Zachary’s review published on Letterboxd:
“Power over spice is power over all”
Denis Villeneuve is back in the directors seat for Dune: Part Two and he has proven that he can capture the visual scale and magnitude a film such as this needs. This film features a jam-packed cast of Hollywoods hottest stars alongside a breathtaking spectacle that will leave the audience satisfied while also wanting more.
We open up to a narration very similar to the first film but instead of Chani (Zendaya) we hear the voice of Irulan (Florence Pugh) who will soon be a key part of Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) return to power over the planet of Arrakis. This opening monologue brings us straight into the perspective of the ultimate oppressor Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken). While the Fremen continue to grow stronger and slowly dismantle the Harkonens return to spice production, Glossu Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista) can sense that a powerful uprising is imminent. Once the whispers of the arrival of the “Lisan al Gaib” continue to grow it strikes fear into the Emperor and forces all parties into planning their next moves.
Dune: Part Two continues to feature beautifully stunning cinematography while also mixing in moments of romance between Paul and Chani. However this romance is much darker than most other blockbuster films of this caliber. Denis Villeneuve continues to tackle the heavily sensitive material with a much needed nuance that makes this film stand out from all other blockbusters. Coming off his weirdly creepy performance in Bones and All and his rather whimsical role as Wonka, Timothée Chalamet gives his most commanding and powerful performance yet. As he goes through his transformation from Paul Atredies into Paul Muad’dib Usul, an all seeing messiah that the Fremen look to. Chamalet is able to bring this powerful gravitas to a new level. After being teased throughout the entire first film Chani is back but this time in a much more pivotal role. The relationship she has with Paul begins to become much more complex than some will be expecting. She is a Fremen warrior who above all won’t let her love of Paul distract her from her true views on oppression. Just like her co-star Chalamet, Zendaya is able to showcase her talents as one of the best young talents in Hollywood. Then there is Austin Butler who is coming off a career changing performance in Elvis. Rather than playing an rock and role iconic this time around he gets to play the sadistic animal known as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. This sick and twisted character makes his entrance into the film in one of the most frightening and fearsome ways in a gladiator pit. Butler truly elevates this film to another level thanks to his psychotic performance that really magnifies the film. When Feyd and Paul are finally pitted up against each other they both electrify the screen. However Rebecca Ferguson might be the one who has the most villainous role as Lady Jessica. She fully commits to the role by making her blood boil as she slowly corrupts her own son. As for the other returning cast such as Dave Bautista and Stella Skarsgård they are both given more time to shine in their roles. However it’s Josh Brolin’s character Gurney Halleck that leaves the strongest impression of the returning cast of side characters. His role on Paul’s rise to power is one that carries a rather tragic underlining. When it comes to the newcomers Florence Pugh is the standout as Princess Irulan. Even though she may have limited screen time like Chani did in the first film, she is able to leave her mark as a force to be reckoned with. The only character that leaves some to be desired is Christopher Walken’s Emperor as he does make the most of his scenes but just doesn’t get enough time to fully develop the character. Léa Seydoux on the other hand also leaves much to be desired as she is nothing more than a cameo however her character seems to be setting up something for another sequel.
Greg Fraiser is back as the cinematographer and this time around he features some of his greatest work to date. Now pair that with Hans Zimmer’s score and you are left with this grand spectacle that will have you star struck. Given the context of the overall story these visuals are much more than stunning they are also horrifying as we seen waves of Fremen soldiers riding sandworms into battle. While this might just be the beginning of Paul’s rise to glory you can’t help but think of how devastating his implications of a “Holy War” might just be.
Story: 10/10
Acting: 10/10
Direction: 10/10
Pacing: 10/10
Visuals: 10/10
Genre: 10/10
Resonate: 10/10
Entertainment and Emotional Value: 30/30
Overall Score: 100/100
