Dune: Part Two”, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is the first movie of 2024 to truly get people back in the theater. The film is a sequel to 2021’s “Dune” and covers roughly the final third of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name.
While the first film was generally well received, a common complaint about the film was that it was overly long with a lack of plot in favor of exposition and worldbuilding. “Dune: Part Two” took those criticisms to heart, as the film is filled to the brim with story and action for the nearly three-hour runtime.
With the baggage of setting up the world and main characters put to the side, this film is free to focus on the development of its characters as well as exploring the ways of the Fremen, the sand people that most of the film is spent with. Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, changes from a relatively vanilla protagonist in the first film to a deep and nuanced character as he learns the ways of the Fremen and searches for his place in a world full of messy politics, mysterious prophecies and deadly sandworms. His relationship with Chani (Zendaya), a Fremen who he meets at the end of the first film, is the soul of this story. Her character is a beautiful contrast to many of the other Fremen. While many of the others view him as a prophet or savior, she sees him as a friend and noble warrior.
One theme the film takes a crack at is the power and danger in faith, specifically religion. One of the central conflicts for Paul is deciding what to do with this prophecy that he is at the center of. It is quite interesting watching him wrestle with the fact that many of the Fremen view him as their messiah, their Lisan Al Gaib.
In the previous film, Paul understands that their prophecy is largely fabricated by the Bene Gesserit, a mysterious superhuman sisterhood which his mother, Jessica, is a part of. The film does a great job showing the struggle Paul goes through while deciding how to proceed with the Fremen, knowing full well that many will follow him wherever he goes as their prophet.
The action in the film is also incredible. Since most of the movie is spent with the Fremen, the action largely consists of their unique guerrilla warfare in the desert. This leads to many inventive action sequences that dwarf any seen in the previous film.
In general, the visuals are just spectacular. Whether it be the blinding sands of Arrakis or the monochrome pallet of the Harkonnen home world, the film is able to visualize the world of Dune in increasingly impressive ways. This is all brought together through Hans Zimmer’s outstanding score, bringing a sense of heightened stakes at every pivotal point in the film.
There are still a few things that were slightly disappointing in the film. Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) is a threatening villain who delivered an outstanding performance. Unfortunately, he is introduced to the story quite late, and by the time he becomes relevant to our main characters, the movie is almost over. It just seems like a waste to introduce a compelling villain only for him to hardly matter at all to the protagonists.
Additionally, while the relationship between Paul and Chani is very important to the greater story, there is not enough time with just the two of them for the ending to feel as impactful as it should have. Still, “Dune: Part Two” is a fantastic sci-fi epic that not only surpasses the first film in nearly every way but is also one of the best sci-fi films.
Rating: 9/10
