Dune: Part Two (2024) Film Review

Dune: Part Two (2024) Director: Denis Villeneuve

“Power over spice is power over all.”

With films like Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and Dune, Denis Villeneuve has rapidly become one of my favorite science fiction directors working in the business today. A follow-up to his initial brilliant Dune installment, the recent release of Dune: Part Two reminded me a great deal of the excitement that swept the cinematic community when Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was released. Denis Villeneuve is quite evidently a master visual storyteller –his films are often patient, slow-burn yet also larger-than-life blockbusters filled with simply eyewatering imagery, in this case thanks to the inspired cinematography of Greig Fraser. There is something captivating about Villeneuve’s style, these are films that subscribe to the “show, don’t tell” screenwriting rule of thumb, and it’s wonderful to see audiences being drawn to slowly paced films blockbusters these days. And regarding the use of computer-generated special effects in Villeneuve’s films, the CGI is often used sparingly (or at least, the effects are so believable that they rarely seem like the effects that you might find in a cheap superhero movie).  

Shot in Budapest, Italy, Jordan and Abu Dhabi, Dune: Part Two features an incredible star-studded cast. Timothée Chalamet delivers a powerful punch in his returning performance as Paul Atreides, the ducal heir to his father’s house on the desert planet of Arrakis. He and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) have since been forced into the desert after the conspiratorial coup of the House Atreides by a union of the Harkonnen family, led by the floating obese Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), and the ruling Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken). In the desert, Paul and Jessica are accepted into the mercurial Fremen community thanks to Stilgar (Javier Barden) who serves as their greatest proponent in the film –and he also offers a considerable amount of comic relief throughout the movie. He is portrayed as a religious believer in the messianic prophecy that was seeded on Arrakis by Jessica’s line of Bene Gesserit “weirding” women, and he believes Paul is the “Lisan al-Gaib.” At first, Paul rejects exploiting these simple people and their fanatical religious beliefs, while his mother urges him to make use of this steadily growing superstition for his own political benefit, and in the end, he finally relents (much to the chagrin of Chani) and he begins propounding himself as the Lisan al-Gaib. He learns the ways of the Fremen, using their stillsuits and their military practices, and in a particularly unforgettable scene he learns to ride a “grandfather worm” (or the deified “Shai-Hulud”). Riding the worms becomes a key ingredient in this film as the idea of traveling south where the fundamentalist Fremen live serves as a central point of inner tension for Paul. It should be noted that the visual portrayal of gigantic sandworms could easily have been a clumsy, goofy sci-fi effect, however both of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films manage to convey the sandworms as deeply terrifying and shockingly massive in scale.  

This portrayal of Jessica as essentially a sinister Machiavellian witch is the polar opposite of what is conveyed in Frank Herbert’s original novel wherein she serves as a tempering voice for Paul, even as she is appointed the new Reverend Mother of the Fremen. Other notable departures from Herbert’s novel include a significantly expanded characterization of Chani, Paul’s lover who is portrayed as more of a warrior in the film and less of a timid partner for Paul, and in the film Paul and Chani’s son, Leto, is wholly absent. Also in the film, Chani is portrayed as a rationalist, or skeptic, when it comes to the Fremen superstitions and religious prophecies, the likes of which proliferate among the “southern” tribes where fundamentalism is the strongest, however this is an embellishment from the novel. And this north/south distinction is also not particularly at the forefront in the Herbert novel as I recall. And also, Paul’s mother Jessica is pregnant with a daughter throughout the film, whereas in the book she gives birth to Alia, Paul’s younger sister, who subsequently becomes a slightly disturbing toddler with special otherworldly powers, an effect of Jessica drinking the Water of Life while pregnant with Alia. In the film, Alia is not born while Jessica frequently communicates with her as if she is a “star child” a la 2001: A Space Odyssey, however we are given a surprise appearance of Anya Taylor-Joy in a futuristic vision as she plays a fully grown Alia. Perhaps she will return in a future Dune film, but her character will likely need to be distinct from the Alia of the books. And in addition to Jessica drinking the Water of Life, Paul also drinks this mysterious worm juice and it nearly kills him. The Water of Life opens people’s eyes, both Jessica and Paul suddenly realize they are actually descendants of Baron Harkonnen –Jessica is his daughter. This complicates matters for the House Atreides lineage.   

