Review: Dune: Part Two

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

Director Denis Villeneuve raised some eyebrows recently when he made a comment that he primarily emphasizes the visual component of cinema and that, to paraphrase, dialogue doesn't interest him very much. He later retracted the statement, but the irony of it is that while I was watching the expensive-looking - and often visually impressive - "Dune: Part Two," I found the picture's numerous set pieces to be mostly engaging whereas the quieter moments in which the characters talk, mostly about whether Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) is a messiah figure, were less interesting.

Overall, this second film - both pictures are based on Frank Herbert's cult science fiction novel of the same name, and a third film based on "Dune Messiah" is sure to follow - is a pretty decent blockbuster film. It's about as good as the first film, which was a movie that I admired a little more than I liked. 

It's a well made film that is rich with visual detail, although the super serious discussions of messianic prophecies and a spice that rules the galaxy can be a little on the silly side, something that David Lynch recognized when making his much-maligned 1984 version of the film, to which time has been kinder than one might expect.

It's ironic also that the two films in Villeneuve's oeuvre that impressed me the most were ones that were dialogue-driven - the gripping thriller "Prisoners" and the bizarre and surreal "Enemy." I've admired his "Blade Runner" sequel, "Arrival," and the "Dune" films, but they honestly don't affect me as much as the aforementioned.

The second "Dune" movie picks up where the first left off - Atreides is in the desert with the Fremen, whom Paul will eventually inspire to take up arms against the emperor (Christopher Walken), his daughter (Florence Pugh), the sinister Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Sarsgard), and his sociopathic nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), who is this film's central villain.

Any further explanation of the plot would take up space that I'm not willing to fill and you're probably not willing to read. Needless to say, Atreides' possible messiah stature is questioned and tested - there's a great scene in which he rides one of those gigantic sand worms - and a romance buds between him and Chani (Zendaya), although this is one of the film's more undercooked subplots.

As I mentioned, there are some great set pieces - the sand worm ride, a sequence during which Paul and Chani lead a group to attack a large machine that digs up the spice and must hide in its shadows to avoid being shot, and a final battle that culminates with a fight between Feyd-Rautha and Atreides. The film leaves many plot threads open, which I'm guessing will be addressed when "Dune Messiah" inevitably gets made.

In the meantime, "Dune: Part Two" is a good example of a solid big budget studio property that isn't dumbed down for audiences and doesn't cater to the needs of all who attend. In other words, you're either a fan of this thing or you're not - those who liked the first entry will probably feel the same way about this one. This was my reaction as well. I liked the first "Dune," even if I didn't quite love it, and that's about where I stand with this second film.