There are many great performances in Dune Part 2, whether it be Austin Butler's Feyd
Rautha, Rebecca Ferguson's Lady Jessica or Zendaya's Chani.
But Timothee Chalamet's performance as Paul Atreides is the one that for me, stands out
as the best in Denis Villeneuve's latest film.
In this video essay, I'm going to be disucssing what makes Timothee Chalamet so great in Dune
Part 2, talking about the small details in his performance that make it stand out.
Before I get into it though, if you want to keep up to date on any of my content surrounding
Dune Part 2, Messiah and beyond, then don't forget to support this video by giving it
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But without further a do, lets dive into my analysis on what makes Timothee Chalamet great
in Dune Part 2.
Timothée Chalamet truly shined in his role as Paul Atreides in the first dune.
He managed to convey the character's internal struggles and development flawlessly, adding
a layer of depth and vulnerability that enhanced the overall narrative.
But while his performance in first film received high praise from both critics and audiences,
I think the actor took it up a notch in Part 2.
Widely recognized as one of the most talented actors of his generation, Chalamet cements
his status as a versatile and reliable performer, and his portrayal of Paul in Part 2, solidifies
any doubts about his ability to deliver a captivating and powerful lead performance,
especially with the film's chilling conclusion.
He's not just getting rave reviews from critics though, because we're seeing that Dune Part
2 is making big numbers at the box office, raking in more than $500 million in just a
few weeks, and a lot of that crowd have praised what the actor has pulled off.
The kind of success that Chalamet's having here reminds me of what happened with Leonardo
DiCaprio back in the day when Titanic first came out in theatres.
Now yes, us cinefiles, knew that Challamet was a rising actor that had displayed great
performances in many different types of films earlier on in his career.
But it's a role like Paul Atreides in a seminal blockbuster event, a science fiction epic
of a generation, that can propell a career to new heights.
And for Chalamet, I think his leading role in Dune Part 2 is exactly that.
It's not the kind of role that you'd compare to DiCaprio in Titanic, because it's not the
protagonist were used to seeing in these big narratives or for instance, other blockbusters
events that focus on chosen one storylines.
Frank Herbert, the author of Dune, aimed to create a magnetic leader, a messiah you'd
willingly follow for all the right reasons.
However, for this charismatic protagonist to then initiate a galactic holy war, fully
aware that it would result in the deaths of billions, was a concept that proved difficult
for audiences to grasp.
It unsettled many and Paul was a hero who didn't fix everything.
He doesn't succumb to the dark side, akin to Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels
and he doesn't transform into an outright villain.
Instead, he seeks a narrow way through the numerous terrifying potential futures and
resolutely shapes his actions to align with that path, even if it entails marrying the
princess right in front of the woman he loves or declaring himself as the Fremen's prophesied
messiah despite being aware that the prophecy is a Bene Gesserit story.
It's a much more intricate journey than that of a tragic hero battling to avenge his father's
killers.
This approach called for an actor who could yes portray innocence and affection at times,
but one who could also depict a change through anger, fear, and power.
And Chalamet rose to that occasion.
He effectively portrays the internal conflict of a young man thrust into a messianic role,
striving to reconcile vengeance with moral duty.
His performance anchors the film, and every bit of emotion or nuanced response from him
effectively sells the high-concept nature of Herbert's character.
We've seen Timothée Chalamet evolve as an actor over the last couple of years, going
from performances in Call Me By Your Name, Wonka, The King, Beautiful Boy and the first
Dune.
Each has been great in its own right and brought a different kind of performance, but I've
waited to see Chalamet really expand on the way that we saw an actor like DiCaprio do
after his role in Titanic.
Essentially give us a truly raw, dramatic and powerful take on a big leading role that
really brings that next level of performance out of him.
And Paul Atreides in Part 2 is that kind of performance.
In the first Dune, we are introduced to Paul as a timid young boy who doubts his ability
to follow in his father's footsteps as Duke.