The gravity and complexity of this film lies in the familial conflicts –from House Atreides to the Emperor’s household, especially the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Irulen (Florence Pugh) and his disturbing Bene Gesserit leaders Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Ramping) and Lady Margot Fenring (Lea Seydoux). But most importantly, we are given additional context within the shockingly evil House Harkonnen (which is often visualized in mostly black and white cinematography) best embodied in Austin Butler’s vicious, sadistic, bloodthirsty portrayal of the na-baron, Feyd Rautha Harkonnen, nephew of the Baron who lusts for his uncle’s throne. The Harkonnen’s are permitted to govern Arrakis once again, but as the Fremen continue to rise up and rebel against the Harkonnen spice mining operation on Arrakis, Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista) is replaced by his brother, Feyd-Rautha, as the de facto governor. But still the Fremen terrorist attacks on the Harkonnens continue to increase, spurred on by the reunion of Paul Atreides and his family’s military leader, Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), lead to a confrontational visit by the Padishah Emperor on Arrakis with the Harkonnens which Paul uses as his moment to arouse the Fremen and attack the capital city (while also deploying a variety of thumpers to call forth the sandworms), and after a truly spectacular battle sequence, Paul finally reveals himself to his enemies –both the Emperor and the Harkonnens are shocked to learn that Paul is still alive and that he has been quietly dwelling in the desert, building his political support as the mythical Muad’Dib, the Lisan al-Gaib leader of the Fremen. Paul swiftly murders Baron Harkonnen (his “grandfather,” though in the book it is Alia who slays the Baron) and he battles Feyd-Rautha in hand-to-hand combat before claiming the Imperial throne for himself and forcing Princess Irulan’s hand as his Queen. However, in another way that the film departs from the novel, Chani is outraged at Paul’s political marriage and the film ends as she ventures out into the desert to ride a worm southward. The future remains uncertain for Chani and Paul but a third film in this series seems highly likely –and admittedly I would be eager to see it.        

In closing, despite some notable character changes from Frank Herbert’s original source material, Villeneuve’s Dune films have nevertheless managed to successfully adapt one of the more complex epic science fiction novels ever written, all while keeping the story consistent with Herbert’s key themes –issuing a stark warning against the dangers of charismatic demagogues and messianic religious figures. Villeneuve echoed this timely theme exceedingly well in this series. And apparently, Villeneuve has plans to adapt Herbert’s controversial second novel Dune Messiah next, though it will be fascinating to see which direction he decides to pursue with it. Lastly, once again Hans Zimmer’s epic, haunting, jolting score perfectly captures this story about a messianic figure emerging from the desert to avenge his family and reclaim his royal role in the universe, albeit it a tale which ends on a somewhat cynical note as Paul realizes he has tragically unleashed a fanatical jihad upon the universe. Suffice it to say this is another superb film from Denis Villeneuve.

“May thy knife chip and shatter.”

---

Book Review: Dune (1965) by Frank Herbert

Click here to return to my film reviews.

Notes:

• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Screenplay: Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts
• Producers: Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Patrick McCormick, Tanya Lapointe, Denis Villeneuve
• Starring:
  • Timothée Chalamet…..Paul “Muad’Dib” Atreides
  • Zendaya…..Chani, Paul’s Fremen love interest
  • Rebecca Ferguson…..Lady Jessica, Paul’s mother who is also a Bene Gesserit
  • Josh Brolin…..Gurney Halleck, a military leader in the House Atreides
  • Austin Butler…..Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
  • Florence Pugh…..Princess Irulan
  • Dave Bautista……Rabban Harkonnen, nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
  • Christopher Walken…..Shaddam IV, the Padishah Emperor
  • Léa Seydoux…..Lady Margot Fenring, a Bene Gesserit and friend of the Emperor who sleeps with Feyd-Rautha to become pregnant with his child at the request of the Bene Gesserit
  • Souheila Yacoub…..Shishakli, a Fremen warrior and Chani’s friend who is captured by Feyd-Rautha
  • Stellan Skarsgård…..Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
  • Charlotte Rampling…..Gaius Helen Mohiam, a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother
  • Javier Bardem…..Stilgar
  • Anya Taylor-Joy…..Alia, Paul’s unborn sister (uncredited)
• Cinematography: Greig Fraser
• Editor: Joe Walker
• Music: Hans Zimmer
• Production Company: Legendary Pictures
• Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures