Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), who continues his journey, united with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen of Arrakis, as he seeks revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family, and endeavors to prevent a terrible future that only he can predict.
In 2021, Denis Villeneuve delivered a magnificent adaptation of the first half of Frank Herbert’s novel, and so many people, including myself, have been eagerly anticipating the second half. A lot was riding on this film and there were many ways it could have failed to meet expectations but thankfully this film was in very capable hands, resulting in the most masterfully made novel-based epic to hit the big screen since Lord of the Rings. This film was everything I wanted it to be while simultaneously surpassing a lot of my expectations. There is so much I love about this film and so much I would love to write in great detail, but as always I will avoid any big spoilers and only share as much as I can without revealing anything major, especially since this is a film that should be seen in a theater and not ruined by idiotic news outlets on the internet.
Denis Villeneuve chose a stellar ensemble cast for Part One but I feel the ensemble cast and their performances for Part Two are far superior. Every single cast member brings their A-game as these phenomenally written characters, and some of them end up delivering quite possibly the best performances of their entire careers. I also felt that all of the cast members were utilized perfectly no matter how long or short their screen time was, never feeling wasted, which is honestly such a blessing after several huge ensemble films that felt like they had wasted several superbly talented cast members.
Let’s start off with the returning characters of Part One, beginning with Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, who absolutely dominated this film with his performance showcasing a phenomenal range of raw emotions. We get a near-perfect adaptation of Paul’s unique journey from the novel that sees him struggle with both physical and mental conflicts that push him on a path that isn’t the usual path of a heroic figure but instead, a darker path that will surprise and shock those who witness the transformation he endures. It’s such a powerful journey that Villeneuve had beautifully crafted both in Part One and this film but it was all up to Timothée Chalamet to deliver this journey perfectly and that is exactly what he did. After years of people’s doubt, I feel this film completely eliminates all remaining doubts about Timothée’s portrayal as Paul because he truly was the perfect choice for this character.
Returning alongside him with a larger and more central role is Zendaya as Chani who, like Timothée as Paul, absolutely dominated this film with her performance, showcasing her own range of raw emotion that was extremely moving. She is the heart of this film, standing out as an important figure that not only impacts Paul’s journey but also wonderfully represents the unrelenting will and power of the Fremen of Arrakis. She was truly incredible in every single way and her own path is one that I feel many people will feel attached to the most emotionally.
Rebecca Ferguson once again remains an absolute force on screen as Lady Jessica, who grows to become not only a great protector of Paul but also one who ends up fueling his legend to inspire the Fremen across the planet as a religious figure. How she changes to become this figure was set up early in Part One with one of Paul’s first visions, and here we see it come to pass as she transforms and influences the Fremen to build a path for Paul to follow in their quest for revenge on the ones that took everything from them. But this path she builds out for him is one that Paul fears will lead to the horrific Holy War that he foresaw, leading to an interesting conflict between them that has the most unexpected of results.
Javier Bardem takes a more central in Part Two as Stilgar, acting as both a mentor to Paul and a zealous believer of him as the Messiah of the Fremen. Javier Bardem is a phenomenal actor but it has honestly been way too long since he’s had a really good and memorable performance in any project. Thankfully he is absolutely amazing in this film with his performances being an absolute gem on screen, simultaneously delivering humorous levity and layered religious fanaticism. He serves as a great opposite of Chani as he showcases the great dangers of blind faith and dedicated belief in prophecy regardless of the risks, making for a fascinating representation of some of the major themes this film presents. It made me so happy to see Bardem back on his A-game and being given so much great material to work with on the big screen.
Josh Brolin also returns as the surviving Gurney Halleck, bringing some levity but also rage with his performance as a soldier ready for war and ready to avenge the loss of his Duke and friends. He’s a character you do find yourself rooting for in his mission, even though his kind of thinking and strategy could be considered dangerous to others.
Other returning faces like Stellan Skarsgard as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen, and Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam are once again spectacular in their respective villain roles, acting as the various representations of evil that our “heroes” confront and rise against throughout the film.
But that uprising is what brings in the newer faces of this film, which includes major figures of the story like Princess Irulan, Emperor Shaddam IV, and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, all of which fantastically stood out thanks to their respective cast members.
Florence Pugh is definitely one of my favorite standouts from the newcomers as Princess Irulan. Even with limited screen time she manages to establish the character as a force to be reckoned with in this universe, investing her with sufficient intelligence and empathy to justify her presence in this film, making you want to see more of her in the future. Florence Pugh continues to be an amazing actress with a seemingly unbreakable streak of phenomenal performances, which I can’t wait to see in future projects of hers, hopefully including an adaptation of Dune Messiah in which Irulan plays a pivotal role.
