Dune: Part Two (2024)

Having not read the book, I wasn't sure how this film was going to end. I was also not aware that there were more books in the series so whilst I went in thinking this was film two of two, by the end of the 167 minutes it was clear this was part two of ???. This part immediately follows the first one and in between seeing part one and part two I saw the 1984 David Lynch version and so had a rough idea where the plot was heading. 

The response to what I am about to write might be ‘well that’s in the book’ but I thought that Paul because a bit more unlikable as the film progressed and Chani got a bit more sulky as the film reached its conclusion. Admittedly point b was caused by point a but I thought that neither character finished stronger or better than they did at the end of the first one. I still think that Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya absolutely carry this film but their character’s development wasn't as good as it could have been. 

Austin Butler is very good as Feyd-Rautha and I liked the fact that his character was borderline psychotic (or maybe not quite so borderline to someone). His ferociousness was exactly what this second film needed because it didn’t seem like we were going to get it from the Baron or Beast. I thought that Butler did well as Elvis but that was a flawed film and this film showed what he can do and its a lot more than look like the king. I think that Florence Pugh is a really good actor and there is something menacing about the Princess that makes her another effective villain for the film. She works well with Christopher Walken’s Emperor proving that all Emperors in movies are on another level of craziness. 

It would be wrong of me to not mention how beautiful the film looks. I didn’t think it was possible to make a desert look stunning and yet this film manages it over and over again. Denis Villeneuve has always had a way of making things look pretty and normally most people would say that this type of film is style over substance but I think that there is plenty of substance and despite not always understanding what is going on with the different characters. I was never confused or bored and went along with what was happening and that is what makes a great storyteller.

I thought that this was as good as the first one. I will admit I was disappointed not to get the ending that I thought I was going to get but the fact that there are going to be more is not something that I am going to moan about. I like this world that Denis Villeneuve has created and I hope to spend more time in it.