Dune: Part Two, 2024.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Tim Blake Nelson, Souheila Yacoub, Roger Yuan, Babs Olusanmokun, Alison Halstead, Giusi Merli, Joelle, Peter Sztojanov Jr., Gino Salvano, and Anya Taylor-Joy.
SYNOPSIS:
Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
For someone willing to shout at the mountaintops declaring that director Denis Villeneuve is one of the most exciting and stimulating filmmakers working today, capable of excelling across all genres and budget sizes, it wasn’t exactly fun to be out of step with colleagues and, well, almost the rest of the world that while Dune: Part One was an ambitiously realized technical marvel (especially for an adaptation many had considered unfilmable considering the visual complexity of Frank Herbert’s novel and the failed take in the 1980s from David Lynch), the story felt cold and largely emotionless, too fixated on politics, aside from when it finally started to gain some momentum during the third act. In between debating whether or not this adaptation should have been split up into multiple parts, that lengthy climactic stretch of betrayal and action did give hope for Dune: Part Two.
There is still some to question regarding what Denis Villeneuve and his co-writer Jon Spaihts have decided to extend and what to streamline (sections here feel long without much narrative progress, whereas others fly by and leave one craving something more in-depth exploring a few characters slightly more), but it’s also safe to say that they have kept their fingers on the pulse they found at the end of Part One, sustaining it here for the majority of this epic three hour running time.
Having fled his invaded home on the Middle Eastern-inspired desert planet Arrakis, Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides looks to further impress the Fremen people with hopes of recruiting them to his cause, enacting revenge on the uncle/nephew combo of Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Vladimir and Dave Bautista’s Beast Rabban of House Harkonnen for leading a siege on House Atreides, murdering his family, trainers, and people in search of gaining control over spice factories (a superpowered, battle intensifying, psychadeling drug that turns the user’s eyes blue.)
Half of the Fremen people are excited by this development as they seem to believe he could be the Messiah, namely Javier Bardem’s amusing Stilgar, quick to point out whenever signs of the prophecy are fulfilled. Then there are the others who are understandably unsure about letting someone else lead the way against this shared enemy, cautiously outspoken that relying on such a prophecy could lead to eventual enslavement. The only surviving member of his family, his pregnant mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), also takes it upon herself to go to extreme lengths to spread the word and gain the people’s trust in her son.
Among the uncertain group is Zendaya’s Chani, who notices Paul’s sincerity in wanting to help them while accepting that he should fight by their side rather than fall down the rabbit hole of religious Messiah fervor. She begins to help Paul with a series of desert tests and develops a romantic bond with him as they and Fremen soldiers repeatedly take out small Harkonnen squads to take back some of the spice production. This is generally accomplished through electric ambushes with characters typically rising from underneath the sand, engaging in thrilling, tracking-shot combat, and sometimes taking out tank-like vehicles.
Smartly, this adaptation makes Chani more of an active participant in everything from character dynamics to the breathtaking action, which feels like an important choice to make when updating a novel that, while still socially and politically relevant today, was also written in the 1960s and kept that character somewhat in the backseat. Ultimately, Dune: Part Two is a story about the appeal of letting a Messiah figure take over and assuming that the aftermath will pave the way for great prosperity versus controlling one’s own destiny and fighting that battle for themselves. After all, some of Paul’s intense visions aren’t necessarily promising, even if he does assure Chani he will love her for as long as he breathes. It’s also worth pointing out that the characters who encourage Paul to embrace the control and power that come with accepting the role of Messiah are typically white.
Meanwhile, House Harkonnen begins to feel the pressure, relieving Beast Rabban of his duties to bring in his younger, more ruthless, psychotic brother Feyd-Rautha (an unhinged Austin Butler bringing some showmanship to this violent nutjob), with promises that the Emperor of this distant future world (Christopher Walken) and his daughter (Florence Pugh) will allow him to be the sole ruler of Arrakis. Despite the admittedly funny sight of watching Dave Bautista kiss Austin Butler’s feet, it is slightly confounding that the film shoves aside one barbaric villain to introduce another one when the reality is that, no matter how much is set up, Feyd-Rautha doesn’t serve much of a purpose as a character, even if the climactic final duel is satisfying.
Thankfully, the thorny aspects of the ensuing romance between Paul and Chani only grow more complicated, with visions of a holy war and magical drinking water that could be both a blessing and a curse for the path the former walks. Again, it must be mentioned that much of this adaptation has been considered from the perspective of both Chani and the Fremen, continuing that self-aware approach from Part One to both subvert and play into white savior tropes in a thoughtful and compelling fashion.
Aside from a major third-act battle that feels a bit too short and truncated, the action here is involving and dazzling, with a score from Hanz Zimmer that drives home the emotional beats. That emotion courses through Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two like spice, ensuring viewers stay alert and riveted by the sweeping story (with more tantalizingly teased to come) in addition to basking in astonishing audio/visual spectacle this time around.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
