‘Dune: Part Two’ has dune it again
It wasn’t too long ago that Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel epic, “Dune” was considered unfilmable. Most people figured it was too weird and slow for the palette of general audiences. Even resident freak filmmaker David Lynch found little success with his 1984 adaptation of the book. Thus, when it was announced that upcoming director Denis Villeneuve would be heading a brand new, two-part adaptation starring Timothee Chalamet, people were skeptical. Despite that, Villeneuve’s “Dune” was released in 2021 to raving critical reviews and a big box office turn-out. So it isn’t surprising that “Dune: Part Two,” released this month, found the same success. Personally, I believe that not only is it the best sci-fi movie from the last couple of years, but it may just be one of the best sci-fis of all time.
“Dune” is one of my favorite examples of worldbuilding in the realm of fiction. The story may focus on the journey of Paul Atreides going from being the spoiled son of Duke Leto to possible messiah for the blue-eyed Fremen people, but the true star of the film is the planet Arrakis and its fellow locations. Arrakis feels huge for multiple reasons, but partly because it’s big enough to have separate factions on opposite sides of the planet that have differing religious opinions. The Fremen that come from the planet’s southern side are extremely religious and believe Paul is the ‘Lisan Al Gaib,’ their messiah, while Fremen from the north are more skeptical. This is all without mentioning some of the film’s other locations. The home planet of House Harkonnen, the antagonists, is seeped in black and white. There is a scene that takes place in the Harkonnens’ battling arena that is simply stunning on a visual level, and is one of the film’s most thrilling scenes. Every single visual aspect of this movie is top-notch, and makes it worth seeing just to bear witness to its glory.
Speaking of the Harkonnen, Austin Butler is introduced in this movie as Feyd Rautha, the unhinged nephew of Baron Vladamir Harkonnen, played by Stellan Skarsgard. Butler plays him like a big, bad, bald monster, chewing the scenery at every chance. His performance is so exaggerated and cartoonish that it may just be the most entertaining performance in the movie. His delivery of such lines as, “you fought well, Atreides,” are both terrifying and hilarious, and he takes full advantage of his strange voice.
In fact, the whole cast is absolutely incredible here. Chalamet’s portrayal of Paul adds so many layers to the character that weren’t present in the first “Dune,” including the dramatic character shift we see in the third act. Zendaya as Chani, the Fremen girl who guides Paul, is given far more screen time and might be the most impressive performance, simply because of the subtle sadness behind her bright blue eyes. Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, Chani’s wise and respected uncle, is a fun presence and I was consistently enjoying the time the film dedicated to him. Overall, Villenueve’s movie isn’t short of well-utilized star power.
I implore everyone to see the film themselves, so avoiding spoilers, I believe that “Dune: Part Two” succeeds in exploring the dangers of religious fanaticism. Most people can tell that the “prophecy” the film speaks of serves as both a critique of the prophecy narrative in general, as well as how quickly something like that can turn sour if the wrong hands gain control over it. It’s not typically a theme seen in a mainstream movie of this scale, but it is an important one. That’s also one of my favorite things about the series. Many come to see Timothee Chalamet tame a big sandworm, but stay to feel the very real horror of religious and political corruption.
“Dune: Part Two” is one of the best movies of the 2020’s because it is simply so cool to see such interesting concepts like religious fervor and fascism presented on this big of a scale. It is rare to experience a cultural phenomenon in real time, as I am too young to have experienced the original “Star Wars” trilogy, or “The Lord of the Rings” films in real time. “Dune” is probably the closest I’ve come to experiencing a genuine franchise as they are coming out, and I will treasure it a lot for that. I love “Dune,” and I believe that even the most hardcore hater of Part One will find a soft spot for Part Two, whether they admit it or not.
