Movie Review: Dune Part Two
Rating: 3 Stars
After being subjected to the overlong political posturing of the first film, Dune: Part Two finds its footing with a heavier focus on action and consequence. I’d argue if you never watched the first part, you could jump straight into part two and pick up on the story beats easily enough.
While Denis Villeneuve flexed some visual and budgetary muscle in the first installment, his second go-round put the spectacular lighting and scenery to use. This is the sort of film in the days of box art that would earn its, “visually breathtaking”, quote in the bottom left corner.
Zendaya rises into a prominent role aside Chalamet. Dune 2 is their film. Chalamet’s Paul Atreides becomes the sole focus which helps narrow the scope of the plot. Chalamet gets more screen time to add depth to his character but the film still lacks effective character development among its main cast.
Dune 2 picks up shortly after where the first film left off with Paul learning the ways of the Fremen tribe. Zendaya plays Chani who is quick to see the good in Paul while her tribemates struggle with him being a foreigner. Meanwhile, Paul’s mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) plots a religious coup of the Fremen tribe.
The first half of the film shows off the Fremen’s guerilla tactics as Paul builds up a reputation for leading the resistance against the occupying Harkonnen. The Harkonnen take losses on their spice production which leads to a leadership change on the planet Arrakis. The new villain is Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), a sadistic and ruthless warlord who uses just enough brainpower to succeed than his predecessor Rabban (Dave Bautista).
The prominent entry to raise the stakes in Dune 2 is the introduction of the Emporer (Christopher Walken). Walken seems purposefully dialed down to amplify the serious nature of the film but the Dune series has been missing some quirkiness. Walken would be the guy you’d hire to bring the absurdist energy. Missed opportunity.
Ultimately my criticism of Dune remains how safe and flat it plays from a narrative perspective.
Dune 2 is carried by its action set pieces. It’s a rung short of Mad Max: Fury Road but the fight scenes are expertly shot and crafted. Villeneuve does a stellar job of bringing the action to the foreground by avoiding jump cuts and shaky cam that hide or disturb what’s on screen.
After the first film established political posturing and intrigue, the second film shifts the focus to religion and prophecy. Frank Herbert likely had a lot to say about society, culture, politics, and religion but the Dune series is more entertainment product than cultural commentary. It would be a struggle to get folks out to the theater in droves if Villeneuve was trying to pull off the latter.
There are a lot of resources planted into the early stages of this franchise. All-star cast. Massive budget. World-class cinematography and visual effects. As we’ve seen in the prime of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s hard to lose when you’ve got resources.
The question remains though, what are we building towards here? Dune Part Two is a successful popcorn flick that will have a popular replayable YouTube scene or two. It’ll be more replayable than part one but it’s not the sort of movie I’d seek out every few years for a rewatch.
