Dune: Part Two
Dustin Chase
If “Dune” from 2021 was a preface, an introduction, breaking us gently into the dense universe of author Frank Herbert, then “Dune Part Two” is an acceleration. With each of his films, director, now auteur Denis Villeneuve, hones his craft, creating films with a brilliance that has lately only been seen in Christopher Nolan’s films. While there are not as many small, intimate moments here, the scale is immense. Dune: Part Two easily one-ups the Oscar-winning cinematography of the 2021 Dune. The scene, early in the movie, when Harkonnen scouts float to a mountaintop to evade an oncoming sandworm, was particularly engrossing. Greig Fraser’s wide shot of individually aligned figures ascending a massive rock in the middle of a vast desert is a stunning example of the visual language used here.
After joining with the Fremen in the northern part of Arrakis, Paul (Timothee Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), continue to learn the ways of the desert. Despite being one of the last surviving members of House Atreides, Paul begins to embrace a future as one of the Freman people, rejecting his role as the ducal heir and resisting the disturbing visions of a power that calls to him. For her part, Jessica, with child, continues to stoke the religious flames that her son is the savior that was prophesied. Fremen leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem) sees all the signs that Paul is the messiah. The Harkonnen leaders, now entirely in control of Arrakis and spice production, are working hard to eradicate anyone in their way.
While Chalamet has led quite a few films in the past few years, this marks the first time he has truly commanded the screen.
For the first time in his relatively short cinematic career, Timothee Chalamet achieves something here that has eluded him to this point. There is a moment in the film where the charismatic, handsome actor disappears, and the character he has become is all that remains. While Chalamet has led quite a few films in the past few years, this marks the first time he has truly commanded the screen. Commanded in every sense of the word. “Part Two” doesn’t have the emotional acting moments from Oscar Isaac; even Ferguson’s emotional moments are lighter due to the evolution of her character. Like similar epic fantasy films, the acting, while pitch-perfect from the cast, isn’t the selling point. Prepare to be wholly immersed in the action and the story; you will come away completely thrilled.
“Dune: Part Two” is a wild ride, not just about the sandworms, but how everything we thought we knew about who is who and what means changes as the saga continues. A sequel isn’t the right word for what Villeneuve and team have concocted; it’s a cinematic expansion on what they started that brings even the average viewer of the first film so deep into the story that you might consider picking up the books to see what happens next without waiting another two or more years. “Dune” is a rare saga that doesn’t rely on comic relief or silly characters to sell toys. It’s dark, it’s serious, the stakes are high, and by the end of the film, you are more invested than before. “Dune: Part Two” accomplishes that rare feat of being the middle film with a beginning, middle, and conclusion that feels less like a cliffhanger and a solid place to land.
Final Thought
The magnitude of the story and the level of artistry here is that rare occasion where you become so immersed in what you are watching you forget where you are when the credits roll.