I saw “Dune: Part Two” and I cannot wait for you guys to see it as well.
This was truly worth the wait, I know so many of you are going to love it,
and I am so happy to be finally talking about this film today because when both
of the “Dune” movies were delayed, all of us “Dune” fans had to take a
page from the Bene Gesserit playbook, and practice some self-control and patience.
But the wide release is now just around the corner,
so in this video I wanted to share some of my initial, spoiler-free thoughts on
“Dune: Part Two” before we dive into the details in future videos.
So, picking up right after the events of the first
film and adapting the second half of Frank Herbert’s iconic novel,
the story continues to follow Paul Atreides on his journey through the sands of Arrakis.
Will he choose the path of revenge?
Will he fulfill his destiny as the Messiah and lead the Fremen, despite his ominous visions?
Does he even really have control of his destiny, or has his path already been determined?
All of that, and so much more is what you get from “Dune: Part Two”,
and it is a truly epic journey and a breathtaking big screen experience.
From the very beginning, Denis Villeneuve promised an action-packed follow-up to “Dune:
Part One”, a cinematic spectacle where he gets to have fun behind the camera
and we get to have fun watching all of this unfold in front of us.
Not that I ever doubted my favorite director, but let me tell you:
he absolutely delivered on his promise.
There were so many moments throughout the movie that just left me in awe of what I
was seeing on screen, and not only because of the action or the scale,
though both of those things will blow you away.
But also because the world in front of me was once again so rich and detailed,
it felt so real - it’s an experience that transported me just as much as the first film did.
A big part of it, of course, is the director’s clear vision, his passion for the novel and the
world of “Dune”, and Greig Fraser’s cinematography is once again absolutely stunning, but I also want
to highlight the production design team because their work here is truly out of this world.
There is an entire story told through the smallest details,
you can tell how much thought was put into even the tiny things in the background that you'll
see for five seconds - these designs come out of the culture that’s being portrayed,
out of their way of life, out of where they live and what they believe in.
All of that on top of the explosions, the fight choreography, the different
approaches to war (because a major part of “Dune: Part Two” is it being a war
film) - those things come together into this unique, unforgettable sci-fi blockbuster.
I mean, it was clear from the trailers that this film was going to look amazing, but trailers are
trailers, and actually seeing the entire film on the big screen, hearing the sound and the score
(I did see it in Dolby so it really sounded fantastic and the score is just something else)
- it's an incredible experience.
The sandworms alone, in full view, are absolutely insane and worth seeing the
movie for, but there is so much more to it, of course - visually, conceptually, thematically.
The movie has it all, and I know I started off by talking about the visuals and the action,
but don’t let that make you think that means Denis
Villeneuve compromised the story or the complexity of Paul’s journey.
Adapting Frank Herbert’s “Dune” is a difficult task:
it’s a layered story that juggles a lot of different elements.
You have intricate politics and power dynamics, you have philosophy and religion, you have the
subversion of the monomyth (also known as the Hero’s journey), you have environmental and
ecological themes, colonialism, and you have the sci-fi setting, action, war, high stakes…
All of that is “Dune”, which is why the two films work best together, as a whole,
and one is impossible without the other.
You need the world-building and the complexity of the characters for this story to have weight,
to matter, which is a very ambitious undertaking when you’re also trying to
make an epic sci-fi blockbuster, and thankfully Denis Villeneuve was up for the challenge.
Now, I will say, for me personally “Dune: Part Two” almost had too much action,
which I know is going to sound like an odd criticism to some people,
and it really isn’t a criticism to begin with - it’s a matter of personal preference.
The same way some people felt about “Dune: Part One” having a little bit too much lore,
too much philosophy and setup is the way I feel about "Dune: Part Two" and action and war.
When it comes to sci-fi and fantasy - I live for scheming,
power dynamics, world-building, philosophy, and conflicted and morally gray characters.
This is a big part of why I love the “Dune” universe so much.
But I can also understand why other people might feel that a
movie spent mostly on world-building is in desperate need of some action,
which is why I say that the two films work best together, and it’s all about balance.
And once again, this isn’t to say that “Dune: Part Two” forgets about its characters - this
is the film where we really see the subversion of the Chosen One trope,
Frank Herbert’s warning against worshiping heroes,
and the tragedy of Paul’s seemingly predetermined destiny, the choices he feels he has to make.
The author of the novel famously said that “The difference between a hero and an
anti-hero is where you stop the story”, which is so perfectly illustrated between these two movies.
But since I mentioned Paul, I also have to talk about Timothée Chalamet’s performance,
which I actually think is his most interesting work to date.
