Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the “Dune” books and “Dune: Part Two” (2024).
“Dune: Part Two” has it all: There’s romance; there’s violence; there are undertones of religion as a great force of power; there are huge CGI worms; there’s Zendaya — truly, what more could you ask for in a film?
Seeing this movie was a journey, to say the least. At nearly three hours long, watching this movie is a commitment, but it’s so worth it. This movie should absolutely be seen in theaters, on a huge screen, at least once. Director Denis Villeneuve is a genius. Everything from the casting to the wardrobes to the set was expertly done. And the soundtrack speaks for itself; how can you go wrong with a Zimmer original? It was phenomenal, perfectly capturing the energy of the film.
Wardrobe-wise, the Bene Gesserit costumes — Princess Irulan’s (Florence Pugh) headpieces, in particular — were absolutely stunning. Let’s hope the costume designer, Jacqueline West, gets the praise she deserves for her work in this film; she definitely has another Oscar nomination in her future. The tension within the Bene Gesserit group that we started to see in the first movie developed further and contributed to the complexity of Jessica’s (Rebecca Ferguson) character.
The progression of Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani’s love story was beautifully portrayed. Their story is so pure, with reactions from both characters that show their conflicting feelings. Their romance is complicated because of Chani’s strong feelings about the ‘prophecy’ that the Bene Gesserit have embedded into the Fremen culture. Chani sees the truth — that the prophecy is just an utter fabrication — but Paul wants to use the prophecy to cement his power. Zendaya and Chalamet have great chemistry on screen — casting these two was brilliant, and surely added to the hype around this film.
Austin Butler was a new addition to the cast from “Dune: Part One” (2021), and his portrayal of Feyd-Rautha was really well done. Butler convinced the audience that his Feyd was twisted and sociopathic.
Another character that was featured more in part two was Stilgar (Javier Bardem). Stilgar’s personality in the movie didn’t match what the book had indicated, but the emphasis on his unwavering loyalty to Paul made sense. Stilgar was the movie’s main example of a religious fanatic; he was willing to sacrifice himself to allow the prophecy to be fulfilled. His commitment to Paul was so extreme that it sometimes was humorous, prompting laughter from audience members. Balancing religious devotion with humor is no simple task, so well done Bardem!
Chalamet’s performance as Paul was honestly perfect. There was a clear shift in him after he drank the “Water of Life,” which was essential for the evolution of his character. And entire essays could be (and have been) written about Zendaya’s rendition of Chani, so in short: She took the movie to the next level. Zendaya was so believable as Chani, and fans were ecstatic that she was such a main character after part one featured practically no scenes with her.
Toward the end, the tension between Irulan and Chani was palpable. Chani storming off after Paul’s marriage proposal was a little overdramatic, although perhaps this was needed to foreshadow the conflict between the two women in the rest of the series. Chani’s subtle reactions were much more effective, like the close-up of her eyes twitching as she tried to keep tears in during Paul’s proposal.
Let’s talk about the ending. Dune fans will recognize the changed ending from the book, where Chani and Jessica unite behind Paul, distinguishing themselves apart from Irulan as the true women in charge. In the movie, however, this moment is erased. Does this take something away from the film? Did the audience feel a bond between Jessica and Chani? Paul’s sister, Alia was a crucial part to the first book, as an all-seeing toddler, but she only appears as an unborn baby and then in one snapshot as an adult, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. Fans hope more of Alia will be saved for future movie adaptations.
The hints that were shown of Alia as an unborn baby were … unique. In some ‘what the f---’ moments, a CGI fetus was shown talking to Jessica or Paul. These scenes stood out awkwardly among so many realistic-looking elements, giving the baby the same energy as Renesmee from “Twilight,” which isn’t a compliment.
Nevertheless, the wow factor and perfection in the rest of the movie grant “Dune: Part Two” a five-star rating. The unborn baby was a hard thing to portray, and the mastery of every single other element in the film makes up for the few short scenes with the strange CGI baby. There was so much pressure put on the director and actors to accurately represent the beloved series, and they truly pulled it off.
To quote Brian Herbert (son of the late Frank Herbert, author of the Dune series), “it is gratifying to see [the Dune] story told with such great care. When the new movie is combined with Dune: Part One it is by far the best film interpretation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel DUNE that has ever been done.”
