Frank Herbert’s novels from the «Dune» — series are classic science fiction, and in many ways they remain unsurpassed even today. The series is based on many complex elements that are closely interconnected. To transfer something like this to the movie format — is an almost impossible task. But the first part of «Dune» by Denis Villeneuve showed that it is still possible to find your own cinematic approach to the source material. And now «Dune: Part Two» has reached theaters. In our review, we tell you how this movie turned out.
Genre space fiction
Director Denis Villeneuve
Starring Timothy Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh
Premiere movie theaters
Year of release 2024
Website IMDb
The majestic House of Atreides fell in the first part of «Dune», but Paul (Timothy Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) managed to escape. Now they survive among the Fremen, who have learned to use the harshness of the Arakis deserts to their advantage. For some Fremen, Paul has already become a sacred figure, a Muad’Dib, who must make the planet «Green Paradise» again. The boy is afraid of uncontrolled power because he has seen what cruel actions the desire for it leads to. But the circumstances are such that only the fanaticism of the people around the surviving Atrides can help them achieve their goals and take revenge on their offenders.
As a director, Denis Villeneuve is known for his cinematic language, which speaks to the audience not through dialogues but through visual images. This is best seen in «Arrival» and «Blade Runner 2049», in which the aesthetics of all the scenes are the most important advantage and leverage to influence the tone of the story. At the same time, Villeneuve also tries to be a good storyteller, but it is in traditional narratives that he gives up some ground.
«Dune: Part Two» — typical Villeneuve and the ideological development of the first part in all directions, but this film offers nothing radically new.
It seems that the entire management, the film crew, and the audience and critics believed in the director. So he just did what he does best. Namely, he made an incredibly beautiful, large-scale, pretentious movie that still feels a little excessive.
This is partly the fault of the source material because «Dune» — is a very complex work. It deals with many themes and storylines that cannot be fully reproduced in the format of a movie or even a TV series (and there have been attempts, as we remember). Therefore, fans of the books should be prepared for some creative freedom that the filmmakers allowed themselves. Some things didn’t make it into the movie at all, some moments were changed. It doesn’t really affect the overall emotions, but it’s something to keep in mind.
The script changes had a greater impact on the moral and ideological component of the plot. «Dune», as a work of fiction, has always placed great emphasis on environmental issues. In the movie, there is almost no focus on them. Instead, Villeneuve and screenwriter John Spates bring the issues of feminism, matriarchy and religious influence on people’s minds to the forefront. And they do it in Villeneuve’s style.
This means that the actions of the characters and the breathtaking beauty of Arakisu speak more than words here. For moviegoers, watching «Dune: Part Two» will be a real treat for them because the movie looks incredibly attractive. Villeneuve combines aesthetic minimalism, when there can be only a few objects and silhouettes in the frame, with pathos that is worthy of the level of the «Lord of the Rings» adaptation (perhaps even surpassing it in some moments).
The overall color palette and cinematography are very restrained, but they are always to the point and go straight to the heart. The film can be watched and rewatched just for the visuals alone, and will definitely be analyzed and stretched into beautiful artwork and wallpapers for devices.
«Dune: Part Two» looks most beautiful in its calm, panoramic moments. When it comes to the battle scenes, I have questions about the movie. The movie does a good job of leading up to them, but the actual fights are too hectic. And some duels can be criticized for their problematic and axe-like choreography.
It is clear that the movie is not about battles at all. It is built on conversations and emotions of the characters (with a bias towards the latter). Religious motifs appear in almost all the dialogues, and the characters themselves do not hesitate to actively use the terminology of their fictional world. Because of this, people who are not familiar with «Dune» may find it a bit difficult to understand the story. However, the film crew did their best to make sure that even if you don’t know the first part of the movie, you will still get your worthy level of pleasure.
This is a sublime, almost arrogant pleasure, so it’s not for everyone. If you were bored while watching the first part of «Dune» (and there were plenty of such viewers, believe me), then the new movie will not change anything here. Perhaps the boredom will even intensify because watching the entire movie in the almost sterile locations of Arakisu — is definitely not for everyone.
However, the boredom can be attributed to the spirit of epic fantasy that permeates the entire movie. It combines perfectly with Villeneuve’s directorial style to create a movie that is worth watching. It’s not that the space opera genre often gives us anything outstanding nowadays, and «Dune» as a work of art certainly deserves a decent adaptation. «Dune: Part Two» is that worthy adaptation.
Now we can only wait for «Dune: The Messiah», in which Villeneuve adapts Herbert’s second novel. Given the events of the source material, there will definitely be many moments worth appreciating on the big IMAX screen.