However, after experiencing prophetic dreams, he starts to realize that he might have a
greater purpose and that purpose is one assigned with the prophesy of a messianiac figure.
In part 2, viewers witness this destiny unfold, completely changing Paul's life and how he
as the Kwisatz Haderach is looked at with a critical eye.
The film poses the question, is Paul the chosen one or just a product of a self-fulfilling
prophecy?
And are extremely old religious stories being used to control the masses?
While it's gratifying to witness Paul getting his vengeance, he grapples with haunting visions
of the impending holy war and doubts his own fate.
The morality in Dune isn't clear-cut, and some may overlook or misinterpret the movie's
deeply ambivalent conclusion.
What appears to be a triumph might actually signal a darker turn.
Villeneuve dedicates the same amount of time to Paul's emotional growth, evident in the
stark change from the inexperienced youth we see at the start of Dune to the confident,
almost commanding figure Chalamet portrays in Part 2.
Villeneuve collaborates closely with DP Greig Fraser and the crew to create powerful differences
between the various characters and groups, alternating between brightness and darkness,
showcasing expansive views of the sun-drenched Arrakis and more intimate close-up shots.
And a lot of this filmmaking, intimate work and tonal contrasts would not be as effective
as they were without the driving performances that they focus on capturing.
Timothee's performance is at the very centre of that and to lead a film and story of this
scale, importance and really have those scenes and moments of screen power, is just very
telling.
Paul transitions from a hesitant young boy to a courageous warrior within the Fremen
community before ultimately understanding his fate as Lisan al Gaib, destined to instigate
change.
But the journey as a messiah brings about challenging times and Chalamet's portrayal
demonstrates how perfect he was for the role.
For a good chunk of the film his acting is subtle, conveying a reserved, embracing and
emotionally conflicted person that builds on what we saw in part 1.
The early moments of him and his mother understanding their new roles and the fremen way of life
will of course mean that they will have to change in big ways.
But then there's also smaller, more intimate moments between them where they show that
this transition has already begun.
Paul telling his mother that they will have to convert the non-believers and switching
his performance from being affectionate one minute to enraged the next, yes, sets us up
for his turn, but it also communicates the troubled nature of his destiny.
Yes he embodies the archetype of the Chosen One and seeks guidance from the fremen, but
he reluctantly accepts his destiny and refrains from assuming the role of their messiah or
leader.
And showing all these different sides within one troubled character, means that the performer
needs to sell both a sense of Paul's youthful side, but also his mature and eventual aggresive
side too.
And with all that buildup and questions surrounding Paul's path and what his destiny involves,
the final act of the film is where we truly see the turn of his character and the birth
of the kwisatz haderach.
After drinking the Water of Life, Paul gains clarity on the path ahead and his more humble
demeanor disappears.
And one scene that communicates the true change of Paul Atreides and the ultimate storytelling
power of Dune Part 2 on the big screen, is the character's arrival and speech at the
Fremen war council.
I talked about this moment in a whole extended video a few weeks ago, and it seems that since
the movie came out, this is a lot of peoples favourite moment from the film.
It's a moment that needed to be done right because after seeing Paul struggle over deciding
which route would be the best course of action, this sequence would be one that cements his
path forward towards an emotional climax.
He knows that whatever route he takes it will lead to that Holy war coming to fruition.
If he goes in the direction of one of the failed paths, then it will only urge the rest
of the fremen on in his absense.
And if he chooses the narrow way through, then we get what happened at the end of Part
2, with Paul unleashing the holy war himself against the great houses.
So with him choosing that route after taking the water of life, the council speech needed
to be a clear indicator of what was to come.
And both Villeneuve's adaptation of it and Chalamet's performance during it needed to
be truly engrossing.
If the director's adaptation was to be effective at delivering on the core theme that Herbert
aimed to accomplish with his original book, one that demonstrates the threat of charismatic
leaders, then the final act needed to execute those ideas.
