Dune: Part Two - Review: Float Away on a Bed of Spice

 

Denis Villeneuve might just be one of the hottest science-fiction directors in Hollywood, and for good reason. After critical darlings in the form of grounded human dramas “Prisoners,” “Sicario,” and “Enemy,” he expanded into the science-fiction genre with “Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049,” and his ambitious first half adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune.” Given the title of this review, it’s fairly easy to assume what happened from there and now, three years later, he and co-writer Jon Spaihts (“Doctor Strange (2016),” “Prometheus”) get to go back to Arrakis with “Dune: Part Two.” 

This film follows the second half of Herbert’s original novel which sees Paul Atreides, played by Timothee Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name (2017),” “Beautiful Boy”), and his mother Lady Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson (“The Greatest Showman (2017),” “Doctor Sleep”), continuing to befriend and insert themselves into the lives of Fremen people, including their leader Stilgar, played by Javier Bardem (“Skyfall,” “mother!”). This results in Paul’s growing romance with Chani, played by Zendaya (“euphoria,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home”), as well as the increased attention of the House Harkonnen in the form of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, played by Stellan Skarsgård (“Chernobyl,” “Good Will Hunting”), and his nephew and warrior Feyd-Rautha, played by Austin Butler (“Elvis,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”). 

While there are numerous reasons to split a book as dense as Dune into two films, Villeneuve and his team not only justify this decision quickly but craft a film that’s arguably far better than the first. The themes and characters that were merely addressed in the first film are delved into with care and time. Not a moment of the almost three-hour runtime feels wasted, and Villeneuve and Spaihts further explore the slow turn from reluctant figure to borderline-cult leader in Paul’s arc. Chalamet’s fantastic performance sells it at every turn and watching his relationship with the equally excellent Zendaya deteriorate is quite the experience. Both of these tales would be just as interesting in their own separate films, but what Villeneuve does by layering them both is exceptionally captivating and rich as a result. 

One of the only issues with “Part Two” is that, simply because of the scope of it all, almost any actor besides Bardem, Chalamet, Ferguson, and Zendaya can almost fall through the cracks. Butler is excellent and menacing, but like Skarsgård, can disappear into the weirdness of this tale. It's understandable as this is an ensemble piece with many different roles, but it says a lot about the scale of it all that the film can succeed so much while also having actors like Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter,” “Catch Me If You Can”), Florence Pugh (Little Women (2019),” “Midsommar”), Josh Brolin (“The Goonies,” “No Country for Old Men”), Dave Bautista (“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”), and Léa Seydoux (“Crimes of the Future,” “Blue is the Warmest Color”) (playing Emperor Shaddam, Princess Irulan, Gurney Halleck, Rabban, and Lady Margot Fenring, respectively) feel like bit parts by comparison. 

Just like the first film, the technical merits of this trip to Arrakis are absolutely phenomenal. It feels like beating a dead horse by now, but virtually every one of the numerous accolades and acclaims can be applied to this film as well. It's staggeringly beautiful, an expert combination of practical and digital effects work that appears seamless, shot with pure beauty by cinematographer Greig Fraser (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “The Batman”). Hans Zimmer’s (“The Dark Knight,” “Inception”) score is also just as excellent as before, thumbling and groaning with guttural noises and harmonious strings at every turn. This score also helps highlight how much of the film exists simply with the naturalistic soundscapes of the various planets. It’s a gorgeous film, at times overwhelmingly so, but there’s also plenty of material that goes by without a word, as if Villeneuve’s secret desire was to craft a sci-fi silent movie. 

It might seem like most of the positive aspects of “Dune: Part Two” are simply repeats of the excellent aspects of the first film. To be fair, given that the film largely shares the exact same cast and technical crew, unless something major had gone wrong, it's reasonable to assume that same bar of quality would be hit. Rather, it’s the increased depth and explanation of the material that really makes this half shine above its already excellent predecessor. At times it can almost make the excellent first film seem slightly worse than it is, as if it’s more of a necessary prologue rather than a dedicated first half of a story. 

“Dune Part Two” is a fantastic film in so many respects: it’s an excellent technical showpiece, a fantastic example of numerous actors sinking their teeth into some dense and wild material, a great example of how to morph that kind of dense material into a digestible blockbuster film, and, because of all those previously mentioned elements, a masterclass in directorial skill. This is the kind of film that can only be made by someone who really has their hands tight on the reigns of every aspect of the filmmaking process, and it’s a thrilling film that somehow manages to eclipse it’s first half in just about every conceivable way. 5/5