Rating of
3.5/4
Bigger, Bolder and Better
Chris Kavan - wrote on 03/08/24
The first Dune was Denis Villeneuve laying the groundwork for the adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic and a lot of groundwork had to be laid - and even thought the film was majestic, I admit it also moved somewhat slow at times. But now that's all out of the way and Dune: Part Two, even at a robust 2 hours and 46 minutes, never feels like it slows down with great action, depth of character and some truly stunning visuals.
The film picks up directly after the events of Dune with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) having escaped the Harknonnen massacre of their house and been accepted by the Fremen. Stilgar (Javier Bardem) sees Paul as the potential messiah while others, including Chani (Zendaya) are not as convinced. Jessica knows these messianic ideas were planted by her Bene Gesserit sisters long ago and makes her own plans to elevate Paul to the position - even as he himself has his own doubts, including a reoccurring dream about widespread death should he accept this fate.
What Paul does accept, however, is learning the Fremen ways and causing as much trouble as he can for the Harkonnens. The rotund and cruel Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) has left the blunt Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista) in charge but as the setbacks pile up, it becomes apparent a change in leadership may be needed on the desert planet and luckily he has the psychotic and twisted Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) waiting in the wings.
The film is mainly Paul's journey, however, and as he proves to be every bit as Fremen (even learning to ride the massive Sand Worms of Dune) as the people of the desert, he realized that to truly avenge what was done to his family, he will have to walk the path his mother has set - even if it means a fundamental change to not just Arrakis, but the whole of the universe.
Dune 2 doesn't just have a better story, it digs deep into its characters. And it's not just Chalamet and Ferguson who stand out. Zendaya really stands out as Chani who is given a much stronger role here - not just as Paul's lover/concubine but as a warrior who isn't just going to bend - she stands up for what she thinks is right and that means challening the path Paul wants to take. Likewise, though Butler doesn't have a lot of screen time at Feyd-Rautha, he stands out from his pale, bald complextion to his casual murder and domineering presence. Josh Brolin makes a rugged return and even Christopher Walken and Florence Pugh make the most as the emperor and his daughter.
The film does an exceptional job of making you feel like your are there - from the pounding thumpers that call the sand worms to the infrared-shot black and white Harkonnen home world of Giedi Prime (including eerie and inky-looking fireworks), the film truly transports you to this universe. And with a stunning and soaring soundtrack from Hans Zimmer, it all comes together to form a sci-fi film that truly lives up the word epic.
As of this writing Dune 2 has already made more in two weeks than the first Dune made in its entire run. One hopes this success will be enough for Villeneuve to continue this journey. I don't know how far he wants to go with this, but after experiencing the awe-inspiring results of this second film, I'm more than willing to join him for the rest of the way.
