Dune: Part Two (2024)
We’re back on Arrakis for the long-anticipated Dune: Part Two. Everyone breathe. :-)
And don’t worry, I’ll try not to give too many spoilers. It’s going to be tough, though, because there’s so much to take in (Anyone who’s interested in reading my review of Part One can find it here).
Some things have definitely changed since we last saw Paul and Jessica among the Fremen. For one thing, remember the worms everyone tried to avoid in Part One? This time around, the Fremen actually want those worms to pop up, because they’re transportation—a whole lot of Fremen pile on a worm’s back while it streaks across the desert, and sometimes they ride the worm as if they’re waterskiing. It’s a little weird but it works.
There are quite a few new faces and new dynamics this time around, although some familiar ones return. Austin Butler appears as the ruthless-to-a-fault Feyd-Ratha, a guy who thinks nothing of taking out anyone he doesn’t like or is even mildly annoyed at, although he still gives off a few Elvis vibes. Christopher Walken is on all-too-briefly as the Emperor, but puts in a very steady performance. He’s Christopher Walken. He can’t help it. It’s fine. Florence Pugh plays the Princess Irulan, which is a little ironic if anyone has seen the Greta Gerwig version of Little Women.
As for the familiar faces, Paul has become a lithe, effective fighter, able to strike and slip away before anyone notices, if they’re still alive to notice at all. Jessica has a lot on her plate too, which ends up giving everyone more than they bargained for. Some people we might have previously thought were gone forever may surprise us. We also reunite with the faithful-to-the-point-of-fanaticism Stilgar, who is both a mentor to Paul and an acolyte.
So yeah, how’s that for avoiding spoilers?
Part Two gives us more of Denis Villeneuve’s trademark purposeful emptiness, with backgrounds and colors providing no distraction for what’s going on. Arrakis is an arid, colorless planet and the film wears that proudly. Sometimes the film even takes on a comic book feel, such as one scene in a stadium where everything seems to go black and white, only it’s the look of the set and the people, not the film. The transition is so quiet, it’s seamless, probably because we’re too focused on the action.
Villeneuve excels at giving the actors time to communicate their thoughts through their faces as opposed to telling how they feel, and while this takes some paying attention on the part of the viewers, it’s a satisfying, almost old-school method of character development. Zendaya as Chani seems to take particular advantage of this—she glowers a lot, but we see a lot of emotions play out on her face. It’s overt but not hammy, although she does seem ready to explode sometimes.
The only thing I would say about Part Two is that it’s really long. While it’s worth it because it needs the space for the story to breathe, it can feel slightly overwhelming. There’s also a funny cut between a test that Paul is supposed to take and he and Chani engaging in a battle with the Harkonnen that seems a little abrupt, so I wonder if there was a scene snipped out there.
Another thing is that fans of the Frank Herbert series will undoubtedly get something different out of Part Two than those who haven’t read the novels, but either way, there’s plenty to like and the film is an excellent ride from beginning to end.
Dune is currently in theaters. Rated PG-13.
My grade: A+
Principal Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Souheila Yacoub, Roger Yuan, Babs Olusanmokun, Alison Halstead, Giusi Merli, Kait Tenison
Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Written by Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, and Frank Herbert (novel).