeman girl, Cheney, introduces the planet Erachos. In the film, Chaney asks, “What will
become of our world? Through Chaney’s words, the film deals not only with the reality of what will
happen to the planet Erachos and whether Paul, the savior it awaits, will be able to fulfill his mission
but also with the ethical and philosophical considerations of how people should exist in the world.
The film focuses on three key points in Paul’s growth, which form the inner rhythm of the entire film.
As Paul gradually comes to terms with his destiny, the answer to the question of how to exist in the
world becomes clear. Figure 4 shows the stills of the movie “Dune”.
Figure 4. The stills of the film Sand Dunes
3.3 Information dissemination path: The cross-cultural strategy of the movie Dune
1) Humanistic narrative strategy to deepen the main idea
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Characterization is the basis of film narrative, and outlining and portraying characters helps promote
cross-cultural communication and effectively breaks down cultural barriers, and creates a basis for
audiences from other cultures to recognize the narrative content. The film explores the inner world
of the characters, affirming the primacy of the “human being”, and through the use of humanistic
narrative footage, it presents the subtle emotional ups and downs of Paul, the heir of the Etradi family,
depicting his frustrations and identity anxieties. The film’s use of the “dream world” narrative adds
suspense and tension to the overall narrative, creating a tragic hero with a rich heart. The creator’s
integration of emotional perception into the figurative scenes provides a logical possibility to describe
the character’s growth and the subsequent development of the plot and deepens the audience’s
emotional perception of the film.
2) Community narrative framework realizes the integration of content and aesthetics
Film creation should closely follow the issues of the times, reflect real-life problems, and construct a
common imagination by organically integrating the narrative content with the audience’s thought and
cognition, and aesthetic concept, using the narrative framework of “community aesthetics”. The film
“Dune” adopts a minimalist aesthetic narrative style, rendering a science fiction story full of
philosophical meaning, using the narrative technique of “parallel montage” to form a “complete and
integral” narrative line, and presenting a distinctive artistic image. The creators use a narrative
language with a sense of formal beauty, placing the relatively abstract science fiction language and
aesthetic concepts in an imaginative narrative spectacle, highlighting the characters’ emotions,
portraying a narrative image with a sense of action and process, and giving the audience a dynamic
visual effect. In the information dissemination process, the creators need to understand the
characteristics of meta-culture fully, construct a narrative framework of “unique content coexistence,
“ and integrate aesthetic concepts and symbols with popular consensus to realize the integration of
ethnicity and universality of the film works. Figure 5: The image of “sandworm” in Dune.
Figure 5. Sandworm
Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences (aop) (aop)
4 The effect of the Chinese audience’s perception of Dune’s sense of cosmic community
4.1 Attitudes of science fiction movie viewers towards Dune based on hierarchical analysis
For science communication and science education, science fiction films have both the positive role
of popularizing knowledge and spreading scientific culture and the negative role of spreading
pseudoscience and affecting the image of scientists. Understanding the attitude of science fiction
movie viewers toward science and technology can provide audience perspective to enhance the
positive role of science fiction movies and eliminate their negative role, to develop corresponding
science popularization cultural products in a targeted manner. This study uses hierarchical analysis
to investigate and analyze the degree of science fiction movie viewers’ interest in science and
technology and the topics of interest and tries to analyze the demographic differences between the
two indicators and the correlation with the frequency and preference of watching science fiction
movies. The level of interest in science and technology is divided into five levels in this survey, with
1 being very disliked, 5 being very like, and 1 to 5 viewers’ attitude levels in increasing order.
The attitudes of science fiction movie viewers toward science and technology are shown in Figure 6.
Most of the movie viewers in the survey declared that they like science and technology very much or
rather, with the highest percentages of 36.09% and 35.49%, respectively, and a small number declare
that they do not like or like it, with the highest percentages of these two attitudes reaching 1.5% and
2.65%, respectively, and a maximum of 24.35% have a moderate interest in science and technology.
Figure 6. The attitude of science fiction film audiences to science and technology
When investigating the attitudes of Dune moviegoers toward science and technology, we first
investigated the interest of all moviegoers in scientific topics such as new technological inventions,
new scientific discoveries, medicine, space, and science news. Given the following situation: some
people are not very interested in “science” in general, but different groups of individuals with
different professional backgrounds or viewing preferences are interested in individual science topics.
Thus, investigating individual science topics can further illustrate differences in interest in science
and technology from a more microscopic perspective.
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The scientific topics of interest to moviegoers are shown in Table 2. Most respondents were interested
in universe and space exploration at 48.8%, followed by Internet devices and technology at 21.9%
and bioengineering and genetic modification at 17.8%. The least interest was in nanotechnology and
new materials, with 4.3 percent. The science fiction theme of “Dune” belongs to the universe and
space exploration genre, which caters to movie viewers in terms of aesthetic preference.
Table 2. Scientific topics of interest to film audiences
Scientific topics of interest
Frequency
Percentage
The universe and space exploration
167
48.8
Internet equipment and technology
70
21.9
Bioengineering and Transgene
63
17.8
Climate Change and Environmental Pollution
40
13.1
Nanotechnology and New Materials
10
4.3
Other types
4
1.3
4.2 Communication of the sense of cosmic community in the contextual beauty of “Dune”
under the hierarchical analysis method
Dune contains not have the extreme violence and mechanical elements of traditional science fiction
films, but the cultural connotation and aesthetic values conveyed in them are more worthy of attention.
However, due to the differences in cultural appreciation among different ethnic groups, Dune did not
receive as good a response at the box office in China as it did in the European and American film
markets. The hierarchical analysis method was used to examine some of the ratings of Dune by
Chinese moviegoers, intercepting nine dimensions such as scene construction1, screen effects2,
sound effects3, special effects4, editing5, characterization6, film color7, film music8, and story
integrity9 for statistical analysis, each of which was scored out of 10.
Chinese moviegoers’ ratings on “Dune” are shown in Figure 7. The ratings for editing and story
integrity are both between 3 and 4, indicating that the voluminous Dune novel was changed into a
155-minute movie story, which audiences do not quite approve of in terms of adaptation and feel that
the adaptation makes the story lacking in integrity, and the grand cosmic worldview in the novel is
not presented to the audience in its entirety. Chinese moviegoers rated Dune’s screen effects and
music the highest, with an average score of over 8.2. It means that the movie's screen effects and
musical aesthetics are perfectly presented to the audience, and the audience maximally recognizes the
audiovisual effects of the movie. Despite the lack of story integrity of the movie “Dune”, the film
aesthetics and the sense of community in the contextual beauty of the film were conveyed to the
audience through IMAX technology and appreciated by the audience.
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Figure 7. Scoring of Chinese Film Audience on Dune
5 Conclusion
Based on the hierarchical analysis method, this paper explores the sense of cosmic community in
science fiction films, and the beauty of cinematic contexts conveyed therein, using the movie Dune
as an example. Although many future scenes, alien scenes, game scenes, dream scenes, and
hallucination scenes constructed in Dune based on digital technology and other advanced
technologies cannot be equated with the universe, they are all a digital imitation and projection of the
real universe, which is no different from the essence of the real world community.
During the survey, it was found that 48.8% were interested in universe and space exploration,
followed by 21.9% in Internet equipment and technology and 17.8% in bioengineering and genetic
modification. The science fiction theme of “Dune” belongs to the universe and space exploration
genre, which caters to movie viewers in terms of aesthetic preference, which is one of the reasons
why the movie has attracted high attention. Although the box office of “Dune” in the Chinese market
is not high, Chinese moviegoers rated the screen effects and music of “Dune” above 8.2, and the
aesthetics of film art and music conveyed in the film were widely recognized by the audience. The
film’s crisis universe community and excavation of dreams, love, and self-discovery brought the
audience spiritual shock and inspired them to think more about technology.
Funding:
1) This research was supported by the Key Project of Humanities and Social Sciences Research
of Universities in Anhui Province (SK2019A0123).
2) This research was supported by a School-level scientific research project of Anhui Polytechnic
University (XJKY2020113).
3) This research was supported by a School-level scientific research project at Anhui Polytechnic
University (Xjky2020116).
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