Dune Part Two – Review
I don’t hide the fact I was somewhat disappointed by Dune Part One, in that I wasn’t aware I was watching half a movie, and so felt at bit cheated. What was there in Part One was good, but I had trouble deciding if I could honestly call it a good film, as — in my eyes, at least — it wasn’t a full movie.
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below (and I’ll link Ryan’s review when he posts it), then use the links at the end to listen to him and Ryan talk about the movie in more depth. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
166 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written by Denis Villenueve, Jon Spaihts, and Frank Herbert
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Synopsis:
Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
Fast forward two years and Dune Part Two hits theaters on March 1. Will it be good enough to complete the story promised in Part One?
In a word: Yes.
From the opening, which features Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) narrating the interregnum between films, despite the fact Part Two picks up Literally where Part One ends, director Denis Villeneuve immediately immerses us back into the world of Arrakis, as Harkonnen forces are tracking down the last of the remaining Atreides elements after their surprise invasion and takeover.
Much of the film centers on the philosophical debate between segments of the Fremen society. One group, represented by Stilgar (Javier Bardem), are more fundamental in their beliefs in regard to the prophesy, whereas a younger group of Fremen, embodied by Chani (Zendaya), are less apt to believe in the prophesy, especially Paul’s (Timothee Chalamet) place in it, as the savior of the Fremen should be a Fremen.
More telling is Chani’s assertion that the prophesy is a prison, designed to keep the Fremen from freeing themselves, instead forever waiting for the Madhi to liberate them.
Stilgar’s fundamentalism, however, does not preclude him from using the idea of Paul to advance the Fremen push for freedom, though he is more apt to ascribe the events surrounding Paul to his increasingly likely status as Madhi.
Stilgar is a pragmatist who is also a believer.
There is a great Monty Python homage snuck into the middle of this talk, lol.
Paul, however, continually dismisses talk of his place in the prophesy, instead simply trying to integrate himself into the Fremen warrior caste in order to exact revenge on the Harkonnen for their slaughter of his people.
While I’ve admitted never been sold on Chalamet, I found one portion of his performance in Part Two to be really exciting: the sequence where he addresses the assembled leaders of the various Fremen groups and challenges them to follow him. Finally, some actual emotion, instead of just sullen mumbling.
Villeneuve continues his world-building and character development in Part Two, with the name Muad’dib making much more sense in this version. He also does a great job of not bogging the audience down in the political and religious talk, instead finding ways to present them more cinematically by introducing them, then evolving them into actual physical, military conflicts, where Paul’s stature grows. This makes the the topics more relatable and accessible for those who aren’t junkies for that kind of discussion.
Oh, and apropos of nothing, can I just say, I still find “sandwalking” to be dumb?
Counter to Paul, we are introduced to Feyd-Rautha, played by Austin Butler, whose introduction is via a gladiatorial combat on Giedi Prime, designed by his uncle, the Baron, to enhance his standing as eventual ruler of Giedi Prime and Arrakis. I did find this segment, which is basically a black and white fight scene, whose contrast is akin to The Tragedy of MacBeth from a couple years ago, to be too quickly edited and cut together, resulting in a messy fight.
The machinations of the Bene Gesserit continue unabated, as Feyd-Rautha is tested via the Box, before having his genetic heritage preserved via the testing Bene Gesserit (played by Lea Seydoux).
They’re shameless… but we already knew that.
The film moves toward the end we know is coming, though Villeneuve has already told us he wants to make Dune: Messiah, so we can probably look forward to that: “The Holy War begins.”
A lot of superlatives have been thrown around about Dune Part Two: “cinematic masterpiece,” “best science fiction movie of the last decade/all-time”, etc…
Let’s let history make those determinations, shall we? What I will say is that Dune Part Two is magnificent in it’s construction and execution. Villeneuve has crafted an immersive world, but he doesn’t wallow in it, he simply uses it.
[I have maintained that Avatar 2: The Way of Water is simply a 3-hour commercial for James Cameron to sell the technology he developed for it, and while Villeneuve builds an equally impressive world, he doesn’t feel compelled to show it off; rather, he lets it present itself as an integral part of the story, giving us what we need, when we need it, but never overstaying its welcome or feeling as if scenes of the desert are simply an Arrakis travel brochure, a la Pandora’s oceans.]
Regardless of the superlatives you want to apply, you’ll definitely want to experience Dune Part Two on the biggest screen you can.
Stars Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, and Babs Olusanmokun.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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