Dune: Part Two is a cinematic triumph that flourishes on all fronts

In Frank Herbert’s Dune universe, to harvest the spice melange — a cinnamon-flavored sand-like drug found on the surface of the planet Arrakis, aka Dune — means control over the many people in the galaxy who need it. Consider the quote attributed to the influential author: “he who controls the spice controls the universe.”

After watching Dune: Part Two, a highly-anticipated sci-fi epic that's set to hit domestic theaters on March 1, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to hear that director Denis Villeneuve is sitting on a substantial stockpile of spice. It seems to be Villeneuve’s universe, and we’re all just living in it.

Few films in recent memory have been bequeathed a grander or more challenging task than Dune: Part Two. The blockbuster not only faces the expectational difficulties that come with being the direct continuation of a critically lauded predecessor (2021’s Dune: Part One), but it’s also an adaptation of a seminal science fiction novel (1965's Dune) that has been heralded as a hallmark of the genre since its release. The film industry has pinned a lot of hopes on the feature, anticipating that Villeneuve’s epic will jumpstart a box office that has been quiet throughout the first several months of 2024.

It’s almost unfair to ask any film to deliver on all three of these fronts, to not only succeed of its own merit, but also flourish as a sequel, adaptation, and commercial endeavor. But Villeneuve pulled it off.

Dune: Part Two review

Dune: Part Two is a cinematic triumph, a truly epic, immersive, and at times heartbreaking experience that I fully suspect will go down as a landmark of both genre and blockbuster filmmaking. The feature’s awe-inspiring visuals and scope surround a slew of nuanced and deeply intimate performances, its environments and sound design immersing viewers in a world that has resonated with audiences for decades. It’s as successful a feast for the eyes as it is a character-driven tragedy, and while it’s difficult to say that it’s definitively better than its immediate predecessor, it’s certainly of the same exceptional quality.

Whatever you’re looking for in Dune: Part Two, I anticipate that you’ll leave the theater satisfied.

There are countless individual aspects of this film I’d like to praise, but I’ll start with the most overt: the consistently breathtaking and visceral visuals. It genuinely felt as though every frame of the film was crafted with meticulous intent and artistry, a credit to Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser. Though the subject of the frame was ever-shifting, its beauty was not; whether it was a sweeping desert landscape, an engaging fight or war sequence, or a close-up of a performer. Each shot is meticulously arranged and constructed. You could frame any individual millisecond of this film above a mantel and it would not look out of place.

Action sequences are presented at a scale unseen — and, frankly, unfathomable — in most recent cinema. I teared up at several points during Dune: Part Two; this is the first time a film has ever brought me to near tears from visual spectacle alone.

Complementing and enhancing the film’s visual effects are the innumerable bold, but deliberate stylistic choices Villeneuve makes to put his unmistakable stamp on this universe. The choices are striking, but never distracting; much like Geroge Lucas’s original Star Wars trilogy, they expand the size of the film’s world rather than detract from its quality. The audience becomes immersed in this universe thanks in part to the absorbing sound design that truly makes you feel as though you’re on the surface of Arrakis. The booming, layered Hans Zimmer score also aids in this experience.

In Dune: Part Two, Villeneuve is as successful a visual storyteller as he is an emotional one. He assembled a decorated cast for the feature, with the vast majority of them delivering outstanding, if not definitive, outings. Timothée Chalamet is stellar as Paul Atreides, improving on his already strong debut as the character in Dune: Part One. He offers a deeply moving performance that paints Paul as a figure worthy of sympathy. His excellence is largely matched by Zendaya as Chani. She showcases extensive range; she’s just as believable as a hardened Fremen warrior as she is a sympathetic, endearing youth troubled by the conditions unfolding around her.

While the performances are strong across the board, it’s Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica and Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen who rise above the rest. Ferguson’s turn as the Bene Gesserit sister is an evolution of her performance in Dune: Part One; she blends her commanding screen presence with palpable, unrelenting ambition, resulting in an outing that’s as haunting as it is memorable. Butler elevates a character who was largely underdeveloped in Herbert’s original novel into a truly terrifying antagonist, incorporating notes of Stellan Skarsgård’s take on Baron Vladimir Harkonnen to create a formidable foe who dominates the screen whenever he appears.

Austin Butler and Rebecca Ferguson distinguish themselves in Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two is a true cinematic accomplishment, not only succeeding, but flourishing on all fronts. It succeeds as its own film; there isn’t a dull moment or spot of poor pacing throughout its 165-minute runtime. The feature takes its time and more than earns its frequent climactic moments. It succeeds as a sequel, coherently and believably progressing and concluding the story introduced in Dune: Part One while vastly expanding its stakes and scope. It even succeeds as an adaptation; whereas the first film is a largely faithful ode to the first half of Herbert’s 1965 novel, Dune: Part Two is a slight remix of the second half, taking several diversions from the source material that are more cinematic in structure but are justified within the narrative presented onscreen. It should be noted that the changes do not impact the themes or messages of Herbert’s epochal work. The film does not shy away from the commentary or philosophy explored in the book; in fact, I’d argue that Dune: Part Two is just as effective at conveying Herbert’s intended message as the original novel itself.

There are very few aspects of Dune: Part Two that I found troublesome. The direction is masterful, the performances largely stellar. The only thoughts resembling critiques in my mind could be more accurately perceived as questions regarding the franchise’s narrative moving forward (Villenueve currently plans to conclude the trilogy with an eventual adaptation of Dune Messiah). If forced to nitpick, I’d point to the slight lack of screen time afforded to a handful of characters, both new and previously established. In short, I wouldn’t have minded if the near-three-hour film were longer. I also believe that Christopher Walken felt a bit out of place as Emperor Shaddam IV; the former Academy Award winner certainly wasn’t poor, he just gives a familiar performance that doesn’t flawlessly gel with those around him.

And that’s where my ‘criticisms’ conclude. Dune: Part Two is a true gem of modern cinema, a masterstroke from a director who has perhaps already earned a spot on the Mount Rushmore of blockbuster and science fiction filmmaking. It’s one of the more visually engrossing, emotionally endearing, and intellectually stimulating films I’ve seen recently, and it’s certainly one of the only ones that blends all three of these elements with such mastery. It’s just the second entry of a trilogy that, at this point, looks as though it will go down as one of cinema’s most robust; I genuinely feel fortunate to be alive amidst its release.

You can see Dune: Part Two in theaters on March 1.

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