BY ELLIOT LINES FEBRUARY 22, 2024
Inevitably the early year blockbuster on everyone's radar. Sequel to Dune: Part One (2021) and the second part of film adaptation of the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert, Dune: Part Two has plenty to live up to, with big success for the first movie. The film was unfortunately delayed from the original October release date due to strike action, but turns out it was well worth the wait. Dune: Part Two ramps up all what made Part One successful, elevating this story to the next level. Villeneuve has provided a grand epic of cinema, which may just go down with the Sci-fi genre greats.
SYNOPSIS
Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
REVIEW
Frankly, it's difficult to know where to begin. What Dune: Part One did so well was to bring a seemingly "un-adaptable" book to the screen on a grand scale, setting up this universe in a quite impressive fashion, but it's clear now that's all it was, a set-up. After witnessing the broader scale Dune: Part Two provides us, Part One seems like a distant memory that won't be forgotten but certainly overshadowed by its predecessor.
By now we have experienced enough of these characters to have an idea of motives and personalities. The vast focus throughout the film is expectantly on Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), he seeks to learn the ways of the Fremen, all while moving closer to getting revenge on those that hurt his people and killed his father. The journey he goes on throughout the film is a testing one, with the need to convince some of the Fremen people that he is legit and others that he may or may not be their Lisan al Gaib (prophet or Messiah). There is a whole host of emotions to reconcile with, and Chalamet lives up to the billing.
Starring alongside Chalamet is a whole host of talent. Paul's love interest Chani (Zendaya) keeps pushing his character while keeping him grounded, with Zendaya showcasing a tough side to her acting ability. Also returning is Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Stellan Skarsgard as Baron Harkeonnen, and many more, all of which play a pivotal role in the success of this film. The outstanding newcomer most certainly is Austin Butler, who plays a, lets just say, unhinged character called Feyd-Rautha and Butler most certainly plays into the role.
Up to this point, Denis Villeneuve has had a stellar career and it seems he's not letting up. There are scenes within Dune: Part Two that are simply mind-blowing. The scale in which he takes this content to is stratospheric, and quite honestly there are some of the biggest and most beautiful set-pieces in recent memory. We spend most of our time on the planet Arrakis, with incredible golden tones across the landscape, but in one set-piece we find ourselves on Giedi Prime, the home world of the Harkonnen's. This is where we first meet Butlers Feyd-Rautha on a world with a black star that shrouds everything in a monotone white. Taking place in a large stadia, Feyd-Rautha is set to fight the last of the Atreidies in his coming of age ceremony. The scene proved the meticulous details needed to accomplish this film, whether it be set on Geidi Prime or the more familiar Arrakis.
In amongst the dune's of Arrakis is where the majority of the action set-pieces occur. Across the run-time there were plenty of them, each scattered in amongst the over arching story-line. All of these scenes were incredibly well choreographed, as well as bringing something different to the table each and every time, whether that be hand to hand combat or large explosions over the dunes. The action throughout is on a large scale, whether that be using the size of the ships in this world or that we finally bear witness to the Fremens use of the Sandworms. All of these parts are needed to construct the larger fight at the end, bringing together all what we have seen into one battle, including the use of Sandworms (many of them to be truthful). However, the conclusion of the film is far more intimate than these action set-pieces suggest it's going to be, which set up a more personal fight scene which will inevitably lead to more (fingers crossed).
There are only so many words one can say, and the hype for this film has been ever growing since the credits rolled on Dune: Part One. I think it is safe to say that the hype hasn't hindered my feelings towards what Denis Villeneuve has created, which in my eyes may well be one of the best sequels ever made. Dune: Part Two is meticulously designed to complete this story, it's grander in every single way than its predecessor, a lot can be learned here, this is how Sci-fi should be made.
STAR RATING
