Dune: Part Two (2024) Warner Bros./Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure RT: 167 minutes Rated PG-13 (sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material, brief strong language) Director: Denis Villeneuve Screenplay: Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts Music: Hans Zimmer Cinematography: Greig Fraser Release date: March 1, 2024 (US) Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Anya Taylor-Joy.
Rating: ****
I concluded my review of Dune: Part One by expressing my hope that Dune: Part Two would be just as amazing. I’m happy to report it is. Like its predecessor, you don’t just watch it, you marvel at it. It’s not some loud, empty, dumbed-down CGI-driven spectacle that’s more of an assault on the senses than entertainment. It’s huge alright; it’s filmmaking on a grand scale. If any recent film deserves to be called an epic, this is it. It’s like director Denis Villeneuve was guided by the hand of David Lean. This is what going to the movies should be about.
Dune: Part Two picks right up where the last one left off, with Paul Atreides (Chalamet, Wonka) and his mother Lady Jessica (Ferguson, Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One) walking through the desert with the Fremen after being left for dead in the desert by their Harkonnen enemies. The leader of the desert tribe Stilgar (Bardem, No Country for Old Man) believes young Paul is the promised one, the savior that will bring about peace, the Kwisatz Haderach. Paul doesn’t see it that way, but all the signs point to it being true.
The attack on House Atreides was orchestrated by Emperor Shaddam IV (Walken, Batman Returns) in an attempt at a power grab. With the Harkonnens in power on Arrakis once again, Paul joins the Fremen in the fight against their oppressors. They wage war on them, destroying spice harvesters in well-planned attacks. The evil Baron (Skarsgard, Thor) responds by sending his psychotic nephew Feyd-Rautha (Butler, Elvis) to Arrakis to deal with the threat.
A lot happens in Dune: Part Two, so much that I couldn’t possibly cover it all here so I’ll just give you the salient points. Lady Jessica becomes the Fremen’s Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother and uses her new position to push the idea of Paul being the Messiah of the prophecy. Paul forms a romantic relationship with tough Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya, Spider-Man: No Way Home) who doesn’t believe in the prophecy. I think that should suffice.
I realize the interjection “WOW!” tends to be overused, but it’s the only way to accurately describe the experience of watching Dune: Part Two. Villeneuve draws the viewer into a world first realized in the imagination of Frank Herbert, the author of the classic sci-fi novel from which the film is adapted. Let me tell you, it’s a great adaptation. I’d even say it’s perfect. As much as I like David Lynch’s version from 1984, it’s more like an outline of the book than an adaptation. It’s so dense with characters, relationships and important events, it can’t be crammed into 137 minutes. To be fair, the blame lies more with the studio execs at Universal for making Lynch cut it down after initially delivering a three-hour cut. It was a wise decision on Villeneuve’s part to divide the saga into more than one film. SPOILER ALERT! He plans to do a third movie based on Dune Messiah. The door is left wide open for it. I do believe we’re looking at a trilogy here. I don’t know about you, but it makes me happy.
Visually, Dune: Part Two is just as stunning as One which won six Oscars; Visual Effects, Cinematography, Sound and Production Design among them. I can see this one repeating this remarkable feat and it would be deserved. The effects are spot-on as is the dazzling cinematography by Greig Fraser. He beautifully captures the vast deserts of Arrakis and the bleak world of Harkonnen planet Giedi Prime, a place completely devoid of color. The action scenes are well-orchestrated, never once confusing the viewer with wild overediting. You can actually tell what’s going on and who’s fighting who. The music by Hans Zimmer augments the action in the best way.
The screenplay by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts is extremely intelligent and well-written. Not only does it allow for proper plot and character development, it also takes the time to develop its deeper themes of politics, power and religious fanaticism. It’s surprising dense for a mainstream movie. The cast is top-notch too. There’s not a single bad performance from anybody. Walken and Butler are great additions to the cast as is Florence Pugh (Black Widow) as Princess Irulan. I’m glad to see her character gets more to do in Dune: Part Two than Sean Young did in the ’84 version. Chalamet is terrific as Paul Atreides, later to become Paul Muad’Dib. He’s totally believable as a young prince slowly realizing and accepting his destiny, but at what cost. Zendaya is awesome as always. She’s so bad ass.
I’ve been waiting more than two years for Dune: Part Two. It was supposed to come out last November, but got pushed back to the SAG and writers strikes. It was worth the wait! It’s the best movie I’ve seen in a very long time. I look forward to Part Three, but I hope Villeneuve takes his time with it. A rush job simply would not do the others justice.
