Late to the party here but I was finally able to get enough free time to watch Dune: Part 2 in imax and wow did it live up to the hype! Dune: Part 2 is an epic sequel, that goes full throttle from the start and elevates the series to all new heights and firmly solidifies itself as one of the all time great science fiction films!

The sound design was some of the best I’ve ever experienced in a theater, it was unbelievably immersive. The soundtrack was absolutely BANGING! It’s a truly magnificent soundtrack that is beyond glorious, especially in imax. Hans Zimmer has created so many iconic scores already throughout his impressive body of work, but I’d dare to say that this is some of his best work ever. Truly unbelievable output at such a high level for so long. Hans Zimmer is undoubtedly a legend and one of the best composers of all time. 

It’s an otherworldly experience watching this film. The cinematography is top tier. Greig Fraser continues to show that he is hands down one of the best people helming a lens in Hollywood today. The eclipse shots are stunning and it’s unbelievable to know that there is no CGI involved in that shot and they really filmed an eclipse in the middle of the desert in Jordan. Truly once in a life time filmmaking right here. 

Fun fact, I watched this in imax the day of the 2024 American eclipse. I was on a trip in Florida where the eclipse wasn’t really visible and the scene showing the eclipse happened right around the same time the eclipse would have been visible if I were outside so I thought that was a pretty cool little event that happened to overlap with real life events.

The acting was completely on another level with this outting. Everyone really brought their A-game. This was the first performance from Timothee Chalamet that has really sold me on his acting ability. He’s had good performances thus far into his career but it was this performance in Dune: Part 2 that really showed some serious skill and I believe it’s his best performance so far. 

As good as Chalamet was, I believe that Austin Butler stole the show from everyone with his incredible performance. Javier Bardem was gold in this. The rest of the cast was excellent as well, those are just my picks for the notable standouts. 

The production and set design is as immaculate as you would expect from a Denis Villeneuve film. He has firmly established his reputation for having such high quality production & set design, practical effects and cinematography.

Overall Dune: Part 2 not only manages to accomplish the incredibly hard task of being better than the first, it absolutely eclipses the first film in every way. The story is fast paced, intense and gripping, hardly slowing down for a moment. The acting is some of the best Hollywood has to offer, paired with some of the best, most gorgeous and most lavish sets and cinematography to grace the silver screen in some time. Dune: Part 2 is easily one of the best sequels to ever be made.

I’m beyond excited for Dune: Messiah. If Denis Villeneuve manages to pull off Dune: Messiah and it somehow manages to sur the excellence of Dune: Part 2 then Denis Villeneuve will have pulled off the best trilogy since Peter Jacksons’ The Lord of the Rings.

Plot - 10/10 
Production design - 10/10 
Personal Enjoyment - 10/10 
Direction & Cinematography - 10/10 
Soundtrack - 10/10
Acting - 10/10 
————————
Overall Rating = 5.0