Dune: Part Two

“Father, I found my way.” This really feels like a moment in time. So rarely does everything just come together in such mesmerizing and awe-inducing fashion like it did for Dune. Captivating audiences worldwide without compromising on the quality of the work or the depth of the lore is a Herculean feat, and Villeneuve accomplished just that back in 2021. The groundwork had been laid for a sequel that had no choice but up the stakes; it had to be larger, wilder, grander, stronger, and simply just better. Dune 2 is probably the single greatest science-fiction movie I have seen in my life. A movie has never felt massive like this one. The visuals are perhaps beyond anything I have ever seen on the big screen. The action sequences are so thrilling to watch, whether it be the Chalamet-Zendaya load-and-fire sequence, or the black-and-white colosseum duel that introduces Austin Butler’s psychotic Feyd-Rautha. The fight choreography is much more impressive than the first outing, a change especially seen in one of the film’s final scenes. The score is as adrenaline-pumping as ever and utilized in a much more balanced way than in the first movie, where at times it felt overused. Every single aspect of the film is just incomprehensibly epic. As for the cast, Dune 2 manages to pull even better performances out from this group. Chalamet’s portrayal of Paul’s transformation from apprehensive child to impassioned warrior is pitch-perfect, and he delivers some of his career’s best work in this film’s latter half. The character of Jessica goes through some serious development and Rebecca Ferguson’s right there to smooth the transition. She also has some scene-stealing moments throughout the movie. Zendaya plays the resilient Chani with ferocity and more than makes up for the disappointment I felt in the first movie after finding out she had only like eight minutes of screen time. Javier Bardem peels back the mysterious, cold facade that clouded Stilgar before, and shows us a playful and fanatical leader. He is very strong in this as well and brought some fleeting yet necessary moments of humor to the plot. Austin Butler is truly terrifying as the devilish Feyd-Rautha, and with more screen time he could have made a real run for the best performance of the whole lot. Butler brings out the character’s violence and sadism with a cold intensity that leaves the audience frozen in shock. Other new faces like Pugh, Walken, and Taylor-Joy are given very little to work with, but overall their presence is welcome. Pugh does well as the calculative heiress to the throne, but does not have enough time nor material to really sink her teeth into the character, who is set up to make waves in the next film. Hopefully she follows a Zendaya-esque path and becomes an integral part of the third movie. Walken’s demeanor feels slightly out-of-place compared to the performances around him, but his take on the Emperor is serviceable enough to minimize any damage. Taylor-Joy’s part is laughably small, but the character as a whole is interesting and will be a big part of the future of the franchise.  I cannot wait to rewatch this (hopefully in IMAX) and I really cannot wait to see where we go from here. Villeneuve has tapped into something extraordinary and historic with the Dune-iverse.