I’ve seen a lot of people complain after “Dune: Part One” that Paul,
and particularly Timothée Chalamet as Paul, is a very basic, "Chosen One" type of hero.
People who’ve read the novel, of course, knew that wasn’t the case, but now that
we have the second half of the story on film we really see the moral ambiguity of the character
and Timothée Chalamet fully embraces the darker aspects of Paul as well as his inner conflict.
You see the young romantic in him, and you also see a man craving revenge.
You see a man afraid of fulfilling his destiny, and you see how that destiny shapes him.
There is a lot Chalamet had to work with here and he is fantastic: just like you see small
hints of arrogance and darkness in Paul in the first film, you only see hints of the
Atreides boy from Caladan by the time you get to the third act of “Dune: Part Two”.
There are quite a few other great performances in the film as well.
Rebecca Ferguson is once again perfect as Lady Jessica, and just like Paul’s journey,
her character gets darker and more ambiguous.
Both Zendaya and Javier Bardem have a lot more to do this time around, and they really get to shine.
Stellan Skarsgård is once again great at being the most evil villain of all villains,
but the newcomer to the franchise, Austin Butler, as his nephew, Feyd-Rautha,
transforms into a complete psycho shockingly well - definitely one of the standouts.
Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan and Christopher
Walken as the Emperor are also memorable, but they don’t get that much screen time.
It’s a big cast, I’m not going to go over everyone,
so I’ll just say that there really wasn’t a performance that stood out as weak to me.
I think it’s a very well-cast film, and let's hope we see even more in the third movie.
I’m pretty sure they’re going to make “Dune: Messiah” happen relatively soon,
they'd be crazy not to, and sign me up for that ASAP.
I’m sure you’ve heard that Christopher Nolan called “Dune: Part Two” “The Empire Strikes
Back” of the "Dune" franchise which, after seeing it, I completely understand why.
But personally, I’d like to draw a slightly different comparison
and call it “The Two Towers”, not only because it’s a more action-packed epic
that stands on the shoulders of the lore established in the first film,
but also because of the increasingly darker tone this franchise is taking.
And there is a bit of that “middle part of a trilogy” feel to this film as well,
partly because of how noticeably compressed the timeline is, compared to the novel,
but this doesn’t really take away from its overall impact.
Here’s what I’ll say: “Dune: Part Two” is undeniably bigger, more cinematic,
and more ambitious than the first film.
Also, unexpectedly funnier.
But its significance and power as a story is impossible without “Dune: Part One”.
In my mind, after only one viewing of “Part Two” (and I'll definitely be seeing it again)
and who knows how many viewings of “Part One” - they’re pretty much equal,
which is more than I could ever hope for.
At the moment, I’m leaning slightly towards the first film as far as my preferences go, but that
might change after multiple viewings, and I know many of you are going to prefer the second film.
If epic action is what was missing for you in “Dune:
Part One” - get ready to be blown away by “Part Two”.
And to my fellow book readers, the fans of the novel, my advice is to keep an open mind and
to enjoy this version of the story, as if you’re seeing someone retell it from their perspective,
which is actually what’s happening here and is the point of the adaptation.
Yes, there are changes.
Some are very significant, and some things
will leave the readers wishing they weren’t cut from the film version.
This one does depart further from the novel, compared to the first film.
On the other hand, some scenes we were sad were missing from “Part One” show up in “Part Two”,
and arguably have a stronger impact this way.
So, do keep in mind that a lot of these changes are necessary for the story to work as a film.
It also lost some of its weirdness, which I definitely missed, but it’s a film that has
to walk the line between the source material and being able to appeal to a wider audience,
because, let’s face it, there are things about “Dune” that are way too weird for
the general audience, even when it comes to just the first book.
And if we want to see more movies like this one - we need this film
to be a film the general audience can also love.
It’s, once again, a delicate balance to maintain.
Denis Villeneuve continues to impress as a director, as a visionary, and as a filmmaker
who is deeply interested in exploring humanity and human nature through sci-fi.
This is why he’s my favorite, and I hope he never disappoints.
Between “Dune: Part One” and “Part Two” he accomplishes something that was said
to be impossible - he adapts the novel that has previously been
called unadaptable, and he does it beautifully.
The strength of “Dune: Part Two” is in combining the vast mythology of
the “Dune” universe with top tier blockbuster action, and if he gets to make the trilogy he
hopes to make - I am sure the third film will be just as amazing as the first two.
From the subversion of the Hero’s journey and the complex power dynamics to depictions of a
futuristic war on a far away planet, “Dune: Part Two” will be remembered as a monumental
achievement, not just within the sci-fi genre, but a true cinematic achievement.
Denis Villeneuve once again proves that he has desert power.