Alongside her is Christopher Walken who brings such a grand presence as Emperor Shaddam IV, living up to the build-up of him established in Part One. It has been eight years since I last saw Christopher Walken on the big screen so for me this was like cinematic royalty making a comeback and he did not disappoint at all. While not seemingly as evil as the Harkonnens he clearly shows himself to have great political power over the universe and comes off as intensely intimidating, largely thanks to Walken’s performance.
And then we have perhaps the most impressive standout out with Austin Butler as the psychotic Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. Austin Butler hugely impressed me in 2022 with his performance as Elvis Presley but here he was on a whole different level performance-wise. Feyd is completely unhinged and sadistic, making for a truly terrifying villain that honestly makes him more evil and dangerous compared to the rest of the Harkonnens. He even makes Bautista’s beastly Rabban Harkonnen feel like a chump in comparison, which says a lot. This is a role that I think is going to make people respect Austin Butler even more as an actor and see that he is indeed capable of playing a wide range of characters when given good material and direction to work with, and I do look forward to seeing what else he can deliver in the future.
The film’s story and narrative are written beautifully and are emotionally powerful to the point where you will feel at a loss for words by the end, especially when it really utilizes the full runtime to develop the characters and story and make you have a full investment in everything. I honestly haven’t felt so moved by a novel-based epic since The Return of the King but this film somehow gave me the same feelings I felt when watching that for the first time 21 years ago.
While this film does make some slight changes from the novel to the screen it also fully commits to the powerful and bold story elements and themes that were told in the novel that set it apart from most other sci-fi fantasy stories we have had over the years. It highlights the dangers of hero worship, autocracy, colonialism, and devotion to blind faith which were themes that were established in Part One, but get fully explored and expanded upon in this film in grand ways. It’s also fascinating how this film even tackles the subject of altering destiny, suggesting that attempting to desperately avoid it can result in consequences that are just as bad or even worse than what has been foreseen by Paul. There are honestly a lot of thematic layers interwoven in this film’s narrative that audiences will take something different from when watching. On top of that, there are shocking twists and turns that this film executes brilliantly that audiences who haven’t read the novel will be stunned by and feel speechless in the best way possible.
There are going to be lots of interesting discussions about this adaptation as a whole now that the story is complete, especially since the ending of this film sets up the stage for the sequel Dune Messiah to follow up, which also has its own shocking story that will spawn its own discussions. Any film that can have an impact like that and could be discussed for years makes it a truly special one, much like the original novel that went on to inspire many other stories and discussions we know of today.
Denis Villeneuve and his team for these films could have easily taken safer routes in storytelling to appease certain masses but I’m really glad he didn’t do that and that he committed to telling a very bold epic in its entirety while also opening the doors to continue telling the story in the future.
Equally on par with the phenomenal narrative elements of this film are the phenomenal technical elements this film achieves, feeling bigger and better in many aspects. Firstly it goes without saying that the cinematography by Greig Fraser is once again gorgeously stunning as he showcases beautiful visuals both in small masterfully built sets and in grand on-location sets that give this film its epic scale. I also really loved how we get some visual differences with each planet featured in this film, like on the Harkonnen’s homeworld where the sun takes away the color of the world in its special light, making for some interesting visual treats for the eyes.
The action feels hugely improved this time around as we get a mix of everything from thrilling skirmishes to emotionally charged large-scale battles that truly get the heart racing. The action in Part One was good but Part Two honestly had the superior sequences, especially when it comes to the sequences involving the Dune worms that looked majestic and powerful on-screen, thanks to truly incredible effects that were both practical and CGI. In fact, I think there was a higher usage of practical effects and sets used in this film compared to Part One. I could be wrong but based on what I saw a lot of it looked very real to me, making me very eager to see a full look behind the scenes of how certain effects were accomplished.
This film also features impressive sound design that again feels like a major improvement over Part One and adds so much to the tension and thrills of the story. And then of course there is Hans Zimmer’s amazing score that truly makes the most crucial sequences of this film soar to new heights and impacts you emotionally on many levels. His music work has always been masterful over the years but I think his work in both parts of Dune is easily his best and strongest work yet.
Dune Part Two in my view is truly masterful in every single way, both living up to my expectations and exceeding them simultaneously. This film and its preceding part are true modern-age novel-based epics that the world has been needing for a long time, and it is my greatest hope that not only could we see the story continue in an adaptation of Dune Messiah but that this could inspire the creation of other epics for future generations to share to the world. I will always feel grateful to Denis Villeneuve for making such a phenomenal adaptation of Dune. I’m going to give Dune: Part Two an A+ = 100.
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