Picking up right where the first film left off, Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) has embedded himself with the Fremen in an effort to not only survive but exact a measure of revenge on Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and, ultimately, the Emperor (Christopher Walken). Half the Fremen believe he’s “Muad’Dib,” the religious messiah, and the other half don’t. His actions see him consistently fulfilling prophecies and the debate continues to grow among the people. The most notable Fremen who’s reluctant to believe his higher purpose is Chani (Zendaya) who takes a liking to Paul but fears he’ll lose touch if he starts to crave power. When Glossu Rabban Harkkonen (Dave Batista) can’t quell the uprising on Arrakis, the Baron calls in his other son, Feyd-Rautha Harkkonen (Austin Butler), to get the spice production back on track. Plans are made, attacks are held and betrayal is abound, all in the name of spice.
If there’s anything the DUNE series is it’s grand in scope. From sprawling landscapes to practical effects to stunning cinematography, director Denis Villeneuve pulls out all the stops to make this (and its predecessor) feel larger than life. Even the indoor scenes, which would normally feel confined, have a sense of physical depth to them. It’s a feast for the eyes and that’s the main takeaway: you’re going to be amazed.
Lesser films would hang their hat on that grand scope and sluff off on other aspects. Not DUNE: PART TWO. Chalamet, Zendaya and Javier Bardem are completely believable as their respective characters and that audience buy-in is essential for pulling off the story. While nobody’s going to win individual awards for their roles, it’s a pretty incredible ensemble cast that brings their A-game to the screen.
The audience really does feel like they’re a witness to these events rather than just have a sense of “I’m watching a movie.” Whether that’s because of the performances or the grand scale of the set pieces or the rhythm of intensity throughout the script — or maybe even all of the above — I’m not sure, but DUNE: PART TWO deserves to be seen on the biggest screen you can find. Even if you’re not a fan of the sci-fi genre, this movie effortlessly takes you to another place and time with characters who are still somehow relatable. And, quite frankly, isn’t that the goal? Ensure you’ve seen the first installment of the saga, however. Coming in cold to this installment is pretty much worthless — other than the visuals — without it.
JKG SCORE: 7.5
Untitled Film Project 