"Dune: Part Two" is the sequel to the 2021 science fiction film "Dune", based on the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. Directed and co-written by Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies", "Prisoners", "Arrival", "Blade Runner 2049") and starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson, it brilliantly continues this highly engaging story without ever once letting up on what made the preceding film so great in the first place.
After the fall of House Atreides at the hands of the House Harkonnen, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) find themselves joining up with a native Fremen tribe on the desert planet of Arrakis. In an effort to gain the Fremen's trust, the two undergo a series of challenges, with Paul learning their language and taming the large sandworms, and Jessica drinking from the Water of Life to replace the tribe's dying Reverend Mother. Over time, Paul develops feelings for Chani (Zendaya), a young Fremen woman whom he had been seeing in his visions, and the pair start working together to prevent the Harkonnen from harvesting all of the spice on Arrakis. It soon becomes clear that the Harkonnen will stop at nothing to steal all of Arrakis's most prized resource, and while Paul wrestles with his personal emotions, he plans an effective way to stop them before the entire universe itself is placed in mortal danger.
Without any doubt, the 2021 film adaptation of Frank Herbert's first "Dune" novel has proven to be one of the most engrossing science fiction movies to be released in the past few decades. Cleverly alluding to the real-world history of trade, this film takes that very concept and places it into a futuristic outer space setting with the underlying social commentary that hostility between different cultures will always remain a problematic concept. Due to the sheer scale of the story being told, it would be impossible to tell this epic tale within the confines of a single film, which resulted in it being split up into two parts. In this long-awaited second half of the story, the plot continues in an incredibly well-made science fiction masterpiece that retains everything great about the original and more.
Like its predecessor, this film does a fantastic job of captivating its audience within the first ten minutes and maintaining that level of intrigue the entire way through. We watch as Paul and his mother Jessica work together with their new Fremen allies to overcome a potential ambush from a group of Harkonnen soldiers. Rather than attacking the enemies up close, the Fremen are observed sniping them from a safe distance, using their own wits to dispose of them without drawing too much attention to their location. Later, as Paul and Jessica strive for acceptance among the Fremen, we are shown each of the painstaking ways the pair try to exert themselves to win their favour.
Paul's taming of the skyscraper-sized sandworms proves to be a challenging task, but once he masters it, the audience is treated to an incredibly exciting sequence that is certain to leave a lasting impression. This later leads to him bonding with Chani, who admires Paul for his commitment to the right cause and the two start to harbour romantic feelings for each other. On the other hand, Jessica's journey is more of a spiritual one, with her taking on the role of the Fremen's new Reverend Mother. By consuming the mysterious "Water of Life", Jessica gains the ability to hear the memories of all her ancestors, allowing her to become an important figure for both her son and the rest of the Fremen. The two contrasting journeys to enlightenment are balanced perfectly alongside each other, allowing for a necessary emotional undercurrent for the thought-provoking themes scattered throughout the main story.
We also learn more about the Fremen themselves, whose lifestyles were only hinted at in the first film. Far from the uncivilised "rats" that they are labeled as by the Harkonnen, the Fremen are an interesting group of natives who have learned to adapt to the hostile environment of Arrakis and live in harmony with the other dangerous creatures. However, it is also established that there are some disagreements between the Northern and Southern tribes over which lifestyles they should all be following. I interpret this as the film's way of alluding to real world religious disputes over how someone's personal beliefs will always clash with others, which is shown to still be a problem thousands of years in the future.
If the story doesn't invest you right away, then the film's amazing visuals are sure to do the trick. All too often, I see films that use CGI as a way to distract the audience from its faults but here it is all implemented flawlessly as a method of advancing the story forward. I often found myself in awe at the fantastic use of cinematography for even the most trivial of scenes. For example, as a way of showing how small the human presence on Arrakis is compared to the planet itself, there are moments where we see the large building settlements being dwarfed by the size of the huge sand hills in the background. And if that isn't enough to get the point across, the even larger sandworms just might pop up from underground to devour anyone or anything unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Also, despite being a desert planet, the appearance of Arrakis is never a dull sight. Spice glimmers brightly in the hot sunlight and the film's creative colour palette allow it to effectively reflect the particular mood of a scene that would have otherwise become straining to the eyes. But it's not just Arrakis that is impressive to look at, as there are other locations that brim with visual brilliance as well. The Hardkonnen homeworld of Giedi Prime has noticeable shades of black-and-white that give the planet a militaristic vibe in the vein of a World War II propaganda film, complete with marching soldiers wielding emblematic flags. Additionally, during some sword fights, the film even starts to resemble a classic samurai feature, in particular those by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. Just when I thought I was becoming desensitised to dazzling visual effects, this movie has proven me wrong.
But perhaps the best part about all of this is the film's pacing and editing. Even though it clocks in at a whopping 167 minutes, at no point does the film ever drag or contain any unnecessary filler. Director Denis Villeneuve has masterfully used his skills to combine all of the film's aforementioned strengths into a perfectly paced story that is able to simultaneously wow the audience with its great visuals, immerse them in the atmosphere of a faraway planet, and keep them invested in what happens to each of the characters. One scene where this is prominent is during Paul's attempt to tame a sandworm. Here, Paul places a device into the sand that is used to attract them to his location and waits patiently for one to appear. The suspense of whether or not a sandworm is going to suddenly appear out of the ground without warning is so cleverly done that I could not take my eyes off the screen during this whole sequence. There aren't many filmmakers capable of pulling off a scene like this, but Villeneuve is clearly more than qualified in this particular area of expertise.
As I said about him in the previous film, Timothée Chalamet is perfect in the role of Paul Atreides, whose importance in the story has increased significantly since last time. Watching Paul grow closer to the Fremen through Chani is a solid emotional anchor for his character, and helps him become more sympathetic to the audience. As Paul learns more about the Fremen, the audience is learning along with him, and the film never skimps on the details regarding what he needs to do to win their trust. Even Paul's character arc is more interesting this time around, as we watch him wrestle with his conflicting emotions and the stoic pragmatism he trained for all his life.
Zendaya also stands out as Chani, who has a more prominent supporting role teaching Paul everything he needs to know about her people. Though Chani is more than capable of handling herself in combat, she and Paul nonetheless make a great team together, allowing the two of them to grow closer romantically. Rebecca Ferguson plays a larger role in the story as Lady Jessica, not only as the mother of Paul but also as a new maternal figure among the Fremen. Without revealing any important details, Jessica's character provides an almost supernatural quality to an otherwise grounded story as a result of her consuming the Water of Life.
Much like last time, this second part of the story that began with 2021's "Dune" has found a way to go all out to entertain its audience at every opportunity. It draws you in with its fantastic visuals, keeps you invested in its intriguing plot, and also provides some insightful commentary on the general nature of human behaviour. This film is an epic in every sense of the word; both in scale and narrative. There are still five other "Dune" novels written by Frank Herbert with the potential to be adapted into feature films, so I remain hopeful that this one is not the end. Judging by the success of both this film and its predecessor, there is a bright future ahead of us.
I rate it a very high 9.5/10.
After the fall of House Atreides at the hands of the House Harkonnen, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) find themselves joining up with a native Fremen tribe on the desert planet of Arrakis. In an effort to gain the Fremen's trust, the two undergo a series of challenges, with Paul learning their language and taming the large sandworms, and Jessica drinking from the Water of Life to replace the tribe's dying Reverend Mother. Over time, Paul develops feelings for Chani (Zendaya), a young Fremen woman whom he had been seeing in his visions, and the pair start working together to prevent the Harkonnen from harvesting all of the spice on Arrakis. It soon becomes clear that the Harkonnen will stop at nothing to steal all of Arrakis's most prized resource, and while Paul wrestles with his personal emotions, he plans an effective way to stop them before the entire universe itself is placed in mortal danger.
Without any doubt, the 2021 film adaptation of Frank Herbert's first "Dune" novel has proven to be one of the most engrossing science fiction movies to be released in the past few decades. Cleverly alluding to the real-world history of trade, this film takes that very concept and places it into a futuristic outer space setting with the underlying social commentary that hostility between different cultures will always remain a problematic concept. Due to the sheer scale of the story being told, it would be impossible to tell this epic tale within the confines of a single film, which resulted in it being split up into two parts. In this long-awaited second half of the story, the plot continues in an incredibly well-made science fiction masterpiece that retains everything great about the original and more.
Like its predecessor, this film does a fantastic job of captivating its audience within the first ten minutes and maintaining that level of intrigue the entire way through. We watch as Paul and his mother Jessica work together with their new Fremen allies to overcome a potential ambush from a group of Harkonnen soldiers. Rather than attacking the enemies up close, the Fremen are observed sniping them from a safe distance, using their own wits to dispose of them without drawing too much attention to their location. Later, as Paul and Jessica strive for acceptance among the Fremen, we are shown each of the painstaking ways the pair try to exert themselves to win their favour.
