The Plot: Having fled Harkonnen tyranny into the Arrakis desert with his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) has embedded himself within the feisty native Fremen and their leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem). Some of the Fremen think he is a false prophet, while others believe that he is the messiah who will lead the way to true freedom. Paul must prove his worth by taking on two mighty challenges that will test him to his physical and mental limits. The greatest challenge though is yet to come – to face the Harkonnens and Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), who conspired to eliminate his bloodline…
The Verdict: Shortly before the release of Dune: Part Two, a teaser clip was released in which potential messianic figure Paul Atreides is tasked by his newfound allies the Fremen to tackle Shai-Hulud, the immense sandworm of Arrakis. In a sense, that one scene is a metaphor for the way that Denis Villeneuve has tackled Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel – itself a masterpiece of science fiction. As early as the 1970s, many filmmakers have tried. While they didn’t die in the attempt, they failed or didn’t entirely succeed. David Lynch tried valiantly, but forces conspired against him so he wasn’t afforded the breathing space the story so desperately needed. Villeneuve has found a way though… a narrow way through to wrestle the infamously unfilmable book into a form that is true to Herbert’s epic vision but strikes out on its own to become its own mind-blowing cinematic experience.
More often than not, films are passive watches that come and go from your consciousness. Dune is something altogether different – it’s far more of a multi-sensory experience that washes over you like a wave of Caladan or an explosion of Arrakis sand. No need for 3D here. This is immersive filmmaking from Villeneuve that draws you into its alien world of intergalactic conflict and age-old mysticism. That was something that was somewhat lacking in Part One – a deep sense of mystery about this world and the prophecy element. It certainly strided forward though in setting up this world, its characters and their conflicts with gusto. One sensed that Villeneuve was holding back on what was really to come. If Part One was the set-up, then Part Two is undeniably the pay-off for this audience patience. Not just in years, but in the decades since the book was published to deliver on its visionary potential through the medium of cinema.
Part Two doubles down on Paul’s journey from a young man with the weight of his late father’s legacy on his shoulders to moving beyond that to become someone even more powerful. Villeneuve and co-writer Jon Spaihts have developed a natural progression for this in their adaptation, with each step documented to round out Paul’s character arc with precise control. Timothee Chalamet fully embraces that spirit and delivers his performance with conviction. They also round out Jessica’s story, as she too undergoes a transformation while also expanding on the opposing forces at play. The introduction of power player Emperor Shaddam IV and his perceptive daughter Irulan (Florence Pugh) add further layers of complexity that suggest that the intergalactic scales might tip at any moment. Then there’s psychotic Harkonnen warrior Feyd-Rautha, brought to the screen with steely conviction by Austin Butler – a galaxy away from Elvis.
It’s a heady mix of elements to be sure, but Villeneuve handles it all in his stride and keeps the checks and balances running in tandem with the high stakes. Amidst the intrigue and shifting power, Part Two scores particularly high on epic action that rumbles along without a single misstep. Harnessing the otherworldly desert power of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to stand in for Dune, Villeneuve marshalls his cast, crew and visual effects artists to deliver explosive action sequences that have the wow factor written all over them – particularly in the director’s preferred IMAX format. At its core, Part Two is a war movie that continuously escalates, but it doesn’t lose focus on its characters amidst the grand spectacle. There’s an admirable sense of balance here, delivering on every level while hinting at even greater things to come with the potential of Dune: Messiah. It’s now a necessity that he makes it and completes his Dune trilogy, but he’s earned some rest for now.
Dune: Part Two is visionary filmmaking from a director who thinks beyond the Bene Gesserit green box to test one’s mettle. There is no fear on his part here. From when he read the book as a teenager, Villeneuve had a movie version in his mind. When viewed as one complete epic film, he’s now turned the Dune of your dreams into reality and made the definitive adaptation. He has conquered the book and ridden it like a sandworm beyond the deadly sand storms of Arrakis and into the realms of a modern cinematic masterpiece.
Rating: 5 / 5
Review by Gareth O’Connor
