Image courtesy of IMDb
Hello, everyone.
In the previous review, we looked at the first part of a modern adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert, which may have influenced Hollywood to take us to a galaxy far, far away.
For this review, we’ll be looking at the second, which not only expands on the world established in the first movie, but it also gives you more of what you wanted from the first movie.
Part One focused on the world-building, with some action here and there, but this has more of the epic scale and especially more action.
Folks, we go back to the sands of Arrakis, as I present my review of Dune: Part Two.
Before I get started, I have to provide a warning.
While I will do my best to not give too much away in reviewing Part Two, in order to provide proper context, I will have to go into some spoilers for Part One.
Therefore, if you haven’t seen Part One, go watch it, read my review of it, and then come back.
For those who have done so already, and want to jump right in, let’s get started.
Picking up right where Part One left off, Paul Atreides has joined with the native Fremen with the intent of helping them take back Arrakis. In order to do so, he must learn their ways, from how they speak and move to riding the Sandworms… all while on his own personal quest for vengeance against the Harkonnens for wiping out his family.
He is also still having visions, though they’re even darker than before, yet are all part of a greater prophecy.
Meanwhile, Lady Jessica has become the new Reverend Mother for the Fremen, and sets out to convince the more skeptical side that the prophecy is true.
While all that’s going on, the Harkonnens are losing their grip on the spice fields, so the Baron chooses his younger nephew Feyd-Rautha to take over from his older nephew Rabban.
However, they may not be the only threat standing in everyone’s way.
What Worked: As I stated last time, the performances are top-notch across the board. Even the new additions get time to shine, but I’ll get to them momentarily.
The returning cast (basically everyone who survived the last movie*) all get great moments and some character development that I didn’t see coming.
It takes time for some to show up, but when they come in, they’re used in very satisfying ways. A great example is when Josh Brolin’s character, Gurney Halleck, comes in. There’s even some humor to that moment.
Speaking of humor, there’s a lot more of it in this one compared to Part One. The majority of it comes from Stilgar, portrayed again by Javier Bardem.
In my review of Part One, I said that he was basically an extended cameo. I also meant to mention that he was pretty much playing it straight whenever he was in it.
In Part Two, he has much more to do, and the humor that does come from him is mainly deadpan, though there are times where he does show expressions. I was really surprised how much it was actually effective.
Chani definitely has more to do, because she has a much bigger role in the story this time. Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet have fantastic chemistry with each other, and you really want things to work out for them.
You also get more character development from Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica and Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam (the Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit who tested Paul)**.
If you thought the Baron and Rabban were despicable in Part One, even more so here. Stellan Skarsgård and Dave Bautista (especially the latter) are unsettling in this one.
Shockingly, the most unsettling performance comes from one of the new additions, and he was the biggest standout for me.
Austin Butler (yes, the very same one who played Elvis) comes in as the Baron’s youngest nephew, Feyd-Rautha.
To say he is intimidating is an understatement. He’s that and so much more. He’s vicious, he’s brutal, and he is scary. Not only that, he is unrecognizable.
He’s basically the sci-fi equivalent of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight. Ironically enough, that was one of the influences, and while watching the movie, it’s easy to see why.
He stood out so much in this movie that it’ll be difficult for any other villain to top him as the Best Villain of the Year.
Now for the rest of the new additions.
First we have Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, who rules both the Known Universe and House Corrino, which was at least mentioned in Part One. He is fantastic here, and it surprised me how he played it completely straight rather than over the top like he usually does.
Then we have Florence Pugh as his daughter, Princess Irulan, and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring, another Bene Gesserit character who’s brought in when we first meet Feyd-Rautha.
They’re both excellent… for the time they’re in it, and I’ll get more into that later.
In the meantime, I’ll go into the technical aspects.
Although the world-building was largely used for Part One, there is some expansion done, and I really appreciated how some of the storytelling that was mentioned there is actually shown here. For example, the parts with the Emperor and House Corrino, they were mostly mentioned by name, and this time we actually see them.
