With this second installment of the Dune saga, Denis Villeneuve gives his audience a further glimpse into the life of Paul Atreides, the protagonist of the Dune story. When Villeneuve’s first film concluded, we witnessed Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and the beginnings of his adaptation to the life of the Fremen on the planet of Arrakis to protect himself and his mother, Jessica (Rebecca Fergusson). As Paul becomes more accustomed to and more enamored with the life of the Fremen, he finds himself conflicted with his duties as the heir to his birthright but also to the expectations of the Fremen’s religious zealots who also see him as their savior.
I am keeping this review relatively short because the more I reveal about this movie, the more I will spoil it. I have to say that I was totally blown away by the work of Villeneuve and his crew in creating this world and how well they presented it on the big screen. This film earns its place in cinemas. Villeneuve, cinematographer Grieg Frasier, and every crew member who brought this incredible visual and auditory experience to fruition deserve much praise and admiration for bringing this remarkable experience to movie audiences.
I have never read any Dune novels, but this movie and its predecessor have piqued my interest in these stories. As a fan of the Star Wars saga and other science fiction movies, I see how Frank Herbert’s books have influenced these works. And that is the main takeaway from this movie. Villeneuve and his team have done a fantastic job adapting this remarkable story for the big screen and have made it seem organic and natural.
The film’s writing is solid and helps sell this universe to anyone who experiences this movie. Paul Atreides’s character is still naive, but he has a tremendous future ahead of him. It is a journey the filmmakers do a primarily fantastic job of developing. Chalamet is perfectly cast in this role and gives an excellent performance as a young man who has the power to change the universe for better or for worse.
I was also pleased with the performances of the rest of the cast. Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, and Charlotte Rampling all reprise their respective roles and perform admirably. New additions Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, and Anya Taylor-Joy join the Dune universe in this sequel and fulfill their roles well.
Dune: Part Two deserves to be experienced on the biggest screen with a fantastic sound system. It is a visual and auditory experience like no other. Still, it also has its roots in storytelling that has been iconic and influential to other science fiction stories that have followed it. Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve reminds his audiences that this story is one of the ancestors of modern sci-fi cinema.