“Dune: Part Two” is an amazing film that does what many consider to be impossible, adapt “Dune” the book into a movie that is worth watching. Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune” is a cornerstone of sci-fi as a whole and wherever readers look in modern sci-fi it was probably inspired in some way by the book.
This book has a had a few adaptations before with the David Lynch 1984 film and TV movies, both of which had some level of success but ended up sacrificing a lot of what made the novel stand out in the world of sci-fi. Director Denis Villeneuve continued off of the success of “Dune” (2021) and made part one even stronger in retrospect.
Compared to the 1984 film, Villeneuve decided to break up the story of the first novel into two parts which greatly helped with pacing. Because of the way he split it up, part one is a slow methodical build up with foreshadowing that audiences will not truly get until they have seen part two. This seems to have been the right choice to make because even during the Covid-19 pandemic “Dune” was able to gather a following and build hype up for the second part.
“Dune: Part Two” follows Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, who seems to have lost everything: his planet, most of his family and the life he knew. Because of this, Paul ventures out into the planet of Arrakis with his mother Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson. The two must find a way to survive and live with the natives of the planet the Fremen.
Throughout the entirety of the movie, audiences see how Paul wants to fight his supposed destiny because he sees that if he follows through with it, there will be destruction on a galactic scale. Paul must balance what he wants to do and what he needs to do to get revenge against those that wronged him and his family.
Villeneuve said, “Frankly, I hate dialogue. Dialogue is for theatre and television. I don’t remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image. I’m not interested in dialogue at all. Pure image and sound, that is the power of cinema, but it is something not obvious when you watch movies today.” This quote seems a bit extreme, but watching the movie, audiences see exactly what he means.
There are so many beautiful shots that seem to go on letting the action and cinematography tell the story of what is happening and not just exposition dumps from the dialogue. The cinematography of this movie is stunning, from the desert planet of Arrakis to the black and white planet of the Harkonnens, every shot is a visual feast. Hans Zimmer continues to compose beautiful music as “Dune: Part Two” has so many memorable recurring themes throughout the movie.
The cast of this movie is also phenomenal and there are so many memorable performances. Austin Butler plays Feyd Rautha who is Paul’s foil in the movie. Butler feels like one of the standouts as he commits so hard to this role it is difficult to see the actor and the role as separate. Chalamet continues his hot streak by delivering an incredible performance as the reluctant messiah of the Fremen.
Overall, Villeneuve continues to be a favorite director, adding on to his already impressive resume which includes a classic movie, “Blade Runner 2049.” Fans eagerly await what Villeneuve says will be the last “Dune” film he makes, “Dune Messiah,” which will adapt the second book by Herbert.
If he sticks the landing with “Dune Messiah” the Dune trilogy may be up there with the likes of “Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars.” Fans are excited to see how he adapts the next book as the “Dune” series has gotten weirder and more fun with every subsequent entry.