The parts that were not mentioned in Part One were saved for Part Two, and I did also appreciate that sense of balance that comes from that. You mention and show some parts and then save others for later. If you want to bring a story with such an epic scale to life, that’s how you do it.
Speaking of which, the epic scale in Part One was merely a taste of what was to come. It’s on full display in Part Two, particularly with the visual effects, the direction from Denis Villeneuve and the cinematography from Greig Fraser.
It shows in the action, and there’s much more of it here, particularly in the third act.
The big fight between Paul and Feyd-Rautha alone is worth the price of admission. You’ll be on the edge of your seat for that whole fight.
The thing most noteworthy about that fight goes to show how epic a moment it is. The same thing was done in the first encounter between Batman and Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, for example.
Listen for this when you see it if you haven’t already.
The moment the fight starts to the moment it ends, there is no music. The only sounds you hear are of them trying to kill each other. That’s it.
That scene is therefore also evident that the sound design throughout the whole movie is handled way better than it was in Part One, probably because there was a lot more action. It’s also paced way better.
The visual effects, direction, and cinematography make for some gorgeous shots in this. Other than the third act, whenever we go to different worlds like Corrino and especially Giedi Prime (the Harkonnen homeworld), it really stands out.
The score even benefits this time.
Last time, my biggest issue was with the score, where within the movie, it was so overwhelming at times to where you could barely hear the dialogue, especially with the background vocals.
Thankfully, the background vocals are dialed back this time. They’re still there, of course, but they’re not nearly as loud.
The track that’s used more prominently is actually the love theme for Paul and Chani, which they even play in the credits.
The last thing I wanted to mention that really impressed me is how they managed to tackle two otherwise very touchy subjects, one of which was even difficult for me in my Escape From New York review.
It tackles politics and religion, and it’s actually interesting and makes sense within the context of the movie.
What Didn’t Work: I really only have one minor issue here.
I briefly mentioned Florence Pugh and Léa Seydoux, and even Christopher Walken, and that’s because as great as all of them are in this movie, they’re barely in it.
It’s the same issue with Chani and Stilgar in Part One. Princess Irulan, Lady Margot, and the Emperor are barely in this.
If this was to build them up for the adaptation of Dune Messiah that Denis wants to do, I can understand that.
As it is right now, with how successful these adaptations have been so far, particularly this one, only time will tell when we’ll be able to know for sure.
Overall: As excellent as Part One was, Dune: Part Two not only expands upon what it established, but improves upon it in practically every way.
Whether you liked Part One or not, Part Two is still a more satisfying experience, so hopefully you’ll get some enjoyment out of it.
It gives you more of what you wanted from Part One, and then some.
With the best cast, the best direction, the best visual effects, the best action (really the best of everything) so far this year, Dune: Part Two is the definition of an epic sci-fi blockbuster, and you should see it as soon as you can.
I would recommend watching Part One before you see Part Two, because it makes it even more satisfying.
Of course, I highly recommend seeing this on the biggest screen you can, but if you’re unable to see it in theaters and have to wait to see it at home, the only advice I could give is to make sure you have the best quality TV and sound system. It’s one of those movies you watch for when you want to really make some noise. It’s made for that.
After this movie, Denis Villeneuve wants to do one more movie, which is an adaptation of the second book, Dune Messiah, but he wants to wait until the right time to do it.
With how popular this is, people want to see more, and I’ll just say this: Take all the time you need, and then bring it all home.
Next time, we go from a modern book adaptation to a new TV adaptation.
*Well, almost everyone. There was one cast member that (along with one new addition, that being Tim Blake Nelson) filmed scenes, but they ended up being cut.
As for who the missing returning cast member is, I’ll just say this. He’s in a movie I’m looking forward to talking about once it comes out in a few weeks, so I’ll mention him there.
**I didn’t mention her last time because I knew she would have more significance here.
