Dune Part 2 (2024)
Director: Dennis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Zendaya
Primary genre: Epic
Secondary: Science fiction
What do you get if you blend together “Game of Thrones” (2011-2019) politics, the scale and scope of “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), “Star Wars” (1977-2019) like world building and state of the art effects? The answer is “Dune Part 2”, the sequel to Dennis Villeneuve’s bold science fiction gamble which ultimately paid off with commercial and critical acclaim in 2021. Leaving behind much of the exposition that dragged down its predecessor, “Part 2” is a meatier and more concise film from the get go focusing on two elements: Paul’s quest for revenge and his romance with Fremen Chani. All the other previously established plot threads will be resolved after a three running hour time leading to an open ending for the inevitable adaptation of the second book (“Messiah”) and the continuation of a new now franchise.
Villeneuve and co-screewriter Jon Spaiths mostly succeed at presenting this epic despite some occasional misteps. Mainly, the romance between Paul and Chani feels undercooked amidst a sea of betrayals, political intrigue, prophecies and desert battles which are frankly more interesting, as a result of Chani’s characterization and Zendaya’s having-the-same-facial-expression-everywhere acting. With a beefed up role, Chani is an one note character, the archetypal badass tough girl who falls for the hero but we have no idea what makes her tick despite spewing some … “modern” sensibilities against the madness of power. The lackluster chemistry with Chalamet does not help either.
“You are not prepared for what is to come.”
The large casting ensemble is another problem resulting in very limited screentime for the Harkonnens excluding newcomer baddie Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha. Even he arrives late in the party and then gets sidelined until the third act demands of him to become a physical obstacle for Paul to overcome. Thus, with movie being unable to have any villains of substance (Stellan Skarsgard has perhaps a total of 10 lines), you would think the supporting roles would populated colorfully the proceedings; yet they are reduced due the amount of plot. Characters such as Gurney (Josh Brolin), Reverend Mother Mohiam (Charlotte Rambling), Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken also wasted) and Margot Fenring (Lea Seydoux) are just an excuse to cast famous actors in banal dialogical scenes that do not do their talents justice.
The book’s themes of colonialization, religious zealotry, precognition (or hallucinations) and political ambition are severely downplayed and occasionally heavy handed due to Villeneuve decision’s to describe a straightforward (and engaging nonetheless) tale of revenge with supernatural (?) touches although exposition keeps creeping in to explain the world and its rules. Thus, events are resolved in a matter of … seconds risking the deprivation of a strong emotional catharsis when the inevitable final confrontation explodes; key vendettas and alliances are swiftly resolved and established respectively to avoid laying storytelling foundations of mini arcs.
Technically though, “Dune Part 2” is a visual marvel showcasing a (practical) scale we rarely see these days - the sight of Arrakis’ worms remains jaw dropping - and Villeneuve wisely holds back on the spectacle to favor somewhat ambiguous characterization in his large ensemble that will hopefully pay off further down in the future in the upcoming third flick. Continuing his streak of visually impressive filmography (e.g., “Arrival” (2016), “Blade Runner 2047” (2017)), he pays homage to the scope of Ridley Scott and George Lucas with keen intellect providing nifty little visual touches in a cinematic sea dominated by mediocrities and obvious green screen use; the Harkonnens’ planet could be considered a living painting of black and white, the fireworks exploding like Rorschachs (touching the work of Zhang Yimou’s in “Shadow” (2018)) while the lusciously orange and brown deserts of Arrakis bear a soothing beauty worthy of meditation purposes.
When it comes to action, the film delivers more of the same but on a bigger scale with two fractions going at each other in various desert related skirmishes assisted by visually appealing technological wonders and you gotta hand it to the creative team for putting up fast paced and deadly knife fights - especially the final duel. And then there is of course, the aggressive sound design; crystal clear, crisp and unique, it is a character of its own ands a testament to the human ability of crafting art. The last time we heard such exquisite sound effect editing and compositing was in the golden era of 1999 (e.g., “The Matrix”, “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”, “The Mummy”).
“Dune Part 2” is fantastic as an audio-visual experience, and yes seeing it in Imax does it justice. Considering how Villeneuve has one more motion picture left in the spice filled world, it would be great to see whether and how he will pull off his trilogy landing. It is not a storytelling masterpiece given its shallow characterization and lack of depth for such a rich source material but as entertainment goes, it is pretty good.
Epic but shallow sequel
+Sound design
+Believable epic with grandiose scale
+Superb cast
+Meatier than part 1
-Wasted supporting cast
-Zendaya’s Chani is as blunt as they come
-Non-existent villains