Movie Review: ‘Dune: Part Two’

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Anya Taylor-Joy

Plot: With his family all but wiped out, Paul and Jessica Atreides has fallen in with the Freman and begun to learn their ways and culture. Paul begins on a path to become Muad’Dib, the prophesied religious leader who will lead the Freman against the Harkonnen and the Emperor.

Review: Look, maybe rethink that themed outfit you’ve got in mind for your influencer channel. A surprising number of people turned up to the screening looking like they were attending a costume party in a very, very outdated ‘Arab’ costume. Just…remember this is a sci-fi film and don’t dress up how you think ‘desert people’ dress.

You might also want to take the time to rewatch Dune: Part One if it isn’t fresh in your mind. This is very much a ‘part 2’, the second half of the story, instead of a sequel and there is very little to accomodate audiences who skipped the first half of the story. We drop into things exactly where we left them, with Paul (Chalamet), Chani (Zendaya) and the Freman out in the desert while the little remains of House Atreides burns to the ground. The story that unfolds sees Paul taking on the culture of the Freman and talking on the mantle of their Messiah, whilst his mother Jessica (Ferguson) becomes a Reverend Mother to the people of Arrakis. Paul finds himself up against conflicting ideologies among the Freman, the strength of the Harkonnen army and the mechanisations of the Emperor (Walken). Along the way there will be prophecies, battles and mystical journeys.

Not that we get right into all that business. In spite of beginning with an action scene between the Freman and some faceless Harkonnen troopers, things are wound right down as Paul learns to live among the desert people. As months go by, Paul and Jessica build their influence and Paul passes cultural touchstones such as learning to summon and ride a sandworm. There’s an odd sense of pacing to this film, where long stretches of time skip ahead and long distances are travelled with little to indicate such as happened. You have to keep engaged with this one or you could lose the thread pretty easily, and if you’re not invested in this world it will wind up looking quite silly.

After the first hour we start to get the new elements needed for the remainder of the story. We have been introduced to the Emperor in person for the first time, but we also have his daughter Irulan (Pugh), Bene Gesserit Lady Margot Fenring (Seydoux) and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Butler), a psychopathic ruler who becomes the newest foe for Paul to face down. The Harkonnen clan certainly benefit the most from the incredible art elements this film showcases. Their greyscale planet is one of the visual highlights of the movie, being almost uncomfortable to look at due to its alien nature.

With most big budget releases being part of a formula heavy franchise, it’s refreshing to see such an epic sci-fi adventure get the proper treatment on the big screen. Villeneuve has continued the high bar he set with the first film. This is a perfectly cast ensemble showcased by every department of the production working at the top of their game. It does feel like some parts of the story could have been set up in the original film, such as the framing device of Irulan filling out a journal. If you’ve been waiting for this ending to arrive, it isn’t going to disappoint.

Rating: EIGHT out of TEN