Dune: Part Two
Dune Part 2 solidifies itself as one of the best sci-fi movies of all time because every performance is electrifying. Denis and Greg have done it again by providing beautiful cinematography with excellent writing, thus creating a movie for the ages. Timothée Chalamet will forever be known as Paul Atreides. He provides a stellar, rveting and terrifying performance that deserves an Oscar nomination. Paul's character arc is almost if not at his peak and it shows, he is caring yet cold, happy yet melancholic etc.
There are no side characters in Part 2. Everyone is given their own arc and their own time to shine. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica gives her best performance to date. She's looming over everything and is every bit of Bene Geserit. Zendaya is way more prominent than she was in part one and she takes center stage throughout all her scenes. Chani is rebellious on the prophesy sense. And she has fear and love in her eyes every time Paul speaks.
The story starts off a little slow since it follows Paul's journey to become Fremen but the second and third acts are where you see Paul in a different light. What was a boy on Caladan became a monster on Arrakis. Jessica fuels the fire with her spreading word around Arrakis that he is the messiah. Yall might hate me but it's perfectly reasonable to say that Paul has an Anakin moment. The Harkonnens show that they're ruthless but cowards at the same time. Feyd Rautha is the only Harkonnen to be entirely scared of. Austin Butler delivers a psychotic, cold and horrifying performance that left me terrified for Paul and the others.
The second and third acts are the best because of the action and because everything that happened in the first movie is explained in great detail. The action is spaced out to where it isn't overwhelming or felt like filler scenes. The story only gets richer and more in depth as the minutes tick by. There is a lot going on for someone that doesn't know much about the Dune franchise, but to fans, the chaos is delightful. Every character arc gets its opening and it's end and feels complete. The 2hr 46 minute runtime allows for it. By the end of the film, the expansiveness and the chaos is covered and wrapped up in a neat little bow. Though Paul's story is far from over Dune Part 2 does a phenomenal job of setting up what is to come in part 3.
Overall, this movie is fantastic and will be watched time and time again. This movie is comparable to the Two Towers because the story is really starting to pick up with the best yet to come. Once it releases, the Dune trilogy will be the science fiction version of Lord of the Rings.