“Dune: Part Two” is an action science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve and released on March 1, 2024. It is a direct sequel to the first film of the franchise, “Dune: Part One,” which was released on October 22, 2021. This franchise is based on the “Dune” novel series written by Frank Herbert.
Because of the length and complexity of the book, Villeneuve split the story of the book between two films. “Dune: Part Two” covers the second half of the first book. The original “Dune” book series was very influential and inspired many science fiction novels and movies, including the famous “Star Wars” saga.
This complicated universe is set in the far distant future and is organized as an empire with one sole emperor and many noble houses that follow the rule of the emperor. House Atreides is one of these noble and powerful houses. Like “Star Wars,” and the force, there is a mystical aspect of this universe; in “Dune” it is “the voice,” which is a sort of telepathy. The voice is mostly used by a cult-like group known as the Bene Gesserit.
The story of “Dune: Part One” follows the main character, Paul Atreides, who is played by Timothee Chalamet. He is the heir to the House Atreides under his father, Duke Leto, and mother, Jessica, who is a part of the Bene Gesserit.
In the first movie, House Atreides is called to take hold of the planet Arrakis, often called “Dune” because almost all of the planet is a complete desert. This planet holds the most valuable substance in the universe, called “spice,” which made the old dukes of Arrakis, House Harkonnen, very wealthy. Eventually, House Atreides is betrayed by House Harkonnen with the help of the emperor. This leaves House Atreides to be almost completely wiped out and strands Paul and his mother alone in the dunes of Arrakis.
In the first film, Paul is seen as special because his mom instilled the voice within him and he is gifted with natural ambition and a hard-working attitude. Upon arriving at Arrakis, the natives, called The Fremen, immediately name Paul the “Lisan al-Gaib,” which means “the voice of the outer world.” This is their version of “the chosen one,” or messiah that will save them from their foreign captivity and restore Arrakis to its once beautiful paradise.
“Dune: Part Two” follows Paul learning the ways of The Fremen and moving up in their ranks very fast. The Fremen begin to gain power thanks to Paul’s gifts as a warrior and leader and start raiding House Harkonnen’s spice operation to sabotage their power. Paul wants revenge for his house, but also starts to feel at home with the Fremen and likes the power he is receiving.
The movie follows Paul trying his best to fulfill his destiny and his and his newfound people’s quest for freedom from the Harkonnens and more political dominance.
In my opinion, this is one of the best science fiction films I have ever seen. The camera work, cinematography, musical score, acting, and writing are all fantastic and there was never really a boring part of the film.
Denis Villeneuve has directed fantastic works before, but this might be his best film yet. Villeneuve and his cinematographer, Greg Fraser, did a flawless job adding to every scene with amazing camera angles and great lighting. Every scene felt like it could be an example of great cinematography.
Paul Atreides is one of the first examples of the chosen-one hero trope that has been a part of several films and literature and Timothee Chalamet’s performance as Paul was so captivating and he played the character of Paul so well. He showed Paul’s confidence, ambition, and internal conflict so convincingly that it is a great testament to how well he prepared for the role. Additionally, Zendaya’s performance as Chani, Paul’s love interest, helped enhance both characters’ portrayals. Chani is a representation of the good side of Paul and how much he has learned while living with the Fremen.
There were also great performances from the ensemble cast of Austin Butler, Josh Brolin, Christopher Walken, Javier Bardem, and Rebecca Ferguson that added so much to the film with their complex and deep portrayals of their characters. Austin Butler was one of the main antagonists, Feyd Rautha, and his performance was exceptionally menacing and almost disturbing at some points.
There is only one critique that I have of the film: the runtime. The movie is 2 hours and 46 minutes long. The only reason this is a sticking point for me is because of how uncomfortable it can be to sit for that long, not because of slowness in the story of the movie.
From the fascinating and unique sound design to the creative and stunning camera work, “Dune: Part Two” stunned viewers and left them wanting more. It was a fantastic theater experience and imprinted in my mind how amazing and deep the science fiction genre can be. Denis Villeneuve and the cast and crew involved all worked very hard for the film’s success and it paid off.
