Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film “Dune” made waves as a shockingly faithful adaptation of the infamously unadaptable novel. Fans were shocked to see the director pull it off again in 2023’s “Dune: Part Two.”
Covering the second half of the novel, “Dune: Part Two” begins just after the first part left off, with protagonists Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, and his mother, Lady Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson traversing the dunes of Arrakis. Moments before, the pair met the Fremen, the native people of Arrakis.
Arrakis is important to the Imperium, the governing body of “Dune’s” universe, because it has a substance called spice melange which is used by space navigators to find a safe route through the galaxies. Because of spice’s importance, the Fremen have been oppressed by various political houses of the Imperium throughout their history.
Due to prophecy, Paul is fated to become the Lisan Al Gaib, the offworld Messiah of the Fremen. Throughout the film, Paul is pulled in multiple directions, with the main pulls being between Chani Kynes, played by Zendaya, and her want for Paul to assimilate into Fremen life, and Lady Jessica’s want for Paul to take revenge on House Harkonnen and the Emperor, who assassinated her husband and took control of Arrakis from House Atreides.
The film is a breakdown of the white savior trope and religious fanatacism. Throughout the movie, Paul loses touch with the innocent version of himself seen in the first part and becomes increasingly violent. Paul, seen as a savior by the Fremen, slowly pushes them away from their traditions and into violence.
Although the antagonists deserve the war brought to them by Paul, the Fremen’s culture will never recover from the corruption of revenge.
The film’s story and themes are top-notch. It is a thrilling ride from start to finish, gripping audience’s attention for the daunting 166 minute runtime.
Many fans of the book love this representation of the source material and its depiction of the characters and setting they love.
Just a few of the acting highlights are Paul Atreides, Chani Kynes, Lady Jessica, Austin Butler’s Feyd Rautha, Javier Bardem’s Stilgar and Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck. This small list does not encompass the pure talent within the cast.
The cinematography and atmosphere of “Dune: Part Two” goes even further than the first movie. The movie is so immersive I dreamt about watching it again the night after I saw it.
The music and sound design is so enthralling I have had multiple tracks running through my head 24/7 since Sunday, when I saw the movie.
“Dune: Part Two” may be the greatest sci-fi movie of all time, in the same league with sequels like “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” and “Bladerunner 2049.”
There are small departures from the source material, with Stephen McKinley Henderson’s Thufir Hawat being cut, and Alia Atreides taking a smaller role. However, almost every change made only serves to improve the experience of watching the film.
The plot, cinematography, acting and sound design of “Dune: Part Two” lead me to give it five out of five mustangs. It is as close to a perfect movie as possible.