Paul's taming of the skyscraper-sized sandworms proves to be a challenging task, but once he masters it, the audience is treated to an incredibly exciting sequence that is certain to leave a lasting impression. This later leads to him bonding with Chani, who admires Paul for his commitment to the right cause and the two start to harbour romantic feelings for each other. On the other hand, Jessica's journey is more of a spiritual one, with her taking on the role of the Fremen's new Reverend Mother. By consuming the mysterious "Water of Life", Jessica gains the ability to hear the memories of all her ancestors, allowing her to become an important figure for both her son and the rest of the Fremen. The two contrasting journeys to enlightenment are balanced perfectly alongside each other, allowing for a necessary emotional undercurrent for the thought-provoking themes scattered throughout the main story.
We also learn more about the Fremen themselves, whose lifestyles were only hinted at in the first film. Far from the uncivilised "rats" that they are labeled as by the Harkonnen, the Fremen are an interesting group of natives who have learned to adapt to the hostile environment of Arrakis and live in harmony with the other dangerous creatures. However, it is also established that there are some disagreements between the Northern and Southern tribes over which lifestyles they should all be following. I interpret this as the film's way of alluding to real world religious disputes over how someone's personal beliefs will always clash with others, which is shown to still be a problem thousands of years in the future.
If the story doesn't invest you right away, then the film's amazing visuals are sure to do the trick. All too often, I see films that use CGI as a way to distract the audience from its faults but here it is all implemented flawlessly as a method of advancing the story forward. I often found myself in awe at the fantastic use of cinematography for even the most trivial of scenes. For example, as a way of showing how small the human presence on Arrakis is compared to the planet itself, there are moments where we see the large building settlements being dwarfed by the size of the huge sand hills in the background. And if that isn't enough to get the point across, the even larger sandworms just might pop up from underground to devour anyone or anything unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Also, despite being a desert planet, the appearance of Arrakis is never a dull sight. Spice glimmers brightly in the hot sunlight and the film's creative colour palette allow it to effectively reflect the particular mood of a scene that would have otherwise become straining to the eyes. But it's not just Arrakis that is impressive to look at, as there are other locations that brim with visual brilliance as well. The Hardkonnen homeworld of Giedi Prime has noticeable shades of black-and-white that give the planet a militaristic vibe in the vein of a World War II propaganda film, complete with marching soldiers wielding emblematic flags. Additionally, during some sword fights, the film even starts to resemble a classic samurai feature, in particular those by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. Just when I thought I was becoming desensitised to dazzling visual effects, this movie has proven me wrong.
But perhaps the best part about all of this is the film's pacing and editing. Even though it clocks in at a whopping 167 minutes, at no point does the film ever drag or contain any unnecessary filler. Director Denis Villeneuve has masterfully used his skills to combine all of the film's aforementioned strengths into a perfectly paced story that is able to simultaneously wow the audience with its great visuals, immerse them in the atmosphere of a faraway planet, and keep them invested in what happens to each of the characters. One scene where this is prominent is during Paul's attempt to tame a sandworm. Here, Paul places a device into the sand that is used to attract them to his location and waits patiently for one to appear. The suspense of whether or not a sandworm is going to suddenly appear out of the ground without warning is so cleverly done that I could not take my eyes off the screen during this whole sequence. There aren't many filmmakers capable of pulling off a scene like this, but Villeneuve is clearly more than qualified in this particular area of expertise.
As I said about him in the previous film, Timothée Chalamet is perfect in the role of Paul Atreides, whose importance in the story has increased significantly since last time. Watching Paul grow closer to the Fremen through Chani is a solid emotional anchor for his character, and helps him become more sympathetic to the audience. As Paul learns more about the Fremen, the audience is learning along with him, and the film never skimps on the details regarding what he needs to do to win their trust. Even Paul's character arc is more interesting this time around, as we watch him wrestle with his conflicting emotions and the stoic pragmatism he trained for all his life.
Zendaya also stands out as Chani, who has a more prominent supporting role teaching Paul everything he needs to know about her people. Though Chani is more than capable of handling herself in combat, she and Paul nonetheless make a great team together, allowing the two of them to grow closer romantically. Rebecca Ferguson plays a larger role in the story as Lady Jessica, not only as the mother of Paul but also as a new maternal figure among the Fremen. Without revealing any important details, Jessica's character provides an almost supernatural quality to an otherwise grounded story as a result of her consuming the Water of Life.
Much like last time, this second part of the story that began with 2021's "Dune" has found a way to go all out to entertain its audience at every opportunity. It draws you in with its fantastic visuals, keeps you invested in its intriguing plot, and also provides some insightful commentary on the general nature of human behaviour. This film is an epic in every sense of the word; both in scale and narrative. There are still five other "Dune" novels written by Frank Herbert with the potential to be adapted into feature films, so I remain hopeful that this one is not the end. Judging by the success of both this film and its predecessor, there is a bright future ahead of us.
I rate it a very high 9.5/10.