Directed by Denis Villenueve; Screenplay By Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts; Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem.
Based on the second half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel of the same name, Dune: Part Two picks up from where the previous film left off. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) continues his journey to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his people. As he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen, he seeks revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family, and endeavors to prevent a terrible future that only he can predict.
I quite liked Dune: Part One when I first saw it (on HBO Max) upon release back in October of 2021. Leading up to the release of Part Two, Warner Brothers re-released the original in IMAX for a limited run a couple weeks ago. So I went not only to prepare myself for the sequel, but to also make up for not seeing its predecessor in theaters. Glad I did because a lot of what I previously said in my initial review, I do standby. Although rewatching it in glorious IMAX made me appreciate the whole thing a lot more.
At the end of my review of the first film, I said “I hope Dune ends up being a commercial success so we could get a sequel that’ll cover the second half of the story. I know I’d be intrigued to see it.” Following a successful opening weekend, Dune: Part Two was officially greenlit for production. It was originally scheduled to be released last fall, but delayed due to the SAG strike. Thankfully, that got resolved back in November, now Warner Brothers can promote this movie with the actors.
Dune: Part Two not only successfully carries on the many great things about Part One, but also elevates them considerably. The world building alone continues to be so out of this world. Patrice Vermette’s production design absolutely deserves a lot of the credit for that. The makeup work as well as Jacqueline West’s costumes are even more imaginative this time around. Greig Fraser’s cinematography here officially solidifies him as one of the best directors of photography working today. As I was watching the many visual effects sequences, I kept wondering “how the hell did they pull that off?!.” Having caught this in IMAX, the sound work and Hans Zimmer’s score both shined through all the speakers surrounding me.
The performances are also more enriching in this installment. Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson both continue such strong work here as Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, respectively. Meanwhile, those who had less to do in the first film have a lot more to do here. Zendaya as Chani, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar are each in great form. Not only that, but I thought Zendaya also shared some great onscreen chemistry with Chalamet. As for the new cast members, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (in a move 10 times more interesting than his overrated performance in Elvis), Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and even Christopher Walken as her father, Shaddam IV, all make for great additions.
Most of all, the story is so emotionally engaging from start to finish. Not only that, but it also kind of feels relevant to what’s currently going on in the world. The film itself may be a bit of a slow burn, but Joe Walker’s editing thankfully keeps the whole thing well paced. There’s definitely a lot to unpack here, but that’s what subsequent rewatches should be there for. In any case, Dune: Part Two absolutely deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. It’s EPIC in every conceivable way imaginable! It'll be released in theaters nationwide this Friday.
Rating: 4.5/5
Based on the second half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel of the same name, Dune: Part Two picks up from where the previous film left off. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) continues his journey to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his people. As he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen, he seeks revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family, and endeavors to prevent a terrible future that only he can predict.
I quite liked Dune: Part One when I first saw it (on HBO Max) upon release back in October of 2021. Leading up to the release of Part Two, Warner Brothers re-released the original in IMAX for a limited run a couple weeks ago. So I went not only to prepare myself for the sequel, but to also make up for not seeing its predecessor in theaters. Glad I did because a lot of what I previously said in my initial review, I do standby. Although rewatching it in glorious IMAX made me appreciate the whole thing a lot more.
At the end of my review of the first film, I said “I hope Dune ends up being a commercial success so we could get a sequel that’ll cover the second half of the story. I know I’d be intrigued to see it.” Following a successful opening weekend, Dune: Part Two was officially greenlit for production. It was originally scheduled to be released last fall, but delayed due to the SAG strike. Thankfully, that got resolved back in November, now Warner Brothers can promote this movie with the actors.
Dune: Part Two not only successfully carries on the many great things about Part One, but also elevates them considerably. The world building alone continues to be so out of this world. Patrice Vermette’s production design absolutely deserves a lot of the credit for that. The makeup work as well as Jacqueline West’s costumes are even more imaginative this time around. Greig Fraser’s cinematography here officially solidifies him as one of the best directors of photography working today. As I was watching the many visual effects sequences, I kept wondering “how the hell did they pull that off?!.” Having caught this in IMAX, the sound work and Hans Zimmer’s score both shined through all the speakers surrounding me.
The performances are also more enriching in this installment. Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson both continue such strong work here as Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica, respectively. Meanwhile, those who had less to do in the first film have a lot more to do here. Zendaya as Chani, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, and Javier Bardem as Stilgar are each in great form. Not only that, but I thought Zendaya also shared some great onscreen chemistry with Chalamet. As for the new cast members, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (in a move 10 times more interesting than his overrated performance in Elvis), Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, and even Christopher Walken as her father, Shaddam IV, all make for great additions.
Most of all, the story is so emotionally engaging from start to finish. Not only that, but it also kind of feels relevant to what’s currently going on in the world. The film itself may be a bit of a slow burn, but Joe Walker’s editing thankfully keeps the whole thing well paced. There’s definitely a lot to unpack here, but that’s what subsequent rewatches should be there for. In any case, Dune: Part Two absolutely deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. It’s EPIC in every conceivable way imaginable! It'll be released in theaters nationwide this Friday.
Rating: 4.5/5