Dune: Part Two
If you’ve been hearing chatter about it, yes, the hype with “Dune: Part Two” is worthy and then some. Its story, scale and world immersion are the exact reasons we go to theaters in the first place- all while being entertained. There are so many other reasons why this is a colossal marvel, and I would chalk that up to the synchronization of director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser. Denis understands the genre like the back of his hand while knowing how to respect the complexities of the worlds and characters in the books. The castings are all perfect, too. But Greig’s eye for lining up shots makes him one of the best in the business; some of these could be murals. The first one and even “The Batman” have these jaw dropping shots that will stick with you for years.
As for the story, now that the first one explains a lot of the confusing aspects it’s much easier to sink your teeth into the politics and lore. Even the themes of the books shine beyond the surface, like what happens when a society blindly follows religion and puts all their eggs into a basket for their messiah. You see tension there and you see the importance of resources on Arrakis amongst the Fremen. The chemistry between Timothée and Zendaya is very impressive as well. But for me, Austin Butler was the showstopper. As much as I love the growth of the two former actors’ characters, Austin’s Feyd-Rautha is a psychotic menace who is impossible to stop looking at. He is a savage with no real agenda besides dominance.
The action is there, yes, so don’t worry. And these sequences are among some of the greatest maybe ever in sci-fi. As a movie, I’m not ready quite to say it’s up there with the greats of “Empire Strikes Back” or “The Two Towers”. But that can easily change in a few years. Sometimes you watch something and you have a feeling it will make an impact in Hollywood. This did it for me. The studio trusted Denis and went all-in on his vision. This type of symbiosis between studio and director needs to come back, because there are projects being wasted and forgotten because of heavy-handed meddling. I will definitely be watching this multiple times again this year, and there is a good chance this stays in my top 10 for the year, and probably top three. See this in theaters as soon as you can.