Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s been about two-and-a-half years now since Dune: Part One was released, finding some success with its simultaneous theatrical and streaming debut during the ‘dark times’ of the pandemic when theaters were just starting to get back on their feet. Dune: Part Two was inevitable regardless of the film’s success because both films were shot back-to-back. And as far as anyone knew, these two films were going to tell the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his ascension to the ruler of the Great Houses or King of the Spice as foretold in some vague prophecies (at least I think that’s what is supposed to happen). To be honest, I’m not familiar with the books but I have seen the David Lynch movie and Part One, but I just find this story to be either very dense or very simplistic … it’s hard to tell. dune: Part One ended with the hint of things to come, a minor cliffhanger but one we were prepared for with the reveal of the full title, which until it’s release was only known as Dune. Now we have the second part of the story which picks up right where Part One ended, so you may need to go back and familiarize yourself with that movie before seeing the new one.
So what is Dune: Part Two about? Paul and his mother (Rebecca Ferguson), who is pregnant, are on the run after the villainous Baron Harkonnen had the entire House of Atreides slaughtered. Paul had already befriended Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen on Arrakis (previously known as Dune), but they aren’t too thrilled that he has brought his family’s battle with Harkonnen to them. To compound matters, Freman Stilgar (Javier Bardem) is convinced an ancient prophecy points to Paul as being the ‘chosen one’, whatever that means. Chani runs hot and cold with Paul, one minute she thinks he’s dreamy and the next she’s seems to be praying a sandworm devours him. To make things even more complicated, Paul’s mother Jessica is a member of Bene Gesserit, a matriarchal order with supernatural abilities, and she also believes Paul is the chosen one. And the Bene Gesserit among the Fremen believe Jessica is their chosen one to take over from the elder, so they initiate her (and are shocked to discover she’s pregnant, so what effect passing along all of the knowledge from the previous elders to her could lead to problems with the baby … who is already talking to her mother from the womb), and she makes it her mission to convince the non-believers that Paul is the One.
Meanwhile, Harkonnen learns that his son Beast Rabban was unsuccessful in eliminating all of the Atreideses and mounts an attack on Arrakis to get the job done. Rabban is supposed to be the Baron’s muscle, but he’s really just an inept goon with severe anger issues. So along for the trip comes the nephew Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), who derives great pleasure from inflicting great pain (and has his own little harum of cannibals reminiscent of the Brides of Dracula). Feyd-Rautha cuts an imposing figure with his chiseled physique, pale skin, bald and eyebrow-less face and black teeth, much more sinister than Rabban who can only intimidate with yelling and violent outbursts. As the Harkonnens make their way to Arrakis, Paul learns a family secret that upends his plans, while at the same time he keeps accomplishing tasks that Stilgar says proves he is the prophecy fulfilled. A war rages with Paul leading the Fremen against the Baron’s army and the rest of the Great Houses get involved and then …
Well, that’s all you get about 2 hours 45 minutes because, surprise, there may — or may not — be a Part Three. The film has not been greenlit, director Denis Villeneuve is taking time off from the world of Dune (although there is a MAX Original TV series in the works focusing on the Bene Gesserit and their machinations), and it seems none of the cast are actually contracted for a third. So, unless this one makes buckets of money, we may be left hanging and that’s not okay. I was actually enjoying Part Two more than the first one until that unexpected cliffhanger, so be prepared and you won’t be blindsided.
Aside from the storytelling (which when you think about it is just another spin on a Shakespearean tale of family discord), the film has a lot of merits to make it worth seeing. The acting from everyone is truly fantastic. Chalamet has grown into the role and is a much more engaging hero now than he was in the first movie. Zendaya was also good but Villeneuve gave her one too many close-ups of her scrunching her face up in disappointment or anger at Paul. Rebecca Ferguson was also terrific as she became more of a zealot and had to spend a lot of time talking to herself (as she hears the voice of her baby). Stellan Skarsgård was appropriately slimy as the Baron, while Dave Bautista is saddled with a bit of a one-note character but he pulls it off.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Newcomers to the story include Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, daughter of the Emperor, who mostly records her thoughts and sort of narrates the movie but begins to put many pieces together regarding her father, the House of Atreides and the Bene Gesserit, putting her in an uncomfortable position by the end of this chapter. Christopher Walker is the Emperor, playing his as a weak and ineffectual man perhaps burdened with too many secrets, and Léa Seydoux is Lady Margot Fenring, a mysterious woman who seems to be working with the Bene Gesserit but isn’t actually part of the order. Many will be curious to see Austin Butler follow up his performance as Elvis in the role of Feyd-Rautha, and despite tinges of the Elvis voice here and there, it’s a good performance, bringing an unease and menace to this character who could obviously snap at any second, but has a little more control than Rabban, saving his outbursts for hand-to-hand combat with his surely doomed opponent. My favorite performance in the film was from Charlotte Rampling as Reverence Mother Mohiam. In her Bene Gesserit outfits, which consists of full head-to-toe clothing with a veiled face, she has to do all of her acting with her voice and her body language (you can barely see her face and she’s working that just as hard as everything else). I could watch a whole movie focused just on her character. Over all, the entire cast is totally invested in their characters and they can sell even the craziest of plot points such as hitching a ride on an Uber sandworm.
Villeneuve and his production team have spared no expense in making these worlds feel authentic and lived in, delivering the finest details and some truly stunning shots (made all the more breathtaking in IMAX). Some of the plot near the end, particularly the fight between Paul and Feyd-Rautha feel a bit rushed, and a moment when Paul tells Chani he’ll always love her and then demands Princess Irulan as his wife comes out of nowhere especially since he seems to have just laid eyes on her (yes, it’s a demonstration of his power at that point but give a girl a heads up to your plan), but it’s that cliffhanger ending that was unexpected that took things down a notch. Had I been prepared for that, it wouldn’t have left such a bad taste in my mouth so for you reading this — forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes. Aside from that disappointment, Dune: Part Two does rank up there with The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens and The Godfather Part II as a sequel that bested its originator. Let’s just hope that Villeneuve and company, including the newly notoriously tight pockets of Warner Bros., will be ready to jump back to these worlds sooner rather than later to finish this particular chapter in the Dune saga.
Dune: Part Two has a run time of 2 hours 46 minutes, and is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material and brief strong language.
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