[Note: This review will discuss elements of Dune: Part Two that were revealed in promotional material, such as trailers. If you’re someone who enjoys going into recent movies knowing as little as possible, you may want to skip reading this review.]
I can confidently say that Dune: Part Two is the greatest sci-fi film of the 2020s.
I understand this statement may be seen as jumping the gun, considering we’re not even halfway through the decade yet. However, I firmly believe this latest cinematic experience from filmmaker Denis Villeneuve isn’t going to be topped by anything that comes out in the next six years. A sequel to 2021’s Dune, the film serves as an adaptation of the second half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel of the same name. Directly following the end of the first film, the movie focuses on Paul Atreides and his mother, Jessica, as they begin living with the Fremen following the destruction of their House by the Galactic Empire. However, the planet Arrakis is far from safe for the pair, as House Harkonnen has continued their spice operations across the planet. Armed with only the instinct to learn from his newfound people, Paul slowly starts preparing the Fremen to try and take back their home planet from outworlders. In the process, though, he’s forced to choose whether or not he should embrace the role of Lisan al Gaib, a figurehead prophesied to lead the Fremen to freedom.
Given how well the first movie adapted the first half of Herbert’s original novel, I wasn’t worried about Villeneuve providing an experience that would stay true to the source material. However, as it turned out, the movie rendition of Dune’s second half made a sizable number of changes from the original. It’s something that’s unlikely to appeal to book purists, especially given just how many smaller details are cut or altered throughout. While I can think of three things off the top of my head the movie should have included or not changed, the overall essence of Herbert’s book remained the same. The thematic elements of the narrative weren’t altered, even if some events were different. Personally, I don’t believe these alterations harmed nor helped the story being told. Although I do feel they made sense in order to illustrate things better for a filmgoing audience and keep the movie from running well over 3 hours.
Beyond this very small nitpick, though, this movie was everything I ever wanted out of a Dune adaptation. One of the most difficult tasks that comes with the territory of adapting this novel is knowing how much to show and how much to tell. The novel is quite dense, with every line offering new and important information to the reader. The method of translating this to the screen without making the pacing feel too fast or too slow is a difficult one that not many filmmakers would be able to pull off. However, Villeneuve manages to do this really well, with him and Jon Spaihts’ script emphasizing important elements of Herbert’s novel without making it confusing. What needed to be shown was shown, and what needed to be told was told. The film flowed well through the way its presentation was handled, a feat of its own that was the true “make or break” of this movie.
Accompanying its stellar presentation was a story true to the way the novel explores religion and revenge. Dune: Part Two is one of the best revenge stories put to screen, simply because of the massive scope of what transpires throughout. The way characters change throughout the story, or stay the same, is accompanied by an ever-changing world that makes it clear which path Paul needs to pursue for the Fremen to maintain preservation. Interwoven in this is the notion of how much destiny is predetermined, and how much it is decided by an individual. Do Paul and Jessica make the decisions they make because they were destined to? Or were their fates random after they try to taking advantage of Bene Gesserit doings across the planet? It’s a question that’s left up to the audience to interpret, though with one of these answers being much clearer than the others. It helps the story stay engaging as the worldbuilding compounds with the events characters must experience and learn from throughout.
But what really stood out to me about this film was its characters and acting. Starting with the side characters, I found Javier Bardem’s Stilgar to be an accurate portrayal of a religious fanatic, doubling down on the idea of Paul being the Lissan al Gaib no matter what he did. It made him both a comedic and slightly scary character, knowing there are, in fact, people like him in real life who flock to figures using inner justification as to why they are who they believe them to be. On the opposite end of this is Chani, played by Zendaya, who was an interesting presence in the film. Despite some major alterations to her character from the book, I thought this version fit well with what the movie was trying to do. While she was probably the weakest link in the film, given the other powerful performances across the cast, she served her purpose well. So too did Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, whose quite-different role in this movie caught me off guard at first. However, it made sense with the way the plot was progressing, and I ended up thinking she was a major highlight of the film. Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen was also an interesting addition, offering a lens through which to view the wider universe of Dune, no matter how brief.
However, the most standout performance of the entire movie was Timothée Chalamet as Paul. Despite having some initial doubts about his casting prior to the first movie’s release, I ended up thinking he made for a decent version of the character. However, Part Two sends him to a whole new level. His performance is excellent from the very beginning, but only grows more powerful as the story continues. By the end, his very presence onscreen was like a rollercoaster. He made the version of Paul I’d always read in the novel come to life, and made him more engaging than he’d ever been before. He was so good that it was hard not to like him throughout the entire run of the film. It was the type of performance that was needed for a role like this, because the way he holds the audience’s attention make them and their mindset toward his actions part of the experience. And Chalamet made it all come to life in a vibrant display of just who Paul Atreides really is.
The depth of the characters and story in general also need to be touched upon here, sporting a knowledge of the world and universe from a creative standpoint in every right way imaginable. What makes the characters in Dune so memorable is how much depth they have. How one can dig into their personalities and motivations in various ways, uncovering new things the more you think about them. Luckily, this movie managed to translate that onto the screen superbly. The same can be said for the story, which had a thematic resonance to it throughout. With plenty of complex motivations surrounding decisions people made, the movie shone by providing every moment with the depth it deserved. This made all of the major characters throughout the story feel lifelike, emphasized by complex decisions that made the movie’s story shine. It also gives the film an air of rewatchability, like I’d notice new aspects of its story and characters every time I watched it over again. It makes me excited to see it once more, perhaps even lined up back-to-back with the first one.
I would also be remiss to review this movie without mentioning two other elements: The visuals and the soundtrack. Dune: Part Two might end up winning an Oscar for just how beautiful it looks. The mixture of practical effects and CGI harkens back to the days of Spielberg’s Jaws and Jurassic Park, lending themselves to eye-catching scenery capturing the scope of Arrakis, and other planets as well. It has a sense of scope to it that matches the story being told, complimenting it just through its visuals. The soundtrack was also befitting of the film, adding suspense, excitement, and general engagement to the scenes that needed it. Unique tracks littered throughout are stuck in my head, and add so much to the events unfolding. Without the mixture of both impressive visuals and a fitting soundtrack, this movie would still have an incredible story. But the addition of both elevates the movie even higher. Not only is the story perfect, but so too are all the sensory parts of the movie that are needed to truly make it stand out.
Dune: Part Two is the adaptation I’ve wanted for years. To see my favorite sci-fi book adapted in this way from one of the best modern directors out there was a spectacle I’m glad I witnessed on the big screen. With an impressive cast, a stellar story, spectacular visuals, and a soundtrack that helps round it together, the movie has potential to be the best sci-fi film of the entire decade. I also don’t want to jump the gun too much, but this could easily be my favorite movie of the year. I genuinely can’t think of anything else coming out that will hold a candle to it—even films I’m really looking forward to! Dune: Part Two gets my highest endorsement. See it in theaters if you can, and definitely watch the first movie a day or two beforehand to keep it fresh in your mind.
May thy knife chip and shatter.
***
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