It’s safe to say 2024 is off to an abysmal start, at least as far as movies are concerned. With Argylle and Madame Web, we already have what will surely be two of 2024’s worst. To be fair, you aren’t expecting greatness this early in the year. But it feels unusually bad. We need a shot in the arm, and quick. Enter Dune: Part 2. Much like the prophecy of Lisan al-Gaib, the sci-fi sequel arrives as our movie savior.
Picking up where 2021’s Dune left off, Dune: Part 2 follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he continues his quest for revenge against those who destroyed his family. Having joined with the Fremen of Arrakis, he learns their way of living and fighting on the harsh desert planet. The Fremen too have long been at war with the brutal House Harkonnen, who laid siege against Paul’s family in the first movie.
A faction of the Fremen tribe, led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem), believe Paul to be Mahdi, The One, the “off-worlder” who would one day come to fulfill the prophecy of Lisan al-Gaib. Not everyone is so accepting, however, chief among them Chani (Zendaya), Paul’s love interest. Those who believe in the prophecy believe the Mahdi will be the one to lead the Fremen to ultimate victory, with the rough translation for Mahdi meaning “The one who will lead us to paradise.”
Stilgar, and those who share his belief in Paul as Mahdi, are fundamentalists, quick to trust the signs they see, hearing no argument against it. It’s bordering on fanaticism, and you could argue even crosses over into actual fanaticism. Fueling those flames of belief is Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). As a Bene Gesserit, she has her own reasons to hope Paul is the fulfillment of the prophecy – and might just be hiding some other intentions as well.
There is a lot happening here. And it’s to everyone’s credit – writer/director Denis Villeneuve, co-writer Jon Spaihts, editor Joe Walker, cinematography Greig Fraser, and everyone else who worked on this film – that the result is as tight and cohesive as it is. It’s a long movie, at 165 minutes, but it earns every one of those minutes, and not a single one goes to waste. It would have been all too easy for Dune: Part 2 to have ended up a jumbled mess, confusing and feeling too spliced together. But every story point gets its due. Some clearly have some meat left on the bone, teasing us with the potential for at least one more movie in the series. But for their role in this part of the story? Aces, everywhere.
Dune: Part 2 also manages to give serious weight to each of the many themes at play here. Religion, politics, war, genocide, faith, love, finding and accepting your place in a massive world, just to name a few. It’s honestly astonishing how much this movie tackles, and how effectively it approaches and handles each aspect of both its plot and story. I think it perfectly balanced every theme and story point it introduced.
Like its predecessor, Dune: Part 2 is an incredible technical work. Fraser’s cinematography, Hans Zimmer’s score, the production and set designs, special effects, it’s all excellent. And it’s all done on such a massive scale, it just makes everything all the more impressive. I don’t often like to get into Oscars talk in my reviews (as much as I do love the Oscars), but this is such a technical achievement, it seems worth speculating, if only for a brief moment, on the film’s Oscars potential.
Dune was the second most nominated film at the 2022 Oscars, with 10 nods. It feels very likely to repeat in 9 of those (Picture, Score, Costume Design, Sound, Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Cinematography, Production Design, and Visual Effects). A repeat in Adapted Screenplay isn’t out of the question, and Villeneuve very likely could get the Director nomination he missed out on the first time around. With none of the actors receiving nominations, that’s the area it could add a couple to challenge for the most nominations of all time. And there are several performances here that would be worthy.
Dune: Part 2 features an absolutely stacked cast, with a big roster of returning characters plus a handful of new additions. Chalamet, Ferguson, Bardem, and Zendaya were great the first time around, and are all probably even better here. Bardem and Zendaya in particular form a fascinating duo, serving as the primary eyes for the audience into the two differing factions within the Fremen. In addition to that, Zendaya’s Chani is also tasked with reconciling her growing romantic feelings for Paul with his potential role as savior for her people. Like the two moons of Arrakis, Chani and Stilgar are the two hearts of Dune: Part 2.
The stable of newcomers include Léa Seydoux, Christopher Walken, and Florence Pugh. My only complaint here is I wish we saw more of them. It makes sense from a story standpoint, so it didn’t weaken anything. They’re all just so great, of course I’m going to want more. But easy standout is Austin Butler, as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, nephew of Baron Harkonnen and presumed successor to House Harkonnen. You’ll see and hear a lot of words like psychotic, twisted, sadistic, or terrifying thrown around, and they’re all completely accurate. Butler gives the movie a jolt of energy the first one didn’t have. The energy change is palpable every time Butler comes on screen. With his breakout performance in Elvis, and now this completely different, but equally impressive, performance, Butler’s status as one of the most exciting young actors working today should be cemented.
Dune: Part 2 is everything its predecessor was, but bigger (somehow) and better. From a technical standpoint, it’s immediately in the “best ever” conversation. It has powerhouse acting across the board, with impressive story and character depth. It manages to handle a smorgasbord of themes and character arcs, all of which receive their due attention. Bring on Messiah!
Grade: A+
