I usually don’t write about a movie that I just saw in theaters, but I had to make an exception for Dune: Part Two. This movie will be forever etched in the annals of science-fiction movies, sequels, and epic blockbusters that stand alone as a moment in time in the history of cinema. Am I over-hyping this movie and it’s impact? Possibly, but not for me. This was one of the most impactful theater-going experiences I’ve had in my life, alongside the likes of The Dark Knight, Oppenheimer and Star Wars: Episode Three – Revenge of the Sith. My parents had Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, and now I have Dune: Part Two. Getting to see Part One in the theaters alluded me due to the pandemic, but I was not going to allow this opportunity to pass me by if I had anything to say about it. This post will look a little different than my usual ones, since I want to keep this spoiler free for those who haven’t gotten to see the film yet; there won’t be all of the normal categories, but I want to keep it fun, analytical and light-hearted like I usually do.
First and foremost, this is one of the most beautiful-looking movies I have ever seen. That is credit to a lot of different people and things at work: the direction of the movie, the cinematography, the set pieces, the on-location shooting, the color-grading (or lack thereof in some sequences), the costume design, the casting and so much more. Denis Villeneuve has struck gold with his vision for this movie, and his cast and crew have done a phenomenal job at executing said vision to near-perfection. It is on-par with the feeling that people had when Peter Jackson first presented The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring…”This guy gets it.” The cinematography from Greig Fraser is top-notch, following up on his masterclass from Dune: Part One (you may also recognize his work from Zero Dark Thirty, The Batman, and Rogue One). Denis and Greig’s artistry, in tandem with the on-location shooting in Budapest, Italy, Jordan and Abu Dhabi provides for some awe-inspiring backdrops for this science-fiction epic. There aren’t many screenshots to throw in here like I normally do, but you’ll just have to see for yourself.
As always, Hans Zimmer’s fingerprints are all over this film, without ever getting in the way. He provides a booming pulse underneath the drama and action that crescendos and climaxes along with the story, but also backs off to a whisper when necessary. All of the biggest moments of the film are underlined with his score, and the most dramatic sequences feel that much more heartbreaking, joyous and epic without distracting you from what you’re watching.
The cast of this film deserves a lot of praise as well, with notable recognition going to Zendaya and Austin Butler for their roles as Chani and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, respectively. Let’s talk Zendaya first: we were introduced to her character from the get-go with Dune: Part One. She was a main feature in all of the marketing, press and trailers for the first installment, but didn’t end up featuring too heavily in the film itself. She was a central part of the plot and of Paul’s story, but we weren’t actually introduced to her until past the two-hour mark, with just under twenty minutes left in the film. Contrast that with her being heavily-featured in Part Two, while taking an even more central role to the plot and hitting it out of the park. Chani is not an easy role to play, especially with what she needs to bring to the table in Part Two. Her relationship with Paul only grows while she continues to fight the good fight for her Fremen people, on top of not believing the same prophecy that many of them do. It’s a struggle that she portrays well, leading to her arguably being more important to the story than anyone else. Austin Butler was a casting choice that had both my partner and I quite afraid for his performance in the film. I was nervous that he was the “hot” choice and they were simply striking while the iron was hot in his career, but that was absolutely not the case. In fact, Butler didn’t even have to audition for the role – Villeneuve offered him the part over a cup of coffee. Butler’s portrayal of Feyd-Rautha, the youngest nephew of Baron Harkonnen, was honestly one of my favorite things in the entire movie: he was captivating, freaky, psychotic and charismatic in all the best ways. He even went to great lengths of working with a vocal coach in order to mirror the way that Stellan Skarsgård had voiced his character in Part One, in order to emphasize his character’s desire to not only ingratiate himself with his uncle, but to succeed him as leader of House Harkonnen. He was a joy to watch and was a stellar casting decision.
Should we try to do a few categories?
By the Numbers
- Release date: March 1, 2024
- Budget: $190 million
- Box office: $74.6 million (as of March 3, 2024)
- Run time: 165 minutes (2 hours, 45 minutes)
- Letterboxd rating1: 4.6 ★
- My Letterboxd rating: 5.0 ★
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Certified Fresh ?)
- Accolades: None yet, but I see quite a few nominations in the future
- Eleven: This is Denis Villeneuve’s 11th feature film that he has directed
Best Scene
I won’t give any nominations here to keep this review spoiler-free, but my favorite scene does appear in multiple trailers, which is when Paul finally takes his first ride on a sandworm. The build to that moment keeps it suspenseful and thrilling, leading to the huge climax of the sandworm barreling through the sand dunes with Hans’ score adding a big exclamation point on top of it all. It’s the one moment of this movie that I cried.
The Jason Clarke Award (What’s Their Name Again?)
Only one choice here for me, and it’s Léa Seydoux. I’ve seen her in Inglorious Basterds, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Spectre, The French Dispatch and No Time to Die, yet I can never remember what her name is. She is a terrific actor and really excels in all of the roles I’ve seen her in, but I could never tell you her name if you asked. Maybe writing this blog will finally be the catalyst to me remembering.
The Roger Deakins Award (Best Cinematography)
Literally the entire film.
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
This will be a new category moving forward. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, it basically is a play on the idea of six degrees of separation, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart. Basically at some point in Kevin Bacon’s career, someone realized that everyone in Hollywood is six “links” or less away from having been in a movie with Kevin Bacon. So this category will just take a few of the main cast members of the film, and show you their “Bacon Number” – it’s stupid and I love it.
- Timothée Chalamet: 2 (Chalamet appeared in Little Women with Meryl Streep, who appeared in The River Wild with Kevin Bacon)
- Zendaya: 2 (Zendaya appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home with JK Simmons, who appeared in Patriots Day with Kevin Bacon)
- Josh Brolin: 1 (Brolin appeared in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon)
- Dave Bautista: 1 (Bautista appeared in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special with Kevin Bacon)
Concession Stand
Another new category! This is another simple one: what should you eat or drink while watching this movie? Some movies call for a full-on meal (I always want to eat a burger while watching Ocean’s Eleven), some call for a glass of wine (Good Grief, a movie I’ve previously written about, calls for a glass of your favorite wine) and some are just good ol’ fashioned blockbusters that need popcorn and M&Ms. For Dune: Part Two, I suggest a big bucket of popcorn and a thirst-quenching drink (water, gatorade, etc). As tempting as it may be, I suggest staying away from the sodas with this one – once you sit down you’re not gonna want to get back up, and you’re strapped in for almost three hours of movie watching, so you want something to quench your thirst, but not make you have to pee or dry your mouth out. This movie has more action and fight scenes than the first, and it had me reaching for the popcorn quite a few times.
Conclusion
This movie blew my mind. My partner and I didn’t say anything to each other for almost thirty minutes after we left the theater, because it had us gobsmacked and at a loss for words. The visuals are absolute eye candy (including the contrast between the brown-orange haze of the sandy Arrakis and the monochrome Harkonnen planet Giede Prime), the fight scenes are some of the best since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the acting is fueled by an incredible ensemble cast, and the sound design will leave your heart pounding and ears hurting (in a good way). Dune: Part Two has thrown it’s hat into the ring for best science-fiction movies of all time, and does it deservingly so. I cannot encourage you enough to go see this in the theaters, especially in IMAX, if it is available to you. You will not regret it, and you will never forget it. Long live the fighters!
- As of right now, Dune: Part Two is the 15th highest-rated film of all-time on Letterboxd. ↩︎
