Considered unadaptable ever since David Lynch’s 1984 attempt, Denis Villeneuve has now adapted the unadaptable ‘Dune’ not once but twice – cementing himself amongst the filmmaking greats.
Spoilers ahead…
Dune Part 2 is the sequel to Dune 2021 and follows the journey of Paul Atriedes (Timothée Chalamet) on the path of revenge against those who murdered his family.
Alongside incredible performances by Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Zendaya and Javier Bardem, the immense cast of Dune Part 2 delivers a performance worthy of its collective reputation.
Dune Part 2 is near incomparable to any of its predecessors in film – truly never has a film captured such huge spectacle whilst maintaining perfectly poised themes and political conflict which is as relevant as ever to our real world. This of course should be credited to the original author, Frank Herbert.
What Villeneuve and company have achieved with this sci-fi spectacle should not be understated.
Immediately, director Denis Villeneuve sets the tone for the epic with the opening of the film involving a scrappy, close quarter engagement between two warring sides.
This film deals with the same themes of Part One, but make no mistake, Dune pt. 2 is above all else, a war film.
Greg Frasier’s immaculate cinematography is on show here again; in red hot form off the back of his beautiful imagery on display in 2023’s ‘The Creator’.
Frasier and Villeneuve’s eye paints a beautiful Arrakis and sometimes visually horrifying galaxy as a whole. The scale of CGI on display here is beautifully crafted and the action set pieces should now be the benchmark of any future blockbuster to enter theatres.
Seeing this film on the largest screen and sound system should not be advised, but instead commanded of film lovers. With sound design which will tremble your seats, and imagery to drop your jaw, sci-fi lovers will see this as nothing short of a religious experience.
The sound of this film is truly something to behold, at times it feels as if the film makers transported themselves 8,000 years into the future to record the sounds themselves. These ethereal sounds are beautifully poised alongside Zimmer’s score.
Building off his Academy Award winning score for Dune (2021) – Hans Zimmer crafts both delicate loving melodies and contrasting, pounding war themes to accompany the hugely varied events of the film.
I can wax lyrical about the film’s technical aspects to no end but the part of the film which flawed me the most as a viewer came in its writing and pacing. As a huge fan of the books, I still found myself on the edge of my seat throughout characters’ interactions.
The long runtime of the film is not felt whatsoever due to its perfect pacing – huge action set pieces are swiftly followed by nail-biting dialogue before the viewer is then transported to new locations with new developments and new revelations.
Involving many of the same cast members of the previous instalment, the film boasts a whole host of Hollywood’s elite and future elite. Newcomers to the franchise, Christopher Walken and Florence Pugh introduce a new threat to our protagonists, but it is Austin Butler who shines through amongst the new blood.
A ferocious, psychotic, performative character is portrayed by Butler in the form of Feyd-Rautha who is unrecognisable under pale makeup and a hairstyle (or lack thereof) that is a far cry from his glamorous looks in Elvis.
Chani (Zendaya) is given plenty of screen time in this instalment and often provides a great juxtaposition to the ideals and desires of Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica.
Timothée Chalamet gives a performance never before seen from himself, a loud and commanding role imposes his presence over anyone sharing a scene with him. Truly a performance of two tales, his character’s conflict grants the majority of the uncertainty present throughout the film.
Dune Part 2 is more than just another Hollywood sequel; it is the product of hundreds of passionate film makers at the peak of their powers. It is no exaggeration to say a film like this only comes once in a generation.
Many blockbusters will awe audiences with incredible spectacle and action, and others will leave its viewers pondering beautifully crafted moral themes. But very rarely will a film present both these aspects at the highest level like Villeneuve has produced here.