It had been said by many that Dune was an unfilmable book. While David Lynch’s vision was, well, unique, it didn’t quite capture the magic of the source material and is probably best enjoyed paired with some other “magic” substances. The Sci-Fi Channel gave it a shot as a mini-series in 2000, but the less we talk about that, the better. Flash forward 21 years, and Denis Villeneuve’s version was magnificent and managed to perfectly represent Frank Herbert’s epic on screen. In fact, the only problem was that it was quite literally an incomplete film. With Part Two finally hitting theaters, we find that Villeneuve managed to one up himself despite the fact that it still feels like we are only two thirds the way into the story and are missing a true ending.
Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are still on the run from the vicious Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and are working on further integrating themselves with the nomadic Fremen. With the Bene Jesserit’s prophecy of the coming of the Lisan al Gaib (a messiah for the outcasts of Arrakis) taking stronger hold among the tribes, many are becoming convinced that young Paul might very well be their savior. Paul, however, rejects this idea and is instead focused on liberating the planet from their oppressive conquerors with the help of Chani (Zendaya) and Stilgar (Javier Bardem) who lead the Fremen into battle with him. But as the Harkonnens become more ruthless, Paul is faced with the choice of following his destiny to save his newfound family but at the cost of killing billions by doing so.
As before, the planet of Arrakis is a character unto itself, and with the setting taking place almost exclusively in the desert this time, it fully develops into an integral part of the plot. From the sandworms to even the mouselike Maud’Dib, everything helps the story unfold, and even the littlest things hide secrets that become revealed as the tale weaves on. Giedi Prime where the Harkonnens hail from also has a brief, but important, cameo, and the lighting and cinematography used here truly make it feel as evil and sterile as the family that calls it home.
Timothee Chalamet continues to develop his skills as an actor and holds his own among a host of skilled and tenured actors who make their presence known but nowhere near as fiercely as he does. Paul’s character arc from orphan to a leader who can control millions takes place elegantly and organically, and it’s easy to believe that such a change could take place so quickly. While many others could have also accomplished this feat, once we’ve seen him in the role, it seems like it was written for him.
The score itself is also just as memorable and impressive as it’s always been. A friend once said that there are multiple types of them – those that work for the movie and those that actually perform work, and Part Two’s is the latter. Not only does it perfectly fit into the story being told but blasts into you almost as hard and intense as the heat of Arrakis.
Simply put, this is nearly flawless. My only complaint is that it feels like the middle of a trilogy instead of a full completion of the story, but that really couldn’t be helped as it followed along with the novel and stopped exactly where it did. And if anything, I’d rather they had done that than try to cram in the future books by diminishing what was present in the original. Also, despite being nearly three hours long, it never drags, and every moment of it is dripping with theme and intent.
While it’s taken nearly 60 years for Dune to receive its cinematic due, the wait has been worth every second, and I can’t even begin to imagine what Villeneuve (hopefully) has in store for us next.