A Part Two That's Just as Good as Part One

(032824) Dune: Part 2 is a spectacular and astonishingly effective epic length follow up to the great 2021 science fiction adventure film. I consider it as the middle part of a magnificent nine-hour piece of cinematic art rather than as an isolated film that can be absorbed alone. Of course, it is also vastly superior (although a bit less idiosyncratic) to David Lynch’s troubled but interesting adaptation, which was one of the rare misfires from one of the great film makers.

Part 2 is filled with eye popping scenes of enormous landscapes and it uses the big screen to capture the insect like nature of humans and human like beings as well as any film I have ever seen. Unlike Antman: Quantumania, the film does not look like it just threw a bunch of people in front of a green screen in a mismatched cinematic crazy quilt, but it looks and feels very organic plus even the most outlandish fantasy scenes are grounded in reality. Every shot is filled with astonishing detail, care, and love.

It looks bit like what would happen if Laurence of Arabia’s David Lean made a version of Empire Strikes Back (only better), and it gives you the impression that the crew could have worked on this film most of their lives. The MCU/Disney film people seem like rank amateurs in comparison. The story also resembles the plot of Lawrence of Arabia because it tells a tale of a privileged adventurer/potential white savior representing an imperialist power who leads an army who think of him as a messiah in a holy war. In another nod to a classic film, Austin Butler’s character is dressed and shot to look like the grim reaper in Igmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (Villeneuve has admitted in interviews it was a big influence.) Like the grim reaper character, he will be seen as uncaring, heartless and treacherous by many viewers.

Of course, because of the similarities in plot, this film is bound to be compared to Star Wars. The basic plotline of a corrupt evil interstellar empire coupled with a heroic religious order that uses psychic gifts practically demands comparison. Although I am in the minority, I have found the Dune series far more rewarding than the Star Wars films (although I still admire the first trilogy) in every way except comedically. The significant difference (and one reason why the Dune films are better) is that whereas the original Star Wars trilogy reaffirmed most simplistic Western notions of good and evil (along with a healthy side dish of Buddhist philosophy) the world of Dune is much more morally ambiguous. Unlike the feel-good nature of Star Wars, which has the morality of an updated western in space, viewers are more likely leaving the Dune films questioning whether pure good or evil even exists at all; or if religion causes more harm or good. The most sympathetic and likeable character, Chani (Zendaya) even says: “The prophecy is how they enslave us”. This could have come out of Jim Starlin’s brilliant anti-clerical Adam Warlock comic series. She also later adds: “If you want to control them tell them a messiah will come…they’ll wait for centuries.”

The film was made by the first-rate Canadian director, Denis Villeneuve who is apparently competing for Christopher Nolan’s unofficial title as best current living, working sci-fi director; even though neither make just sci-fi films exclusively. He started out with the daring art film, Maelstrom (2000) which was narrated by a talking fish on a cutting board, and then he did the terrific, thought provoking, The Arrival (2016). Finally, incredibly he topped himself with Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and the masterful, spell binding Dune Part 1 (2021) Both were much better than anyone had a right to expect.

The first-rate cinematography is by Greg Fraser who won an Oscar for his work in the first Dune film in the series uses color coding to differentiate between the two main sides in the conflict. Giedi Prime, the totalitarian run Hakonnen planet which is supposed to be under a black sun is shot without color to contrast with the desert home world of the Fremen.

Dune Part 2 is dense and hard to follow at times but it is worth the effort. The film takes place in 10191 and it is essentially the tale of various groups fighting over a highly essential substance called “the spice” which has a truckload of terrific applications. The spice can be used to (get this) enable outer space travel across star systems, inspire prophetic visions and even extend human life. The story chronicles of the trials and tribulations of the young, handsome, and extremely cool, Paul Ateredies (Timothy Chalamet) who has conflicting desires and a birthright. In the last film Paul was shown to be heir to the House Ateredies which runs a spice colony on the planet called Arrakis, which is covered in sand and houses giant and menacing worms. These sand-worms are so deadly, menacing, and powerful they would give Godzilla or King Kong a hard time.

After the events of Part 1, Paul is now associated with the Fremen who now see him as a savior. Along with his mom, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) he survived a massacre against the Freman from the not very sympathetic group of bald invaders known as the Harkonner's who were ordered by a commanding emperor (perfectly played by Christopher Walken in a small but impressive role). But the real power behind the attack is his mother, the sinister Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam (chillingly played by Charlotte Rampling) who nudges her son into shocking violence.

Paul is in many ways an ideal hero and candidate for being a savior. He has effective fighting skills and unlike most current political candidates he possesses the ability to easily and instantly command and inspire extreme strong devotion. Indeed, a faction of the so called Fremen believes Paul will lead their people to defeat the Harkonnen oppressors. Oh, and he was also a part of a superhuman breeding program to be a sort of superhuman kind of like a benevolent version of Star Trek’s Khan. Paul in the previous film had numerous visions of a fierce, strong, and beautiful female warrior: Chani (Zendaya). In this film he becomes romantically entangled with her, and she seems like she would be a perfect mate and feminine ideal for him. It helps that the terrific Zendaya is well cast and says so much through just looks, gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Both Zendaya and Timothy Chalamet have great on-screen chemistry, and you can practically feel the heat between them. They might be the most charming onscreen couple in cinema in ages. Unfortunately, their big obstacle is another woman: Irulan (Florence Pugh). Paul believes he needs to marry her for the future of the universe. What to do-what to do? The film shows frustrated or interrupted love can be the most intense kind of adoration.

Many will feel the parallels to current events are difficult to miss in Dune 2. Written by Frank Herbert in the 1960's, the story of a messianic individual organizing fundamentalists into an army of idealistic followers seems less parallel than it does universal truth. To get a religious order to go along with him, Paul must confirm their belief that he is the chosen one-their messiah. Most of the evidence he is the messiah has plausible explanations and he is angered by how his family has force-fed religious ideology into the Fremen. But he does show he is superior and perhaps worthy. All of which is easier to swallow when backed by a glorious Hans Zimmer score. He passes his messianic initiation test by riding a massive sand worm while the crowd ecstatically cheer as if it is the best thing they have ever seen. The scene is simply magical. True parallelism would require similar demonstrations of power by our real life messianic leaders. We obviously need to raise our real world standards.

When I sat through the final credits, I remember thinking that I would not mind if the film never ended. If you are a serious film aficionado, you owe it to yourself to see it now on the big screen. Aside from the peak works of Ridley Scott, James Whale, Fritz Lang or Stanley Kubrick, science fiction films simply do not get much better than this.