Released on March 1 after a very long wait, “Dune: Part Two” can already be considered one of the greatest science fiction films ever made and is a must-see in theaters.
Where its predecessor fell short of personal expectations, part two outdoes it in every way imaginable. The 167-minute runtime flies by as Denis Villeneuve’s story unfolds on a truly remarkable scale.
The film picks up where part one left off with Paul Atreides and his mother Lady Jessica, reprised by Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson respectively, joining the Fremen on the desert planet Arrakis. The Harkonnens have taken control of the planet once again, believing they have killed off all members of House Atreides. Although many Fremen are skeptical of the two outsiders at first, Paul quickly learns their ways and bravely fights alongside them. The Harkonnens attempt to take complete control of Arrakis by killing off the Fremen, but they continue disrupting the Harkonnens’ valuable spice production. Paul’s legend grows as he and his new family slowly take back control. The emperor, played by Christopher Walken, fears he could lose the throne, and does everything he can to try and stop Paul. The Fremen begin to believe Paul could be the messiah after all, prophesied to bring prosperity to Arrakis. He is reluctant at first to take on the role and only wants to fight alongside them. But as a total war looms closer and closer, Paul must make a choice in order to lead his people to victory.
“Dune: Part Two” is a remarkable achievement in film for so many reasons. A few of these reasons include the incredible acting and character arcs. Timothée Chalamet gives his best performance to date as the lead actor. He has a surprisingly commanding screen presence as his character wrestles with his fate. Paul goes from a more quiet and observant character to a powerful leader. Zendaya’s character, Chani, is also well written. As Paul’s love interest, Chani’s character stays consistent throughout the film. As a Fremen, she doesn’t believe in the messiah prophecy like the others. She loves Paul for who he is at the start. When Paul begins to take on more power, there is friction between them. Rebecca Ferguson once again portrays Lady Jessica in a powerful way as her character takes on a bigger role in the film. Javier Bardem also has a bigger role and effectively sprinkles in a bit of comedy. The real standout performance is from Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha. He gives a menacing performance as the psychotic villain. Butler also understands how to use his voice to add to the intimidation. Every performance is great, and every character is memorable.
Much like its predecessor but somehow even better, the technical elements such as cinematography, visual effects, sound design and score are stunning. The cinematography by Greig Fraser is unique and incredible to witness. Wide angles are used a lot, adding to the massive scale of the Dune universe. In one scene, Paul is working his way through a massive crowd of people. The scene has a bird’s eye view shot, allowing the audience to see just how many people are gathered. In another scene on a planet with a black sun, the color is black and white only. This is also when we are introduced to Butler’s villain, adding to the character’s already terrifying presence. These are just some examples as the entire film is filled with breathtaking imagery.
The same can be said for the visual effects. The sandworms are back and even larger in scale. They look ultra-realistic on screen thanks to the visual effects team. The battle scenes are also visually stunning. The futuristic weapons cause massive explosions that fill the screen with smoke and dust. Hans Zimmer is back again as the composer. His score, as always, captures the tone of every scene. The sound design should not be overlooked either. It especially adds to the immersion in a theater. At one point, a character is riding a sandworm. The worm creates a sandstorm as it slithers, and the camera follows closely behind the character. The sound design makes the viewer feel like they are also riding the sandworm because of how loud the wind and sand are. There’s a good mix of thunderous action scenes and more quiet, peaceful scenes. The viewer feels immersed in the scene no matter the circumstance.
With how massive the scale of “Dune: Part Two” is, it would be easy for the story to get out of hand. Villeneuve’s direction and screenplay, along with co-writer Jon Spaihts, manages to tell an accessible and engaging story while still having the action-packed blockbuster type scenes. It seems Villeneuve learned from part one’s mistake and gave part two a conclusive story. He was able to set up a sequel but also wrap up the characters’ stories at the same time.
The film was well worth the wait and manages to go beyond its high expectations. “Dune: Part Two” is meant to be seen on the big screen and should already be considered one of the best sci-fi films of all time.
