Dune Part Two, directed by Denis Vilenueve, and based on the novel written by Frank Herbert, follows up its predecessor Dune (2021) in a way that is masterful. In other early reviews of this movie, a lot of praise is being thrown around, comparing this sequel to Empire Strikes back (a movie notoriously known for being a perfect sequel, which some would argue is even better than the original). While this movie may not be as iconic as Empire, I can confidently say that it does exactly what Empire did for the Star Wars franchise– it perfectly follows up with the first and enriches what felt like an unfinished story by completing the arches of the characters. But in the same vein, this movie also beautifully sets up for a third chapter and builds further hype for what’s to come out of this world and its characters. 

Background:

The story of Dune follows a young gifted boy, Paul Atriedes (Timothée Chalamet), who is born into a royal family, the “House of Atriedes.” At the beginning of the first movie Paul and his family’s reign are relocated to the planet of Arrakis where they are put in control of the production of “spice” (a lucrative mineral in the world of Dune). However, after some time on Arrakis, The House of Atriedes is attacked by an evil empire known as the Harkonnens. This leaves Paul’s father dead, and Paul in his mother forced into hiding. Because of Paul’s gifts and his mother’s psychic alignment, he is prone to visions in which he sees a group of people, the Fremen, who live in the dunes. These visions most prominently focus on Chani (Zendaya), as Paul and his mother try to survive and possibly find the Fremen. This is where the first movie leaves us. After seeing the first movie, I felt very dissatisfied with the movie as it had set up a lot of different things and stories that were not completed. It seemed to me as the movie had just ended where it was starting to get good.

Synopsis:

Dune Part Two, fortunately, picks up exactly where the first one ends and it really pays off. Now that Paul and his mother are with the Fremen, they must be taught their ways and learn to live amongst the dunes. However, upon Paul’s arrival it’s speculated that he could be the “outsider” messiah that had been prophesied in Fremen lore for centuries. While some believe in Paul and his abilities, others like Chani are concerned this prophecy is only put there to control them, and it is up to Paul to figure out who he truly is and save the Fremen and the planet of Arrakis. Throughout the movie, there are two groups within the Fremen, those who believe and those who do not. 

Genre:

Yes, the CGI in this movie is ground-breaking.  And yes, the action sequences are some of the best I’ve ever seen in a sci-fi movie, but this movie is, at it’s core, a beautiful love story. Paul and Chani fall for each other over the course of the movie and it is captured impecably. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya have wonderful on-screen chemistry and play off each other very well. On top of this, you can see their characters’ motivations change as their relationship progresses throughout the movie.

Acting/Performances:

Everyone in this movie delivers a great performance. Going into the movie, knowing so many stars were a part of the cast (like Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler, Josh Brolin, Dave Baustista, and Rebecca Ferguson) I was concerned that the spotlight would be diverted or performances would be phoned in; however, I was very wrong. Every performance in this movie is captivating, and it’s hard not to talk about them all. The three that stand out the most to me are:

Austin Butler showed the world his acting capabilities in “Elvis” last year, yet in this movie, his performance still surprised me. He plays a very good antagonist and a perfect psychotic balance to Chalamet’s knowledgeable hero. 

Rebecca Ferguson takes on a much bigger role in this movie as not only Lady Jessica (Paul’s mother), but later in the movie she become the Reverand Mother,  a religious leader in the Freman tribe. She spends most of the movie having “visions” and trying to convince the non believers that Paul is the messiah, as a means of protecting her son.

Zendaya might be my favorite of them all in this movie. Her character’s main motive is keeping Paul on the right track but even more so protecting her people. She drives strength from her people and fights for them at every turn, she doesnt put her personal relationships over what she knows is right and continues to fight no matter what.

Visual Style:

The visuals in this movie never fail to be stunning. The movie has a great color pallet using almost exclusively warm colors (oranges, yellows, browns) when on the setting of Arrakis or with the protagonists of the story. Then when moving to the Harkonenns, the antagonists, it is shot with almost all monochromatic colors (blacks, greys, and whites). This sets up a great opposing visual style for the characters as well as a contrast in mood for the viewer to better grasp the tone of the scene.  Additionally, while establishing shots are normally used to show the envorinment the following scene will take place in, this movie takes it to the next level and uses the establishing shots creatively, including small things in the scenes that actually contribute to the story while still setting up the environment.

Score:

Composed by Hans Zimmer, the score of Dune Part Two deserves an entire review article itself. Zimmer is known for his masterfull scores (The Dark Knight, Inception, and so many more) and this score is just as great. I saw this movie in IMAX and the music was very powerful, and it contributed so well to the scenes. There were several moments that I got goosebumps as the music swelled and sound filled the theater, which, paired with the huge screen, made the scale of the movie feel enormous.  

Conclusion:

Overall, I rate this movie a 4.5 out of 5. The story was great; the acting, top-notch; the CGI, incredible; and the music, flawless.  My only critique would be that maybe the final act felt a little rushed. I definitely recommend seeing it on the biggest screen possible, and taking your friends. I know I will be seeing it for a second time!