directed by Denis Villeneuve
written by Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts
I had thought about reviewing these films as one big film at first, but decided against it given that I only just saw Dune Part I on Netflix, arguably compromising the viewing experience I was meant to have. Also, it would do a disservice to both films to weigh them together, given that each of them has its merits and flaws. Needless to say, there will be mild spoilers for Dune Part 1.
Dune Part 2, as the title suggests, tells the second part of Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel, which takes place thousands of years into the future, when humankind has traveled to other planets. The film itself, like Part 1 takes place mostly on the planet Arrakis, a world rich in the highly-coveted resource known only as the Spice, which is coveted enough to inspire mass murder. On that note, Dune Part 1 has ended in utter tragedy for our story's main character, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). Their family, the House of Atreides, was destroyed by the rapacious Harkonnens led by Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and his nephew Rabban (Dave Bautista) as revenge for having been deprived of stewardship of Arrakis and its riches by Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) who had then entrusted the planet to the Atreides clan led by Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac). Leto, knowing the Harkonnen's nature, had recognized the stewardship of Arrakis for the death sentence that it was, but even then could not prevent what was to come. Fortunately, however, his son Paul and his concubine Jessica have survived the massacre, only to flee into the deadly desert populated by gigantic predatory sandworms, and by the indigenous population the Fremen, led by Stiglar (Javier Bardem) who, on their worst day, could be every bit as fierce as the monstrous creatures under the sand. The Fremen, like the Atreides clan, despise the Harkonnen for what they have been doing to their planet for years.
Paul and his mother, however, are safe from the initial hostility of the Fremen because Stiglar and the others see in him the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy of salvation. They believe him to be the Lisan Al Ghaib, or their long-awaited savior, or come to do so with every challenge that Paul overcomes. Having been well-trained by his father's military adviser, Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), Paul is a skilled fighter who makes himself extremely valuable in the Fremen's fight against the Harkonnens. His skill and integrity also endear him to Chani (Zendaya) a young Fremen fighter who rejects the old superstitions about the Lisan Al Ghaib. It is the skills passed down to Paul by his mother, however, that make him far more than just another fighter. As a member of the society of shamanic women known as the Bene Gesseret, Jessica has essentially imbued Paul with considerable powers, which include mind control and clairvoyance. Through the latter, Paul has had terrible visions of a future in which billions die because of holy war started in his name. As a result, he dreads going down to the south of Arrakis, where legions of zealots await who would happily wage war in his name.
The resistance Paul is leading, however, prompts a more brutal response from the Harkonnens, with Vladimir recruiting his murderous nephew Feyd Rautha (Austin Butler) in order to crush the Fremen rebellion. Feyd Rautha has no compunctions about raining fire down on every square inch of Northern Arrakis to flush out the Fremen, thus confronting Paul with an awful decision; does he stay in the North with his ragtag army fighting against a far larger force, or does he head south and realize all of his worst fears? The decision is not an easy one at all.
There has been no shortage of praise for this film since it was released a few weeks ago, and to my mind the praise is, for the most part, richly deserved. It's been awhile since I've seen a movie like this, one that is truly sumptuous in its scale and scope. Shot on location in Jordan, Abu Dhabi and Hungary among other places, with the best cameras available for the job, this is one of those rare experiences where the viewer can see every last dollar of the film's $190 million budget on the screen. There is a seamless marriage of live-action and computer-generated imagery, and absolutely topnotch performances by the entire cast seal the deal as they sell the verisimilitude. I could not help but be transported to this world thousands of years into the future and light years away. Everyone involved in this is firing on all cylinders, from director Denis Villeneuve, whose work I've admired since 2013's Prisoners to actors Chalamet, Zendaya, Ferguson, Skarsgaard, Butler and the legendary Christopher Walken. Florence Pugh makes a brief but pivotal appearance as Princess Irulan, the Emperor's daughter. All these sterling performances are framed against some truly brilliant cinematography, and set to a mesmerizing score by pop-culture god Hans Zimmer, who, even as he innovates, presents a score evocative of some of his very best work, like Gladiator.
As odd as this may sound, though, my issues with this film are not at all with the stage craft behind it but rather with the writing that underpins the entire narrative.
For one thing, there is a specific course of action which Paul is loath to do, one which could actually kill him, and yet towards the end of the film, he changes his mind without apparent catalyst or significant reason. This is completely distinct from his decision to head south, incidentally. It just feels like one of those things that happens because the plot needs it to, and quite frankly it feels out of place in a movie this meticulously put together.
Second, and this is more intimately tied into the story, I had a problem with how the Fremen leadership, and in particular Stiglar, went from being wise in the ways of the world and Arrakis in general to babbling zealots in the second film. It's yet another example of Hollywood taking a shot at religion (a whole other post in and of itself) and does a disservice to the character. But more on that elsewhere.
All told, however, this film is truly excellent and should really serve as a blueprint for how to make blockbusters moving forward.
9/10
