Dune: Part Two picks up very close to the end of the first film - Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are embedded with the Fremen following the attack on house Atreides from Dune: Part One. The first scene of some Harkonnen foot soldiers getting dealt with is neatly done but not quite the opener that I was expecting. This ties into my major issue with the film - it takes an awfully long time to get going. I'd say the whole first hour is spent developing Paul's relationship with Chani (Zendaya) and Jessica's rise to Reverend Mother of the Fremen, blue worm juice ingesting and all. There's also an extended 'rites of passage' angle where Paul must show his mettle to be accepted by the tribes. All important stuff, granted, but I'd have preferred a bit more back and forth with the other camps - Harkonnen, Emperor & Bene Gesserit. When this does eventually happen, the film really finds its groove.
Christopher Nolan said that this is director Denis Villeneuve's Empire Strikes Back. Probably not far wide of the mark. Of course, there's no guarantee the third film will reach the standards of the first two, but if Villeneuve directs, I'd have some money on it. No mistaking, this is a technical marvel. Greig Fraser returns behind the camera, Joe Walker edits again, and Hans Zimmer is back on scoring duties. Crucially, Patrice Vermette is back as production designer - this might be the biggest card in Dune's deck. The sets and paraphernalia of the Dune-iverse are outstanding.
The whole saviour theme was wearing thin on me but we'll see where this goes in the third installment. At least Chani's scepticism acts as a bulwark to all the pious guff. I haven't read any of the books - it seems this film has completed the first book and part three will apparently go into Frank Herbert's sequel, Dune: Messiah. A fairly messy religious war is brewing (among other things) for the next film, unless Paul (now AKA Muad'Dib) can get his house in order. Without going into detail, it's not looking too rosy for our new prophet.
Just on that finale, the climactic attack on Arakeen is one of the most tense, perfectly set up and executed battle sequences in many a year, equalling, possibly even eclipsing the reverse Harkonnen ambush from the first film. And while I wanted some more political skullduggery early on, the film really gets moving when Josh Brolin's Gurney Halleck reappears, especially with his 'atomics' proposal.
The cast bring it in spades, whether it's Christopher Walken underplaying his Emperor, or Stellan Skarsgård overplaying Baron Harkonnen. Those mentioned above are fine but the standout for me would have to be Austin Butler for his wacko Feyd-Rautha, with his Baron uncle's accent on point. Unfortunately, and unlike the first film, I didn't have much time for Javier Bardem's Stilgar - he's too flip, too broadly in thrall to Paul's supposed 'messiah'. A word for Lea Seydoux and Florence Pugh, as they're great additions. They don't have lot to do here but hopefully they'll be given more in the next film.
Reservations aside, this is a spectacular sci-fi film, with very impressive world-building and confident direction by one of the best helmers going around. Though I have the first as marginally superior, there's not much in it, and don't be surprised if Villeneuve blows us away with the third.
Dune: Part Two is showing everywhere right now.
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Villeneuve hasn't really put a foot wrong since Prisoners and Enemy (both 2013), though I'm ashamed to admit I haven't seen Incendies (2010) yet. He's on a supreme streak at the moment.
(Film stills and trailer ©Warner Bros, 2024)
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