The Big Picture
Dune: Part Two
impresses with masterful special effects and expands the universe's scope.- New characters add complexity but overload the storylines, making the movie feel rushed.
- The third act stands out with incredible action scenes, remaining true to the source material.
After walking out of Dune, I felt assured that Denis Villeneuve's vision of Arrakis and Paul Atreides couldn't be topped. Villeneuve did what many failed to do: adapt the unadaptable. With Dune: Part Two though, it's about sticking the landing for that adaptation. Part Two achieves the impossible by fully realizing Villeneuve and author Frank Herbert's vision, but nothing is perfect. While Part Two is impressive on multiple fronts, it doesn't make it to the finish line without stumbling first.
Dune: Part Two
Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Runtime
- 166 minutes
- Writers
- Frank Herbert , Jon Spaihts , Denis Villeneuve
'Dune: Part Two' Is Larger in Scope and Cast
Part Two picks up mere hours after the first movie and follows Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), as they adjust to their new normal now living among the unfamiliar Fremen in the vast deserts of Arrakis. Paul learns from both Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and Chani (Zendaya) about how to navigate the desert as Jessica continues to fuel the belief that Paul is the messiah. Meanwhile, Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) oversees his new control of Arrakis as it mines the precious and valuable spice. When his nephew, Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista), fails to fight off the attacking Fremen and obtain command of the planet, the Baron sends in his other nephew, the sadistic Feyd-Rautha (a perfectly menacing Austin Butler), to the planet in his place. On top of all of that, we also meet Princess Irulan (a fleeting Florence Pugh), the daughter of the Emperor (an enigmatic and restrained Christopher Walken), who played a large part in the fall of House Atreides.
Part of the problem with Part Two was always going to arise when tackling Dune. With the expansion of the world comes more characters. Where we mainly circled the Atreides family in Part One, the second part not only throws us into the world of the Fremen, but also introduces more Bene Gesserits, more Harkonnens, and the Emperor and his family. If you're familiar with the Dune book series, you'll know that these characters are quite important and need to have their time on screen. But if you're not familiar with the books, you might be wondering why there's a new character popping up on screen every few minutes.
Similarly, the scope has widened. While before it was merely about arriving and understanding Arrakis, Part Two deals with the beginnings of a holy war, perpetuating a prophecy, and taking over an entire galaxy. This is where the story begins to deal with the larger concepts at the heart of Dune and, for someone coming in for the first time, this can all be very daunting. For those who indulge in complicated worldbuilding and love to explore new fantasy universes, Part Two goes deeper than ever before and warrants a second viewing to get all of the details. But for more casual viewers, all the extra details might just end up falling by the wayside as incomprehensible.
'Dune: Part Two's Focus Is Weakened by Its Pacing
As the world expands, Part Two is somehow both too long of a movie and too short. It became clear to me that if television shows had the budgets that movies had, these two movies would have been better served as a multi-episode series rather than two massive films. In one instance, when Paul is first learning how to survive in the desert with the Fremen, we might expect the film to go through a montage of endurance and inner strength. Instead, it cuts immediately from him preparing to face this challenge to his success a vague number of days later. These cuts make sense given the long runtime of the film, but weaken the narrative with an inconsistent timeline and achievements that are unearned.
Newly introduced characters like Princess Irulan or Feyd-Rautha barely have any personality beyond the trope they are meant to embody. Irulan acts as a privileged and emotionally distant figure who serves partially as a narrator. And though we get glimpses into Feyd-Rautha’s psychology in his time on his home planet, there is little depth to the character who simply acts as an agent of cruelty and domination. Despite marketing leaning heavily on Florence Pugh and Austin Butler’s star power, much like Dune: Part One’s Zendaya, they are in less of the movie than you might think.
In his attempt to cover the totality of Dune, Villeneuve must pack in all the universe-building that exists in Frank Herbert's books while also trying to tell a compelling story. There are scenes where one character must explain, in detail, an aspect of the universe to the other for the benefit of the audience. The result is a film that is heavy in exposition. It isn't until the final third of the movie that we rush toward the conclusion of the narrative. Up until then, the pacing of the film is inconsistent, leading to a feeling of aimlessness. It’s clear halfway through that this is not the end of Villeneuve’s storytelling. He is setting the stage for future installments of the franchise, and it’s hard to tell at this point if his gamble will pay off.
