Time: 165 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Violence
Cast:
Timothée Chalamet as Paul “Muad’Dib” Atreides
Zendaya as Chani
Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica
Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck
Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan
Dave Bautista as Glossu Rabban Harkonnen
Christopher Walken as Shaddam IV
Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring
Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli
Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam
Javier Bardem as Stilgar
Director: Denis Villeneuve

Dune Part Two was one of my most anticipated movies of 2024. Dune (2021) was an incredibly crafted and amazing experience of a film, but it was only half of the story. After the years-long wait and some further delays, we finally get to see the rest of the story. I had some extremely high expectations, and yet it absolutely delivered.

Something nice is that Dune: Part Two picks up right where the last movie ended, you could easily make an edit with the two into a double feature. I know that it’s kind of obvious that both movies look the same considering that it’s a continuation, but it’s so seamless that it almost feels like they filmed the two movies back to back. Like with Part One, it is structured in a way where you can view it on its own, although you definitely need to watch the first movie before this, you can’t just jump into it without seeing part one. Having rewatched the first movie in IMAX in the lead up to the second film, Part Two is definitely more interesting and captivating, and it certainly helps that there’s a lot more happening. Unsurprisingly, with it being the second half, it definitely goes much bigger with stakes and scale, and of course the more dramatic action scenes. It really is an epic sci-fi story and you feel the grandness throughout. It also really expands on everything that director Denis Villeneuve established in part one, from the characters to the worlds. Despite this, it is still a personal and character driven story focussed on its protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet). This central arc is captivating, at first starting with him learning to live among the Fremen people, especially with his growing relationship with Chani (Zendaya), and then how he eventually finds himself pushed towards his destiny of becoming the messiah. It does very well at patiently building things up over its 2 hours and 45 minute runtime, slowly escalating and building to some fantastic sequences. You feel this growing oppressive feeling of doom and dread which particularly escalates in its final hour. As someone who has watched the 1984 David Lynch Dune and has heard some details of the book, there was definitely some changes from the original story. I can’t definitely say whether or not all the changes are good, but from what I can tell, I think the alterations were worth it. Considering that the book is apparently hard to adapt, some changes are understandable. Another thing is how Denis Villeneuve clearly aimed to bring this story towards the direction of Dune: Messiah, the second book in the Dune series, and without spoiling things, that is definitely felt in Part Two. As a result, audiences and book readers alike might be surprised at the directions the movie goes in. From the first viewing, I’d say that I’m on board with it.

Like in the first movie, Dune: Part Two has a massive and talented ensemble cast and everyone delivers in their parts. The most impressive performance of the movie is probably from Timothee Chalamet in the lead role of Paul Atreides. As said previously, the movie is very much focused on Paul’s arc and change, which is incredibly captivating, largely in part to Chalamet. The final hour of the movie contains some of his finest acting, definitely up there as one of his best performances. Zendaya was teased throughout Part One and now she gets to be one of the main leads in this, she is also really great here. She is really the emotional heart of the movie, and sells so much of the impactful final moments. The chemistry between Chalamet and Zendaya is amazing too, with the film and their performances helping you buy into their romance. Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica is once again fantastic, with her being such a menacing and ominous presence on-screen in Part Two. Javier Bardem was also a surprising standout as Stilgar, an unexpected and enjoyable source of comedy in the movie, while also being very believable in his part. This is especially with regards to his character’s fanaticism and fundamentalism and how that visibly changes him over the course of the film. Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgard are reliably great, as in the previous movie. The newcomers do well too; Lea Seydoux is only in a couple of scenes, but she makes a very memorable impression in her brief screen time. Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken are decent, even if they don’t have a whole lot to do here and don’t leave much of an impression compared to the other actors. Finally, Austin Butler is a standout as the villainous Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. His performance is transformative, both physically and vocally, even managing to channel the voice of his on-screen uncle played by Stellan Skarsgard. He’s a great screen presence and was effectively menacing in his scenes. I just wish that he was in the movie more.

Director Denis Villeneuve more than has a handle on these movies, so it’s no surprise that his work is absolutely astounding once again. This film was a euphoric experience, especially in IMAX. It is beautiful looking with some outstanding visual effects and never a dull moment. There is so much detail on screen, it’s like you’re transported right there, and you feel the weight and scale of what you’re watching. Between the fantastic costumes, the production design and more, it does incredibly well at making this movie feel otherworldly and nothing like you’ve seen before. Dune 2 also delivers even more on the action and these set pieces are fantastic, whether they be small scale tense knife fights, or large scale battles involving sandworms. Hans Zimmer’s score for the first film was already great, but it’s taken to the next level here, his otherworldly sounding music only heightened the experience further. 

Dune: Part Two is a monumental, immense and excellently crafted sci-fi epic, with a compelling and captivating story, great performances, fantastic filmmaking, and exhilarating set pieces. Watch this on the biggest screen possible.