Dune: Part Two (2024)

Review

166min

Genre:       Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-fi

Director:     Denis Villeneuve

Cast:         Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson… and more

Writers:     Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts & Frank Herbert

-Synopsis-

Paul Atreides continues his mystical journey to become one with the Fremen and fulfil the prophecy of the “Kwisatz Haderach”, while the jealous Emperor and the ruthless Harkonnen consolidate their power on the unforgiving but lucrative desert planet, placing them all on a collision course to unleash the true power of Arrakis and determine the future of the universe in this second part culmination of Denis Villeneuve’s grand adaptation of Frank Herbert’s beloved novel.

Two and a half years after an epic and mesmerising opening salvo in his two-part adaptation of Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel, and after delays of a Hollywood strike and industry turmoil nature, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve finally returns to the biggest of screens with his all-star cast to complete his ambitious take on a classic and hugely influential desert odyssey, and a perpetually timely sci-fi fantasy warning parable on faith and resistance, prophecy and power—proving that good things do come to those who wait.

Timothée Chalamet returns as the chosen one ‘Paul Atreides’, struggling to learn the ways of the Fremen alongside veteran ‘Stilgar’ (Javier Bardem) whilst developing a bond with sceptical but dedicated young fighter ‘Chani’ (Zendaya), as he helps to disrupt ‘Baron Harkonnen’s’ (Stellan Skarsgård) iron grip on Dune and live up to his destiny as the ‘Lisan al Gaib’ who will lead them to freedom and paradise—while his pregnant mother ‘Lady Jessica’ (Rebecca Ferguson) uses her ‘Bene Gesserit’ skills to lay a path of belief and obedience among the natives of the desert planet. All of which pulls the threatened ‘Emperor’ (Christopher Walken) and psychotic Harkonnen heir ‘Feyd-Rautha’ (Austin Butler) into the fray and sets up a holy galactic showdown on the sands of Arrakis.

Having nailed world-building and spectacle on an epic scale and in mesmerising style for general audiences not likely familiar with Herbert’s source novel and its many screen adaptations, not to mention excelled in character development and audience emotional investment in just two and a half hours with 2021’s ‘Dune: Part One’, screen visionary and modern master of screen adaptations Villeneuve re-assembles an impressive ensemble cast in Hungarian studios and Arabian locations to fulfil a triumphant conclusion to a modern yet classic cinematic prophecy.

In terms of style and spectacle in recent Hollywood history ‘Dune: Part Two’ really is second to none. Building on the visual achievements of the first part with the grounded yet spectacular production and costume designs which create a stunning yet utterly believable universe—including an imposing brutalist view of the Harkonnen home world and a gladiatorial contest for the ages—putting most contemporary blockbusters to shame and matched only by the awestriking worm-riding, empire-destroying action against an imposing desert backdrop. Once again all vividly captured in yellow, orange and the occasional monochromatic hue by in-demand Aussie cinematographer Greig Fraser (The Batman, The Creator). Not to be outdone by the visuals, the sounds here are equally striking and crucial in setting the mood, with pulsating sound designs blending seamlessly with yet another sumptuous score from Hans Zimmer, who naturally extends his score from the first film whilst steadily building on it to dramatic effect.

Denis Villeneuve had a clear vision to make his grand adaptation pop off the page and worm its way into the audience’s heart (pardon the pun), and at the centre of it was clearly the stacked cast he triumphantly re-assembles, with fresh-faced superstar Timothée Chalamet admirably leading the charge by injecting oodles of humanity into Paul “Muad’Dib” Atreides, a complex and reluctant young central figure of destiny and circumstance forced to change and grow, but also a tragic victim of that circumstance pushed by the universe towards somewhere he doesn’t want to go. The yin to his yang is fellow young star Zendaya who gets to fulfil the promise of her brief and fleeting stint in part one as Paul’s fierce and loyal but sober and sceptical Fremen soulmate, underlining the love story and doomed romance credentials of ‘Dune: Part Two’ which emotionally underpin the film’s grand scale and spectacle.

In a supporting cast overflowing with talent Rebecca Ferguson makes a real mark as devout mother turned full manipulative harbinger of prophecy, while Spanish veteran Javier Bardem cuts a compelling figure as Fremen leader Stilgar, injecting plenty of heart and unexpected levels of humour into the piece, and they’re all flanked by an array of generation-spanning actors on form. But it’s Austin Butler as gloriously intense and sadistic new antagonist Feyd-Rautha who proves the standout of the piece for us, stealing every scene he’s in with a magnetic serpentine performance which seamlessly blends with striking makeup and costume designs plus a limited colour palette to bring the Harkonnen to the fore, commanding the audience’s attention while unsettling them and bringing to life their brutal and ruthless world as a sort of sterile yet putrid and ominously cinematic morgue.

What truly elevates this sci-fi fantasy epic and indeed its 1960s source novel though is its memorable narrative, a fictional feudal galactic future grounded in humanity’s history of power struggles and imperialism, and even more so in religion, faith, and the dangerous politics of belief. Ultimately ‘Dune: Part Two’ reflects these themes—which remain depressingly relevant well into our 21^st century and in the distant future depicted in the story—even more deeply than the first part did, while the more metaphysical, psychedelic and transcendental elements, which are prevalent in the novel but only flirted with in the first film, are deliberately dialled up here.

If there’s anything that perhaps lets this epic cinematic achievement down then it’s the pacing and momentum of the storytelling, which builds steadily in terms of character development and in particularly between Paul and Chani, and meticulously towards an epic conclusion, only to then slightly rush through the all-important 3^rd act—which could have used an extra 10 minutes or so to flesh out Paul’s reluctant commitment to his own daunting cause and better build up the final assault, still keeping the runtime under three hours.

Yet despite some narrative cramming ‘Dune: Part Two’ is an undoubted blockbuster success in every way, and a hugely satisfying rounding off of an outstanding filmmaking achievement which clearly sets up a part three . . . fingers crossed. Likely involving the adaption of Herbert’s second Dune series novel ‘Dune Messiah’ and completing the Paul Atreides arc, fully morphing his deceptively heroic story into the tragic messianic cautionary tale that the American author’s classic and hugely influential work was always meant to be.

The Bottom Line…

A striking and soulful, thought-provoking and mesmerising fantasy sci-fi epic which revives our faith in blockbuster Hollywood filmmaking, with ‘Dune: Part Two’ Denis Villeneuve brings all the meticulously crafted elements together and triumphantly completes a worthy adaptation Frank Herbert’s first ‘Dune’ novel on the grandest scale, while setting up a further cinematic journey for the Lisan al Gaib—underlining the visionary Canadian filmmaker’s reputation as a big screen master of ambitious adaptations.

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