3/1/24 - Dune: Part Two (2024)- 9/10

I have been waiting for this film for years; the other half of my favorite book made stunningly live action. It was less a question of if but more “how much” I would love part 2. I can safely say that my awe stricken eyes welled up with magnificent joy at what they were greeted with. It isn’t perfect but it is a glorious triumph and an absolute spectacle that necessitates being seen on the biggest screen possible (IMAX for me, just like the first). The grandeur and nigh-overwhelming enormity of it all.

The visuals are arresting. A stunning new height for what sci-fi can look like, with on-location realism, otherworldly design and bold tableaus that boggle as well as bewitch. The design, both in look and in production, is so slick and ingenious. It all feels so new and finely realized. I must applaud the genius behind the wondrous world we see on screen. The whirlwind of unique little gadgetry of the Fremen, the fantastical shapes of the ships and the structures, the intricacy of carvings and crevices throughout - it made it a realized and captivating place beyond your dreams. 

The spectacle is married to a propulsive interpretation of the 2nd half of the Dune. It isn’t exactly the book as Villeneuve alters things a bit to tell his version of this story, which when holding true to the spirit and told with love, I don’t see how I can have faults with. Chalamet morphs from a pained twink with purpose to a dangerous leader of men, on a path towards more bloodshed than the universe has ever seen. This version of Dune pushes past the standard “hero” narrative to blatantly display the negatives inherent charismagik leader, probably more than the first book does. I thought this was a wise alteration and really puts the horror & peril of Paul’s actions and decisions in a light that judging by some online reaction, not enough people recognized or were repelled by. Chalamet held every inch of this screenplay and runtime as a legit star does.

The cast around Timmy and the way those characters are crafted really worked. Austin Butler’s Feyd creeps while holding power behind his smoothly sex-charged deranged visage. Serenity within torturous sociopathy and malicious virtue. Maniacal in his motivations for twisted glory and dominance, but not over-the-top or Jokery. With the heat of a serpent he coils around the film as a sideshow mirror of Paul, which they do a tantalizing job of highlighting. 

Stilgsr brings levity and a truly sad devotion. Focusing on his fanaticism deflates some of his leadership but works better to bang the thematic drum that Denis wanted. Similarly, Jessica is sinister & exploitative here, a far cry from the softer version in previous iterations. Here she is given more screen time, but darker, and from moment one has one goal: protect Paul, even at the sacrifice of the universe.

Paul pushes against his role and uses the Fremen mythos more than in any other iteration of the story. He fights against his destiny, I approved of him being the one to kill the Baron, the fight with Feyd had legitimate stakes and drama, and the finale leading directly to the jihad were all moves that hammered home what these 2 films were intending and these versions of the characters. But there was some water spilt on the sand as well…

As a Dunehead here, a handful of issues I had:

1. This version of Dune is lacking the 3rd rail of this universe: The Guild. It is because of the Guild that space travel is possible. It is because of the spice that the Guild can travel. Without the tangible value of the spice here, the threat to destroy it is an unfelt platitude archaic and unrealized for this story here. It lacks the definitive ultimate impact of destroying the spice. It’s paid lip service but serves more as a plot point and less as the fulcrum of the universe.

The Guild are behind the Emperor, they are tied to cosmic commerce, they are why the Fremen are hidden, and they are some of the only ones that can see where Paul might be going, and it is their fear that drives many of the machinations of this story. By excising them, which I get because they are complicated, weird, and need a lot more runway for their story to take off, there is a big hole in the fabric of this story. I can be patched over, but it does leave the sequel runner rug threadbare as they are a theoretical necessity in a Dune Messiah, and being without them leaves me and the franchise wanting. 

2. Timeline - The course of the book takes years from his father’s death to his ascendancy to the throne. In this version, if we assume that Jessica’s Bene Gesserit abilities allow her to gestate her daughter for longer than natural, it still would only be about 7-10 months. Within the Within this telling the Fremen feels more like they are used, but because he doesn’t have as long to become one of them and fully redefine who he is within their paradigm, it all seems rushed and also forces Paul to push their fanatical buttons more knowingly. This quickness also careens closer to the “white saviory”-ness, using it as a means to an end and othering the Fremen.

3. Chani - They sacrificed tender passion and love for more agency and a counterpoint to Paul’s acceptance and adoption/co-opting of the Fremen way of life/identity/religion. I don’t hate her love and devotion being mitigated for dynamism and her elevation as something beyond his mate, but I have no idea how you come back from this to place her in Dune Messiah. It also shortened her range to one of scowls and distrust, never fully giving in to affection, though her nizhoni blue scarf tells its own story (wearing as a headband and then removing to wear on her fighting arm).

There are other things like the tired lack of regality in the austere Emperor’s garb & manner, lack of emotions touchstone Jamis funeral, mentats, the weirding way, a more informative (especially with race memories) Water of Life experience. These aren’t even negative alterations or cuts, just unique. There are a multitude of flourishes that sing as well: Poetic intros and outros (Chani opens angry at the offworlders and ends angry with the offworlder,Chani voice over exposition followed by Irulan voice over exposition - the “wife” and the wife). The S&M sexing-up of Harkonnens, especially with their brutal highlighted B&W lighting. The full on creepy schizophrenia-esque Alia dialoguing inside Jessica. Giving Chani a relatable similar aged friend to humanize and identify with, making them people and not plot fodder…

Really, I have seen this film more than once and I could go on and on. It’s a fantastic creation and culmination of Villeneuve’s vision. I admire his interpretation and his expression of love for a story that I also hold so close to my heart.