Dune: Part Two
More like Christopher Kneelin! Am I right, folks?!
While deconstructing the “chosen-one” mythos in his recent flurry of instant genre classics, Denis Villeneuve has ironically emerged from the pack as the chosen one of science fiction cinema. Upon the announcement that he would shepherd Dune, it seemed almost unanimous that he was the surest bet, and regardless of anyone’s thorough evaluations of Part One, few disagreed that Villeneuve achieved what he set out to do.
The same can be said for Dune: Part Two, an epic tragedy of biblical proportions. It took a full second viewing of the first to realize that Villeneuve is simply aspiring to the same chief success of the hallowed classics in the fantasy genre - Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Avatar - to create a world that feels intoxicatingly real, sometimes papering over any less-than-engaging storytelling. My feelings on Dune: Part Two a day later are remarkably breezy: take me back to Dune.
Separating it from the aforementioned classics, and giving it some of that biblical heft, is that there is far less noble catharsis to be had in this universe. You won’t be feeling like you did during the trench run in Star Wars, or the ride of the Rohirrim in The Lord of the Rings. Dune is not an intensely emotional cinematic universe; the sound and light will have its physiological way with you, but the story itself would rather have you think than feel (though both would have been nice).
Thoughts will continue to sift out for some time. I stand before a low sunset and gaze off into the distance, visions of Dune: Part Two flashing in my mind. Like the first, it’s much easier to process after seeing the entire thing and then reflecting back upon it. Themes of destiny, zealotry, and exploitation are burrowed far under the surface, slower to the grasp but long lasting. Some spoilers ahead.
It’s not until the white savior narrative is subverted during the riveting finale that many of the atonal threads click into place. Expecting traditional trajectories will leave you baffled at first. Earlier in the film, a group of characters passionately charge into battle, only to immediately retreat in clunky fashion. While narratively awkward and seemingly ill-conceived at first, the point eventually comes into focus. However, not everything is made meaningful in hindsight, and some contrivances and inelegances remain.
Anything Harkonnen-related continues to be the most interesting, now valued at a premium as we’ve already seen a movie’s worth of Arrakis. Although their rise and fall was swift (wryly foreshadowed in the fantastic opening scene), their thrilling wickedness and depravity finds new forms as Villeneuve boldly takes us to the Harkonnen home planet in a masterfully envisioned middle chapter.
The sandworm riding sequence is an all-timer of spectacle, immediately entering the esteemed rotation of theater chain pre-movie montage clips in between the flaming DeLorean and “We’re gonna need a bigger boat”. It’s all completely convincing for an alien world. Not once do you doubt the setting - the only thorn of artifice is Christopher Walken, a poor choice in casting. Perhaps one other time the spell breaks is during the now-memed “sandworm Uber” scenes, a funny joke but also a genuine critique. Thanks to the brilliant work from all the craftspeople involved, especially the likes of Zendaya and Austin Butler, moments like that are remarkably rare.
Villeneuve has proven himself to possess the killer instinct of Spielberg, Jackson, and Cameron in knowing what little details are crucial to “selling” whatever needs to be sold to the audience’s imagination. Chalamet too had much to prove here, and one can’t help but wonder what he drew from his own personal ascendance in portraying Paul - a face from an older time thrust into the new spotlight, grappling with the feelings of being (or being called) the next big thing, torn between power and integrity.
Let’s hope that his arc of movie stardom doesn’t end with the same Shakespearean betrayal as Paul……….by joining the Fast franchise.
B-b-b-bene Gesserit!