By Gavin Todd
Denis Villeneuve comes back to wrap up the story of the tragic messianic figure of Paul Atreides from the 2021 film also titled Dune. Just last Thursday (2/29), I went with a friend to go see Dune Part Two in IMAX. With a runtime of two hours and forty-six minutes, I was glued to my seat the entire way through. I paid for the entire seat, but I only needed the edge.
There are so many things I could go over, but some of them would lead into spoiler territory. Which I will dig into in a later article. On the surface of the film, it is magnificent! It is a spectacle! As of March 4th, the week after opening weekend, it has a 93% on the tomatometer, and 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Compared to Dune Part One, with a 83% on the tomatometer, and a 90% on the audience score. It is clear that this was a BIG step up from the last film.
All former complaints from the last film are completely voided here. Well, I had very few complaints about the last film except for it ending in the middle of the story. Some people (with very low attention spans) complained that there was very little happening. I can relate to that where the first film was just constant build up with very little release except for Jamis’ death at the end of the first film. The “very little happening” excuse will not suffice with Part Two.
My friend and I had an ongoing bet. In the first film, right before the logos, most people were caught off guard by the deep Sardakuar-like chant on a black screen with white text: “Dreams are messages from the deep.” I said it would happen again before the logos but with a different message. And now he owes me $20. Denis Villeneuve has a creative way of capturing people’s attention.
Right after the logos. The movie had my full attention. The hands of Denis Villeneuve reached through the screen and held the entire theater by their necks. There is a lot more action and a lot more stuff going on compared to the first film. With a $190 million dollar budget, the CGI went unrecognized. I would compare it to the likes of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water. The cinematography of Greig Fraser is absolutely GENIUS!
However, I felt Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack to be a bit repetitive at some times. Yeah, not even Zimmer is safe from criticism sometimes. I sat in the very back row of the theater right under an IMAX sound speaker. Nonetheless, the sound was absolutely skull-shattering! The immersion with on-screen visuals and sound are superb.
For the stars of the film. The new additions to the cast include: Austin Butler (as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen), Florence Pugh (as Princess Irulan Corrino), Christopher Walken (as Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV), and Léa Seydoux (as Lady Margot Fenring). The cast is STACKED with many new faces. Even though some of them might be small, it still left an impression on me.
The recurring cast includes: Timothée Chalamet (as Paul Atreides), Zendaya (as Chani Kynes), Rebecca Ferguson (as Lady Jessica Atreides), Stellan Skarsgård (as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen), Dave Bautista (as Glossu Rabban), Javier Bardem (as Stilgar), Josh Brolin (as Gurney Halleck), and Charlotte Rampling (as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam). Almost everyone from the first film are coming back except for: Oscar Issac (as Duke Leto Atreides I), Jason Momoa (as Duncan Idaho), David Dastmalchain (as Piter De Vries), Golda Rosheuvel (as Shadout Mapes), Stephen McKinley Henderson (as Thurir Hawat), Chang Chen (as Doctor Yellington Yueh). Although, there is one exception: Babs Olusanmokun (as Jamis) returns as a brief body double in Dune Part Two.
The thing about Dune Part Two is that it is very abstract. Especially with the way Denis Villeneuve portrays Paul’s power of prescience. There are small abstract sequences that the viewer might not be able to understand; and that is one downside to the rule of “show, don’t tell”. Where things can be too abstract. I had no trouble understanding the abstract sequences, but to a common viewer it might be hard to tell what it means. And therefore might confuse how the character uses it to influence his own decisions.
Apart from that. Everyone gave it their all! I am a big fan of how they portray pain in this film. There is a specific sequence with Lady Jessica, comparing the likes of Paul in the beginning of the last film with the gom-jabbar scene. More towards the end of the film, is really where Timothee Chalamet flaunts his acting skill. Portraying things like triumph. One criticism I had with another actor, Austin Butler, I fear he could still not shake his Elvis accent. In one interview, he stated that he had trouble shaking the Elvis accent after two years since the 2022 film of the same name. As of 2024, he is still seeing a voice coach. Nonetheless, he still had an impressive performance! It’s just in some scenes that the Elvis accent really throws me off sometimes, but it barely takes away from the character of Feyd-Rautha.
I felt like the character of Gurney Halleck was sidelined a little. He had a bigger role in the books. Which I was slightly disappointed by. I felt as if this movie could have at least pushed the three hour mark a little more. And added more time to the characters of Gurney Halleck, and Thufir Hawat. I just didn’t really want this movie to end.
As for the score I’ll give it. A solid 9.5/10. The story is great! It keeps you engaged and it really attaches you to the character quick. With a rating of PG-13, in some sequences I felt it was pushing it a bit. Although, nothing explicit is shown. It is a great movie to watch even if you have children in the room. Some sequences might frighten small children though. But I’ll stand by it, a solid 9.5/10. I think this is one of the best sci-fi movies of the 2020s.
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