Dune Part Two Review

I had to think of which site got my first thoughts. Maybe it’s better to sit with them, which in this case means my site can have those. Therefore, Yeah Nah Gaming gets the highs of my having just exited the preview.

It’s been almost 3 years since Denis Villeneuve delivered his first part of the Dune series by Frank Herbert. Unlike David Lynch’s 1984 cult classic which tried to fit the whole novel into one movie, it shares the sentiment of the 2000 miniseries adaptation. “It was too much for one movie” says Villeneuve in a 2021 interview with WIRED. With the success of the 2021 release, it comes to head in this new 2024 epic which very much lives up to the title of “epic”.

Paul Atreides may still be alive.

After the events of Dune Part One, the Harkonnen empire continues to scour the planet of Arrakis for Spice. The Emperor has become dispirited after the liquadation of House Atreides and the death of Duke Leto. But Paul, and his mother Jessica, waste no time in grief. Instead, they begin to work with the Fremen, the indigenous peoples of Arrakis, and look toward revenge. An act which may or may not bring about the next Holy War.

Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson return as the last of House Atreides. Along with fellow returnees Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem and more. They also find themselves joined by new cast members Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and many others. A cast which only matches the spectacle of the film itself.

I said to the friend I attended with, that Villeneuve has the ability to do something special. And that special is to take something as bland and as flat as the desert, and turn it into a gorgeous montage of brilliant cinematography. Collaborating with cinematographer Greig Fraser once more, Dune Part Two turns the words of Herbert into gorgeous set pieces across the barren lands of Arrakis. Pair this with the incredible work of Hans Zimmer on soundtrack, and you’ll find yourself bathed in the brazen boldness and beauty of it all.

The special effects department again go wonderfully over the top. Producing some of the best, if not THE best effects in modern cinematic history. Somehow producing a natural look to everything and capturing the imagination of Dune, they take something which in effect sounds silly but will no doubt become a fan favorite; Wormriding. It looks as incredible and as fun as you didn’t think it could be. Or you did? But it takes this new thing, and broadens the size of the planet we formerly inhabited.

Much like the effects department, wardrobe has gone to town too. Gorgeous, outstanding numbers find themselves woven amongst the armored and required wares of the Freman. Wares which you can see the influence of by indigenous peoples who live in similar environments to those on film.

And the story.

What is a film’s beauty if it lacks a story. Cause and effect is on show, as the Great Houses feel the wrath of House Atreides. But wrath isn’t necessarily the trait of the hero. Nor of the villain. And what Dune Part Two does well with is the presentation of the fact that there are no heroes. There is no right side to this war. A conversation which is shared by two parties during the course of events in play. And the film guides the audience through this. The religious zealotry. The greed-imbibed consumers. The great powers handed down over time. And the people left at the bottom, fighting for scraps and a thing they call home.

There is no right side in Dune.

Dune Part Two might just be Villeneuve’s magnum opus. And even though he is committed to making a third film, it’s hard to see that far ahead. Who do you think we are? Paul Atreides?!. “Dune Messiah should be the last Dune movie for me,” Villeneuve said. But until then, we have the closure of his almost 5 and a half hour epic. And if he were to leave it there, he would walk away head held high knowing that he may be the first Director to truly capture the worlds which Frank Herbert created.