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by Robert Bouffard, Editor

Dune: Part One is a rousing success of a film. Co-writer and director Denis Villeneuve, cinematographer Greig Fraser, and a star-studded cast came together to adapt (the first half of) the famously unadaptable seminal science fiction novel almost 40 years after David Lynch’s unsuccessful, if now underrated, attempt which was bungled by the studio. Part One has a lot of setup and promise of what’s to come — “This is only the beginning,” says Zendaya’s Chani as the last line in the film — but it’s an incredible masterwork of a standalone film as well. Which makes it even more jaw-dropping that Dune: Part Two surpasses its predecessor in just about every way.

With all the backstory and world building out of the way, Part Two is off to the races from moment one. Riding on the back of its immaculate predecessor, it immediately becomes incisive in its themes. In the first film, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is subtly conniving; she loves her son and husband, but as a Bene Gesserit — a religious body of women, both in league with the Imperium and always operating in the shadows, and possessing the power to see into the future — she’s a deeply menacing and calculating character in Part Two. Now that she and Paul (Timothée Chalamet) are incorporating themselves with the Fremen, her motivation is no longer simply survival as it was when the Atreides first arrived on Arrakis. It’s much deeper and more malicious: She wants Paul to accept his role as the messiah to these people, even though he knows and hates the nefarious ways in which the messianic prophecies were planted. Ferguson infuses the character with an ominous aura, and since she’s pregnant and often refers to her child’s thoughts, it’s called into question whether what she says can even be believed.

This rings especially true as we see the dealings of the three other Bene Gesserit in the film: Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) and newcomers to the franchise Léa Seydoux as Lady Fenring, and Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, the daughter of the Emperor (Christopher Walken, of all people). In the novel, we’re treated to all their political scheming, as well as that of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). But in this adaptation, they focus more on the religious aspects of the text. For book fans like myself, it’s difficult to not miss the intrigue, but it makes for a tighter narrative in a movie that’s already two hours and 45 minutes. Pugh in particular is a fitting addition to the cast, and while much of her time is limited to sitting around and talking, like Zendaya from Part One to Part Two, Pugh should have a much increased role should Part Three be greenlit (I’d be shocked if it didn’t, and I’ll be counting down the days until its release, starting right now).

As the political plot lines, which are a huge part of the novel, are largely absent from this adaptation, the philosophy of religion, belief, and faith are what Villeneuve chooses to focus on the most. Gone from both films are the endless moments of suspicion and deception, but with that, the film is afforded more time to tackle the idea of a charismatic messiah arriving to a people group who have desperately waited centuries for him to come. And in a departure from the book, Chani is given a fascinating depth. After initially falling in love with Paul, his slow but steady turn into the figure of Muad’Dib causes her to lose faith in him as a partner, not to mention as a religious figure. Zendaya runs the gamut in her performance, and we see all sides of Chani. As she leads a group of unbelieving Fremen, the true cost of the arrival of Paul and Jessica is made more tangible and personal, and causes Jessica’s machinations to hit that much harder in their malevolence.

Adding drama to the story works in a film. Basically, there are two groups of Fremen: the skeptics and the fundamentalists, and it’s no accident that the movie makes a point to refer to the religious fundamentalists of the deep south, but instead of the U.S., it’s of Arrakis. Led by Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, who gives one of the best performances of his career as a burgeoning zealot, they have a blind fanaticism for one who has any chance of being their messiah, and the confirmation bias that they experience is at once heartbreaking and horrifying, especially considering the end of the film (which I won’t spoil here). A large part of Frank Herbert’s original goal in crafting Dune was to warn against saviors, especially of a religious nature, and Villeneuve carries it on. Even with his apparent disdain for too much dialogue in modern movies Part Two is chock-full of gripping conversations and debates about messiahs, religion, faith, and destiny. It would be easy to call them the best parts of the movie if it weren’t for the thrilling audiovisual spectacle. 

Because while Part One spends a lot of its runtime on the majesty of stillness — whether it’s in space, on Caladan, or the various locations on Arrakis — Part Two has heavy sections of action. Not to belabor an already tired point, but it’s still a testament to practical, on-location filmmaking that this film looks as good as it does. There is of course lots of CGI (I haven’t come across any sandworms at home or in the news lately), but it’s mixed with the desert locations, and there’s not a single image that you don’t believe. And Fraser’s cinematography is truly stunning — closeups on actors’ faces or wide shots of characters walking are as amazing as explosions or Fremen riding sandworms. And Hans Zimmer’s score builds on what he did in Part One — it brings back many of the themes, but adds to them to make them more grand or gentle as each scene demands. For as great, memorable, and iconic as many of Zimmer’s previous scores are, perhaps none complement what is on screen and in the script as well as his Dune scores. 

Specifically, tracks that once sounded heroic are given a sinister tilt thanks to Paul’s arc, which is commandingly portrayed by Chalamet. Known for playing the tender, thoughtful, angsty guy like in Call Me By Your Name, Little Women, or Lady Bird, he’s unlike he’s ever been on screen in Part Two. Once he fully activates Muad’Dib Time, as Villeneuve affectionately referred to it, Chalamet is an absolute force. There’s a delicate balance to Paul when it comes to what he feels his destiny is and what path he wants to follow as a person with feelings and empathy, and Chalamet deftly and gently yet authoritatively walks that line. He stands out with his poise and body language, giving him a brand new screen presence that we’ve never seen from him before. And once he starts talking, it’s like he’s actually using the Voice. As opposed to the somewhat open-ended writing of the book which caused Herbert to write Dune: Messiah to more clearly demonstrate his lessons to be learned from Paul as a character, Part Two is much more straightforward as to how we’re supposed to think about him, and what he’s supposed to represent. Even with the potentially dark turn that the character takes, Chalamet still manages to make us feel for him in the little moments, as he isn’t fully a hero or a villain. We knew that he was a great actor, but after coming off Oscar nominations (and at least one other Oscar worthy performance in Beautiful Boy), between Dune: Part Two and Wonka, it’s officially inarguable that the guy is a star. 

Having stars such as Chalamet, Zendaya, Pugh, and Austin Butler makes the movie initially more approachable for a wide audience. And then once you’re settled in and seeing familiar, charismatic, and lovable faces, it’s remarkable that the film is able to throw around so many weird sci-fi terms, heavily feature things like the Water of Life and prescient visions, and a talking embryo. Sure, there are things missing from the book, such as mentats and Guild Navigators, but boiled down, this is a movie about a potential teenage messiah taking drugs to see the future because of thousands of years of space eugenics, all while struggling with whether he can stop a holy war that will be fought in his name, and which he both does and doesn’t want to happen. There’s just so much filmmaking craft on display at the end of the day that the film is still palatable and breathtaking, even with all the sci-fi jibber jabber being thrown around.

I’m not without my nitpicks, both as a big fan of the books and as a regular movie watcher (I could’ve used some more Atreides babies, buildup for a returning character, and time for scenes to breathe), but suffice it to say Dune: Part Two excels on every level. While it feels like a middle chapter in a lot of ways, it’s mostly intent on filling you with dread leading up to the last hour, and horror as that hour finally rolls around. It does this all the way up to the final shot, which put a pit in my stomach, having the context of what I’d just seen and knowing where the story goes, as well as making it impossible for me to wait for when Part Three releases. 

Long live the fighters, and let the spice flow!

Rating: Loved It

Dune: Part Two is currently playing in theaters

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You can read more from Robert Bouffard, and follow him on Letterboxd