And in my opinion, it was the council speech that truly delivered on this as an incredible
example of making the audience feel both moved and conflicted all at the same time, using
performance, sound and imagery.
It presents the turning point where Paul loses his common humanity as a prescient Messiah,
takes upon the mantle of Lisan Al-Gaib and commits to the holy war, whatever the cost.
Chalamet's Paul strides into the Council of Leaders, spits on the Fremen tradition that
demands he kill Stilgar to take his place and speaks before he is allowed to speak.
The actor just in his determined walk, a complete change from the more adventurous movements
that we'd seen from him prior, demands attention from everyone there and everyone watching
the film on the big screen.
It's a moment that is one part frightening and another extremely thrilling.
And it needed to be both because Denis has to keep the audience on Paul's side come that
final battle and confrontation.
His performance goes up a notch as he delivers a rousing speech in Chakobsa, convincing the
entire fremen and the audience that he has took on this new path.
Now that Paul can see the way, it was this moment where a performance needed to deliver
authority and present an aspect of fear as well.
It couldn't be ever-shifting as it was before, it had to be fully comanding.
And the way Chalamet alters his voice from an almost whispery one at first to a now authorative
one, makes us truly see that.
The scene and Chalamet's performance portray both a sense of immatchable power and yet
also a shade of darkness, one that we haven't seen from Paul nor Chalamet previously.
And by ending it on the shots of Paul putting on his father's ring, declaring himself duke
of Arrakis and playing the Atreides theme over that, the scene still maintains a level
of emotion, to make the audience have a connection to the character and what's unfolding.
It's not just the idea of seeing Paul as this dark figure that's leading the fremen into
a holy war.
We are left feeling conflicted by the situation and that is exactly what Villeneuve aimed
to accomplish with his adaptation, and what Herbert aimed for with this character on the
page.
We especially feel that in the ending scenes of the film too, and while you can say that
part of this is down to the perspective shift of the piece with Villeneuve making us see
it through Chani's eyes and her rejection of the holy war that her Fremen people are
about to embark on, I also think it helps when a performer like Chalamet can use his
acting skills to cement that idea of fear.
The way he's able to portray a sense of onscreen power through yelling at the emperor, his
thundering stamp in front of him and the use of the voice on the reverend mother, is really
impressive considering he's not the most physically imposing actor in frame.
And that's because it's communicated through all the other aspects of his permonance in
that moment.
His walk, his speech, and the emotion he communicates with his face help him embody the role of
that messiah figure.
Yes he does take on a more physical role at times like with his sandworm ride and the
climatic knife fight with Feyd, but it's the emotive elements, the expressions and glances
he gives in those final scenes that communicates that sense of fear and power.
You don't often see this level of performance from a leading figure in a typical chosen-one
blockbuster narrative, but I guess we're lucky to have an actor like Chalamet take on this
kind of role.
He gives a once in a generation performance when it comes to event blockbuster filmmaking,
and Chalamet effortlessly taps into a raw and authoritative side of himself that was
not present in the first installment.
While he shares the screen with a multitude of legendary actors, he's the performer who
captivates the audience the most and commands every frame.
And with his performance staying in touch with the source material, he effectively portrays
the dark destiny assigned to the arc of Paul Atreides.
But that was my video discussing Timothee Chalamet's great performance in Denis Villeneuve's
Dune Part 2.
The actor exceeded my expectations in the film and I was stunned seeing how he developed
over the course of the runtime.
There's so many scenes that highlight what he brought to the role and I've only discussed
just a few of them that stood out to me.
And in my opinion, the way Chalamet depicting Paul's transformation over the course of these
moments shows just how good the actor is becoming.
But what did you think of Timothee Chalamet's performance in Dune Part 2 and do you agree
that this is some of his best work in a film?
Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments section.
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