We thought we were familiar with Denis Villeneuve’s game after The Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. Yet, he surpassed every expectation imaginable with his spin on Frank Herbert’s Dune in 2021. His reboot was a revelation that earned 10 Oscar nominations (6 wins). It also made $430 million at the box office overall while garnering over 5 million views as a dual-release during the pandemic.
Not bad at all for an IP that was considered unadaptable after the debacle that was the original Dune film. To build on his cinematic equivalent of the Adidas slogan “Impossible Is Nothing,” Villeneuve returns with the second part of his planned Dune trilogy, Dune: Part II.
The sequel follows Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and his mother, the now-with-child Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), continuing in exile with the Fredes as they prepare for a war with the House Harkonnen, the group responsible for spice production and the near extinction of the House Atreides. Additionally, new difficulties arise as word spreads that Paul is still alive and a quickly spreading prophecy enters the fray.
So what does Villeneuve have in store for Part II after the magic of Part I? More of the same, but better.
For Part II, Villeneuve doesn’t stray far from Dune: Part I’s tree. Like Part I, this entry’s strength isn’t in exciting space races, laser-filled shootouts, or humor that drives intergalactic adventures like the Guardians of the Galaxy films. It succeeds as a slow-paced narrative rife with political intrigue and moral complexities and relies on other aspects of the film to blow you away.
Chief among those aspects is again cinematographer Greig Fraser’s work with the camera. It’s early, but it’s not a reach to say Part II has arguably the most aesthetically pleasing shots to hit the screen this year. Among the plethora of fantastic shots Fraser pulls off, the hybrid establishing/wide solo shot of Paul that opens the film’s third act and the overhead shot of a vital gladiator duel stand out as masterpieces worthy of hanging in the Louvre.
In complement to the cinematography, both the film and sound editing emerge as big reasons the slow pace of Part II feels more like an experience than watching a 168-minute film. On the film editing side, Joe Walker’s rattling and wave-like movement of the sand hypnotizes and places the viewing in Arrakis instead of the theater. His use of color also impresses, especially in the setting of the previously mentioned gladiator scene. The black-and-white contrast is something special. The quality of the sound editing is so high that you can almost hear every grain of sand hit or move, creating arguably the most immersive film-watching experience since Top Gun: Maverick.
The technical side of Part II carries a lot of weight, but the acting does its part to keep up as well. Chalamet again delivers as Paul and does excellent work progressing the character through the growing pains of becoming a leader and the darkness that enters his world at this stage.
That said, the most striking and impressive turn in Part II belongs to the newest Dune addition, Austin Butler. Taking over the Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen role held by recording artist Sting in the original film, Butler proves he more than has the chops to knock a villainous role out of the park. What sets his performance apart from the rest of the stellar cast is Butler exudes a level of sinister that haunts you even when he’s off camera. It takes about an hour for him to appear, but it’s worth the wait, and he could easily be in the awards conversation for best supporting actor when the time comes.
Overall, Part II is, at minimum, slightly above its predecessor. There aren’t any changes structurally as it still isn’t an action-adventure film, but the technical aspects, along with stellar performances from Chalamet and newcomer Butler, take Part II to a level the first entry couldn’t reach.
If you plan to see Part II, you should spend the extra money on a premium format, especially if you have an IMAX theater showing it in 70mm. Also, to ensure you can follow what’s going on, I recommend reviewing the prologue at the opening of the original Dune film and then checking out this summary.