Yes, it very faithful to the plot of the novel, but this screen realization ignores the theatrical impetus that a film must have -- it is so one note, reverential, and plodding that it is hard to care for the characters involved, let alone the ideas. The production's color palette is near monochromatic (black and white would have been more colorful) -- basically I felt like we were asked to spend two and a half hours in church, with the faithful reciting the creed and anyone else trying hard not to nod off. No variation in pacing, in color, in acting -- just the rhythmic beat of a thumper looking for a sandworm. David Lynch's version 1984 version was, in many ways, a mess -- but it had more dramatic tension and variety.