Dune: Part Two

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Dune: Part Two is the sequel to Dune (2021) and continues with the story of how Paul Atreides survives the decimation of his House and leads an army of Fremen against the Harkonnen forces. 

 

One of my main criticisms of the first film was answered almost immediately in the first act this time around. I found there was a lot of exposition and we were fed worldbuilding; but in this act the film finally takes a punt at letting the audience experience the world of Arrakis. When Paul Atreides seeks to reject his 'Chosen One' destiny and instead wishes to learn the Fremen culture and become immersed in it we get a really intimate examination of the lifestyle of this planet. Paul becomes more resolute in the trials he seeks out and forms interesting character bonds as a part of his journey, it's a neatly packaged journey in which we the audience come to understand the Fremen culture and the world of Arrakis better through Paul's own developing worldview. I also really liked how this form of storytelling fostered a believable resistance story of native people standing strong against a foreign occupier. It also kindled a great romantic subplot between Paul and Chani that added a lot of meat to the later conflicts.

 

The visuals Denis Villeneuve has brought to the world of Dune are what makes this trip worth the price of admission. The story I can take or leave but there are whole sequences of shots, down to singular frames that are the epitome of cinematic artwork. The setting could feel so barren but instead it feels expansive, beautiful and extraterrestrial. These movies transport you entirely and they are designed perfectly to do so through their look alone. The special effects are very impressive, the ships and vehicles scattered throughout right down to the sandworms or the Harkonnen troopers gliding through the air looks entirely realistic. Though I feel like his best themes really appeared in the first Dune I was suitable impressed by Zimmer's score for this one; it continues that trend of unnatural sounding music that aims to transport you there and also emphasise scenes where the action rushes forwards.

 

Javier Bardem, who played Stilgar, is quite a boisterous and proud leading figure of the religious Fremen; Bardem's exuberance and devotion really marks him as one of the true leading performers in this ensemble. Charlotte Rampling, who played Reverend Mother Mohiam, is a rather sinister figure who puppeteers the great Houses with a sharp wit; Rampling feels like a dark mystical force with a network cast wide over the galaxy.

 

However, the best performance came from Zendaya, who played Chani. This is a role that probably has the best arc over this epic cinematic feature. Chani is sympathetic to the outsiders her people have taken in at first, acting as a translator for Paul and humouring his constant questioning. But she stands mildly entertained by the outsiders and guarded against them too; she doesn't trust easily at all. As the film progresses we see that great work Zendaya does in portraying her character slowly coming to like, trust and then fall for Paul without ever really shredding that hard exterior of a warrior Fremen. There is a conflict on display here as the Fremen turn to religious zealotry around her, Chani cannot buy into what her people believe but she still deeply cares for Paul. Watching her strong feelings of love turn bitter and become resentment and ager speak strongly to Zendaya's ability to craft a complex character. That final scene in which she sees how much Paul was willing to fight for her while also choosing to throw her to the side like something disposable is heartbreaking because of Zendaya's acting talent. She gets that final shot this time around and damn does she deserve it.

 

There were entire moments of this film where I really felt like they improved upon the first Dune, and there were times where what had once worked was beginning to wear thin. Ultimately, when I left the movie theatre I felt I had watched something interesting but nothing truly fresh nor gripping when it came to the narrative. The wider sense of world building with the Emperor, the Harkonnens and the Bene Gesseritt all come across as superfluous this time around. There's a lot of interrupting the plot as the story wears on to focus on new characters who provide very little or to iterate vast swathes of exposition that don't always feel very purposeful in their intent. The entire storyline around religious fanaticism is interesting but it all happens very quickly and is difficult to suspend disbelief on. The Fremen are initially quite the interesting culture but the subversion of their identity takes place in a handful of scenes and left me wishing it had been thought on a little more. I'm still extremely tired of the Chosen One narrative, it feels like such an outdated brand of storytelling that you have to be inventive with these days. But this film fails to be inventive on this plot point and holds to the tired trope like it's the most fascinating direction we could've gone. A lot of the actual visual conflict was quite rushed and fight choreography in a number of scenes looked awful, with the final battle between Paul and Feyd-Rautha ending in a bit of an anti-climax. It was disappointing to see conflict rushed through while exposition and branching subplots really bogging down the pace. Also the whole thing with Lady Jessica becoming the head of a religion and talking telepathically to her unborn child within her own womb was maybe something that feels like an outdated storyline. Including that strange pregnancy arc was unnerving and took me entirely out of the film throughout.

 

Timothée Chalamet, who played Paul Atreides, lacks the presence to really make his mark this time around; I just don't believe Paul's journey to becoming this great leader when he's this reedy little figure who delicately whispers out his dialogue. Rebecca Ferguson, who played Jessica, is perhaps one of the most oddball performances in the cast; the moment Ferguson has to start acting out fake conversations with her fake pregnant belly the character became a bit of a joke. Josh Brolin, who played Gurney Halleck, is just way too laidback this time around; Brolin almost feels misplaced as a more comedic relief type role at times. Austin Butler, who played Feyd-Rautha, needs to seriously fire or get a new voice coach; the fact I heard an American accent right through to an awful Stellan Skarsgård impersonation made this antagonist a bit of a parody of himself. Florence Pugh, who played Princess Irulan, is a very talented performer but feels quite bland in this; Pugh is given barely anything to do and is the backdrop of one of the least entertaining subplots. Dave Bautista, who played Beast Rabban, has reverted right back to that wrestler level of acting this time around; watching Bautista shout every single line or bumble through uninspired fight choreography was painful. Christopher Walken, who played the Emperor, was hilarious as far as casting goes; you couldn't have anyone less suited to this character and the line delivery was everything you'd expect. Léa Seydoux, who played Lady Margot Fenring, is really just in this film to play an object of sexual desire for Feyd-Rautha (Butler); Seydoux has a lot of potential but she is really just placed here for one major seduction scene. Stellan Skarsgård, who played Baron Harkonnen, is really underutilised this time around; I just didn't feel the gravity of the Harkonnen's in this sequel. Souheila Yacoub, who played Shishakli, is a friend figure to Zendaya's Chani but the pair's friendship never feels too significant; Yacoub is one of the Fremen performances that falls more into the background and bears little weight. Anya Taylor-Joy, who played Alia Atreides, is the physical embodiment of one of the worst subplots in the film; it was a bit of a waste placing Taylor-Joy with such a strange piece of writing.

Much like the first part, this iteration of Dune is one of the most visually impressive films of 2024 but it is impeded by a narrative that feels overstuffed and out of date. I would give Dune: Part Two a 6.5/10.