Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writer: Denis Villeneuve, John Spaihts, based on the novel by Frank Herbert
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Charlotte Rampling, Babs Olusanmokun

As I’ve previously mentioned in my review of Dune (Part One), Herbert’s intense cosmic sci-fi story is one packed with details and characters, as dense as the Arrakeen desert (but thankfully, not as dry). Squeezing it all into one movie (à la David Lynch’s 1984 production) would have been a sure way to fail, so Villeneuve had the right idea to split the novel and retain as much as he could of Herbert’s story. That said, it continues to demand focus and that audiences keep up with the pace of the story and the information provided. Has Villeneuve completed the story admirably, or does it fail to hit its mark?

Note: It’s been two-and-a-half years since Dune (Part One) and I have still not read the novel, so this review will be purely from the film perspective.

House Atreides has fallen. Paul Atreides (Chalamet) is missing, presumed dead, along with his mother Jessica (Ferguson). In truth, they have joined the Fremen, the desert people of the planet Arrakis (also known as Dune). The Fremen believe Paul is the Kwisatz Haderach, a “chosen one” that is prophesied to lead the Fremen to a “promised land”, bringing prosperity and life to Arrakis. As Paul assimilates into the Fremen way of life, he falls for Chani (Zendaya), the girl whom he had previously been having visions of. As Paul’s power grows, he insists his loyalties lie with the Fremen and fighting by their side, but Chani begins to have her doubts. Meanwhile, Baron Harkonnen (Skarsgård) replaces his nephew Rabban (Bautista) with his far more sinister and deadly nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Butler) as the ruler of Arrakis. With the planet and its spice production (and the universe at large) at stake, all the Great Houses look to Arrakis to witness who will become the Kwisatz Haderach.

Dune (Part One) was a hefty, arse-aching watch, but interesting and entertaining in its sci-fi way. Dune: Part Two is a little lighter on the information but heavier on the action and story progression (and arse-aching). In fact, it takes almost everything one step further than its predecessor in the way a sequel, or continuation, should. The story develops well and the pacing, for the most part, is good. It does drag every so often, but not enough to make it feel like its falling behind. There is a lot of fantastical jargon to keep up with and remember for future reference, but even then, it’s not the end of the world if a couple of names are forgotten. In that vein, it would be interesting to know why Dune couldn’t have been rounded out into a trilogy of slightly shorter movies, if only to give audiences some breathing space. When reading a book, you can put it down after a chapter, mull things over, and then return when events are constructed in your mind. Villeneuve’s production doesn’t allow much of that, which is perhaps fine if you’re entirely clued up on the Dune universe (the Duniverse!?), but can be a struggle for the majority who want to immerse themselves but not feel like they’re drowning. It can be tough to keep your head above the water (or sand, as it were); just like Dune (Part One), there is no hand-holding here: it’s sink or swim, and opinions on that are relative.

It will come as a great surprise if Dune: Part Two isn’t nominated for some awards next year, specifically in the categories of cinematography, music, sound design, costume and make up. Yes, it’s a hugely CGI-built world, but it doesn’t make it any less stunning in its desert landscapes and the colour palette. Cinematographer Greig Fraser once again gives us intimate shots with characters and framing that helps us understand how large the world is. Hans Zimmer’s score continues to reign supreme, particularly the Gom Jabbar composition from Part One and the Worm Ride (which borrows the motif from Gom Jabbar) and Lisan al Gaib compositions from Part Two. Entwined with incredible unique soundscapes, the entire soundtrack is a character of its own. The costume designs are once again an imaginative blend of historical yet futuristic, familiar yet strange, lending the film the feeling of being at once in our own universe and in another dimension entirely, and the make up goes to great lengths to distinguish enemies from heroes and the more human characters from the more animalistic ones.

Since 2021, Chalamet has been in demand and his star has risen exponentially. Initially I felt a slight disappointment at his performance in Part Two, but having given it some time, I began to see his nuances in helping his character Paul to grow and become more than what he was in Part One. Perhaps it’s because Wonka had been released shortly prior to Dune: Part Two and I wasn’t all that impressed with his casting, and that maybe cast a shadow onto this performance, which was unfair. Chalamet is excellent as Paul and holds the movie well on his shoulders. Zendaya is… well, Zendaya. Frankly, when you cast Zendaya in a movie, you get Zendaya (cast her in TV show however and she shines). Chani only provides grounding for Paul, and acts as someone who challenges him to keep to his path, so unfortunately, she’s not got a lot of depth to her and is really just made for Paul. Perhaps that’s why Zendaya was only able to do so much in her performance, which was rather bland. Chani could have been lifted out and not a lot would have changed. On the other hand, Ferguson, who was a scene-stealer in Part One, steps back and keeps Jessica as the real support that Paul/Chalamet needs within the film, which was perfectly done. Butler creates a frightening creature in Feyd-Rautha, but I would have liked to see him go a little more feral and push the boat of madness further into that sea of insanity. Bardem and Brolin butt heads as their characters support Paul in their own ways and each bring an interesting character and motive to their scenes. All in all, the casting was pretty spot on for the most part, although when you have that many well-known names crammed into a blockbuster, it can be hard to not point them out as they appear, momentarily taking one away from the suspended disbelief.

As sci-fi movies go (or even science fantasy, in Dune’s case), this installment along with Part One really sets a standard. It was risky: sci-fi (at least hard sci-fi, if that’s even a thing), has historically been something of a niche when it comes to film, not all that popular unless it dumbs things down to cater to a wider audience (it’s arguable that Star Wars is a dumbed-down version of Dune). But Dune, and other such movies in recent years, have begun to break down the barriers and allow our brains to feast on something more than just a dystopian future or AI taking over. I do believe the films and the audience could have benefitted from a trilogy of Paul’s younger years, but I will not bite the hand that feeds me. There will apparently be a third movie based on Dune Messiah that will further Paul’s ascent as the Kwisatz Haderach and his son, Leto II, however Villeneuve wants Chalamet to grow and mature more before stepping into the shoes of an older Paul (according to Wikipedia). A wonderful idea, and it leaves a good amount of time for what we’ve had so far to settle and for new fans to learn more and dig into the Duniverse (I just looked it up, apparently ‘Duniverse’ is actually a thing). Just as I had been anticipating Dune: Part Two, I will also be anticipating whatever third movie is bestowed on us in the future, as this story and Villeneuve are doing amazing things for the sci-fi genre.