Characters Struggle To Shine in 'Dune 2'
While the acting is by no means bad, it pales in comparison to the technical mastery of Dune: Part Two. Ferguson, who had such an impactful performance in Part One, is relegated to the position of a mysterious religious leader, while Chalamet must now pick up the mantle of a would-be messiah. The vague white savior vibes that Dune has always given off are still here in Part Two. No matter the complexity behind it, the optics of a white kid walking into a sea of brown people bowing to him and calling him a messiah is going to turn him into a white savior. The saving grace is Paul's own belief that his identity as a savior is merely manufactured by his mother and the other Bene Gesserit. Chani and the other younger Fremen's doubt of his position as a messiah also adds a counterpoint to the zealous believers in Paul's destiny.
With more time on-screen, Chalamet primarily shares his scenes with Zendaya, who is a bright spark as Chani. Although we only got glimpses of her in Part One, Part Two reveals that Zendaya and Chalamet lack the romantic chemistry to make the couple feel believable, and perhaps the relationship is best seen only in small amounts.
Special Effects, Massive Fight Scenes, and Sound Editing Remain the Highlights in 'Dune 2'
However, more time in the desert means more time on the sandworms and that turns this film into a full-on spectacle to witness. While we might have only gotten a glimpse of the sandworm riding in Part One, Part Two triples down on them. The special effects are magnificent anda masterpiece of filmmaking. Watching as Paul masters riding the shai-hulud (as they are called in Arrakis) is a heart-pounding experience and the masterful sound editing in Part Two is a major contributor to this as well. Villeneuve takes us into the sandstorm, putting us in Paul's shoes as he struggles to ride the massive beast, throwing the viewer into confusion and disarray with the movement of the camera. It is only after pulling away that we see his triumph from the eyes of the fellow Fremen. It's an exhilarating experience made better through the different perspectives Villeneuve employs.
While I had my criticisms of Part One's sound editing and soundtrack with its loud female vocals that sounded off like an alarm in every other scene, Part Two finds a perfect harmony in the visual and the aural. The action sequences are also a delight to watch. Whether we’re on the Harkonnen planet, bathed in black and white and among the crowd of cheering fans in a gladiatorial stadium or watching from the ground on Arrakeen as three monstrous sandworms come barreling toward us through a haboob accompanied by thousands of Fremen, it’s impossible to capture the immense scale of these scenes on a small screen.
One of the highlights of the first film was the first attack on Arrakeen, where Villeneuve matched sweeping shots of the planet with close encounters between characters within the palace. The same exists here in a parallel as we watch the Fremen launch their attack on the Harkonnen in wide shots that linger over the city to show the scale of the battle. Within the palace, the setting sun behind Paul and Feyd-Rautha as they fight makes it look like they're on fire. As much chaos as there is on the ground, there is tense control held by these two men in their fight to the death. Unlike most big-budget movies today, Villeneuve doesn't employ heavy cutting that confuses the viewer as to where the characters are. Instead, the way the camera lingers during fight sequences ratchets up the tension during the one-on-one face off. Movies are always best enjoyed on the biggest screen, but never has a movie demanded an IMAX screen more than Dune: Part Two. Get yourself to the biggest screen you can to enjoy this.
You Will Never Be Able to Unsee 'Dune 2's Popcorn Bucket
We thought this film was rated PG-13?'Dune: Part Two' Overflows Into the Future
As the movie draws to a close, it would be hard to say that there's any true tone of finality in Part Two. Instead, the sense is that this is merely the end of the beginning of Paul's story. It feels like a prequel — one where we, as the audience, should already know where Paul ends up. Villeneuve has set up a lot and I left Dune: Part Two excited for more of this story, especially with surprising cameos that hint at a fantastic future. I’ve criticized a lot of this movie, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a joy to watch on screen. Villeneuve has achieved the impossible, and I’m sure he’s converted many people into becoming Dune fans. But, I can't help but think that this is how I felt in 2021 when I first saw Part One. Will Dune: Part Two become a pivotal part of a movie franchise or a harbinger of worse things to come?
Dune: Part Two
REVIEW
'Dune: Part Two' achieves masterful special effects success and widens the scope of the universe.
- The sound editing and special effects, particularly of the sandworm, are stunning.
- The adaptation honors and stays true to the source material.
- The third act is the best part of both movies and contains some of the best action sequences thus far.
- The introduction of new characters means there are too many storylines to focus on.
- Despite the long runtime, it still feels like parts are missing from the film, making it feel rushed at times.
Dune: Part Two is in theaters in the U.S. starting March 1. Click below for showtimes.
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