Dune: Part Two is one of the very few films in recent years that deserves to be described as a true cinematic epic.
As director Denis Villeneuve has said, the film tells its story with sound and visuals at the forefront while dialogue takes a backseat. This makes Dune a spectacle unlike anything else that has graced cinemas for a very long time.
Dune: Part Two does not feel like a typical massive sci-fi action blockbuster. Instead, it truly feels like a piece of art made by a team with a dedicated vision.
It isn’t made by committee; it doesn’t try to create a cinematic universe and it doesn’t feel the need to rush itself. There is a reason that so many critics, fans and directors are screaming the film’s praises.
Legendary game developer and storyteller Hideo Kojima gave the film his highest praise declaring that “This is cinema!” and “provides the Spice we need to live”.
Arrakis lives
What really sets Dune apart is its unparalleled production design which is somehow even better than in the first film.
Every aspect of the production is done at a masterful level. The wonderful set design, amazing props and what is quite possibly the best costuming on any film ever made come together to make Arrakis feel real in a way that very few Space Operas ever do.
It cannot be understated just how much of a presence everything and everyone in this film has and so much of that is due to the practical effects.
While Disney and so many others pivot towards technologies like The Volume to create their worlds, the practical nature of Dune gives it so much more life and character.
Beyond sets and effects, the directing of Dune: Part Two is masterful in its own right. Denis Villeneuve makes amazing use of lighting, scale and focus as well as very creative shot composition to give Arrakis scale and make the Lisan Al Gaib feel truly otherworldly.
Lastly, the music by the legendary Hanz Zimmer feels massive and powerful while having a completely unique musical identity.
There are plenty of more intimate tracks and several massive action scores but the primary motif of both Dune films is what is most noticeable. It’s a motif that is already iconic and tells the audience that something massive is happening.
Sandy soft boy space Jesus returns
On top of its world-class production, Dune: Part Two features a range of superb performances including a career-best performance from lead Timothée Chalamet.
At the beginning of the film, Chalamet plays his character Paul Atreides with a certain level of reservation and naivety but fuelled by a powerful drive for revenge.
As the film progresses, Paul becomes more and more entrenched in Fremen culture and takes up a warrior’s name as he fights to ‘liberate’ Arrakis.
Throughout the film, Paul follows the prophecy of the Lisan al Gaib and as Paul morphs into this saviour of Arrakis Chalamet’s performance grows a lot darker.
His sinisterness, darkness and venom are very different from what Chalamet is known for and show that the actor’s talents go well beyond playing lover boys and whimsical chocolatiers.
My mother the space witch
The true standout performance however comes from Rebecca Ferguson who plays Paul’s mother Lady Jessica.
In the first Dune film, Ferguson took somewhat of a back seat to Oscar Isaac’s Leto Atreides however, in part two Ferguson really gets to shine.
Early in the film, Lady Jessica undergoes a massive transformation into the Reverent Mother of Arrakis which entirely changes how she acts.
Ferguson gives an eerily empty performance that portrays a character that is in some way entirely hollow yet brilliantly tactical and cunning.
Lady Jessica is able to communicate with her unborn fetus which makes the character and performance even more unsettling.
As a woman in a desperate setting who has been robbed of her very being, Ferguson pulls off an otherworldly performance that it is hard to imagine any other actor coming close to.
There are several other brilliant performances in the film such as Zendaya as the determined Chani, Javier Bardem as the ultimate hype man Stilgar and Austin Butler as the terrifyingly psychotic Feyd-Rautha.
But Chalamet and Ferguson stand out even amongst this extremely impressive ensemble cast.
The original space opera
The story of Dune: Part Two is relatively simple as the Paul and Fremen fight to liberate Arrakis while the wider empire panics.
The film picks up mere minutes after the conclusion of part one which makes the film feel like a true two-parter, unlike so many other films that split books into two parts.
While this story is simple that is not a bad thing as it allows the characters and action to take centre stage.
The action, which was very sparse in the first film, feels dynamic and unique thanks to Dune’s emphasis on blades in combat and the final battle is a spectacle to behold.
While this whole set-up may feel familiar to fans of the genre there is a very good reason for that. Dune is the framework for what a space opera and a lot of sci-fi at large look like.
Before there was Star Wars or Star Trek there was Dune.
Watching the film makes you occasionally realise where so many genre staples come from in film, literature, and video games.
Long live the fighters!
Dune: Part Two is a masterpiece, it is space operas and science fiction at their very best.
With unparalleled production, direction, acting and scoring, Dune has shown what true art can look like within the genre.
A genre-defining yet cumbersome book has become a film that shows off what cinema can truly be at its best.
The film is so good that it massively elevates the previous Dune film and there is no doubt that Dune: Messiah will do the same for this film.
Featured image credit: Warner Brothers Pictures
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