Dune: Part Two was two firsts for me in cinema - first double bill and first midnight screening - and it was without a doubt the best film for it. Director Denis Villeneuve had previously said that Part Two isn't a sequel but a direct continuation of the first and watching them back-to-back it flowed really well, picking up not long after the conclusion of the first. However, if you don't re-watch the first or were at all confused by the plot, Princess Irulan's (Florence Pugh) opening monologue gets you back up to speed whilst introducing the previously unseen Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) of House Corrino who had orchestrated House Atreides downfall from the shadows.
It's hard to believe that a few months ago Timothée Chalamet was gracing our screens as Willy Wonka.
Clocking in just under three hours, Villeneuve weaves together many storylines to reunite and acquaint the audience with the different factions whilst also planting seeds for an inevitable adaptation of Dune: Messiah, the third of his trilogy. As the film is quite dense with characters and storylines, the focus is removed off Paul and the Fremen at the start of the second act to locate friends and foes alike from the Harkonnens to Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin).
Performance-wise everyone is on the top of their game. It's hard to believe that a few months ago Timothée Chalamet was gracing our screens as Willy Wonka. His performance as doomed 'hero' Paul Atreides is his best performance yet as he portrays the inner struggle between embracing and rejecting the Bene-Gesserit-made prophecies. Another standout is Austin Butler who is introduced as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, a darker mirror image of Paul. Butler is menacing in the role and any thoughts of him forever being defined as Elvis has slipped away.
The Bene Gesserit are given greater prominence in Part Two with Princess Irulan, Lady Margot Fenrig (Lea Seydoux), Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). The additional focus on the Bene Gesserit grabs the audience's interest for the upcoming Bene Gesserit series on HBO Max titled Dune: The Prophecy which will cover the founding of the sisterhood.
The change to Irulan's character is part of a conscious effort to give the female characters, as well as the Fremen, more agency.
Ferguson's performance of Jessica is spine-chilling as we watch her manipulate the Fremen and their beliefs to her and Paul's advantage, showing how religion can be weaponised and manufactured. Lea Seydoux's role as Lady Margot is brief but she certainly leaves an impact as a seductress and schemer.
Turning to Princess Irulan, Denis Villeneuve made the wise choice to not waste Florence Pugh's talents. In the original Dune novel, Irulan's voice is heard throughout her epigraphs as Paul's biographer and only physically appears as a pawn for a political marriage at the conclusion of the novel though she becomes a prominent character in later novels. The change to Irulan's character is part of a conscious effort to give the female characters, as well as the Fremen, more agency.
Over the years there have been many criticisms, some valid and some lacking in media literacy, over Dune. Villeneuve changed several aspects of the original book by cutting out storylines such as mentat Thufir Hawat (Stephen McKinley Henderson), Lady Jessica being framed as the traitor and Paul and Chani's first son. One of the clearest examples of developing the characters further is through Chani (Zendaya). Chani's role in the novels was pretty much relegated to being a love interest and a mother but Part Two depicts a battle-ready woman who is sceptical of the prophecy and challenges Paul, providing some Fremen resistance to their inevitable role in the Holy War.
Splitting Dune into two parts made complete sense as previous adaptations put a greater emphasis on the downfall of House Atreides then rushed Paul leading the Fremen and waging war against the Harkonnens. There was a time skip of two years in the novel once Paul and Jessica joined the Fremen but the film chose to compress it into less than nine months to put greater pressure on Paul.
If Dune had come out in autumn 2023 as originally slated, Oppenheimer would have had a major contender for their awards sweep this award season
This compression meant that the role of Alia Atreides, Paul's younger sister, changed for the film. With Anya Taylor-Joy voicing her in utero and featuring in a split-second vision, I was a little sad to miss one of my favourite moments from the book. However her role in the film intrigues me leaving me wondering what role she will play in Messiah, which let's face it will definitely get adapted now.
Han Zimmer once again stuns with his soundtrack, returning to some themes from Part One while putting a darker spin on the Atreides theme to convey their fall into a darker role in shaping the fate of the universe. Much like the first part, Dune: Part Two is a visual treat though don't expect much colour, it is still mostly set in a desert. If Dune had come out in autumn 2023 as originally slated, Oppenheimer would have had a major contender for their awards sweep this award season. As a fan of the book, Dune: Part Two is an incredible film but I will admit that for some members of the audiences it can be confusing at times with all the terms and prophecies thrown at you. Regardless, critics and audiences alike are loving it and I wholeheartedly give it 5 out of 5 stars.
