Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two
Paul Atreides aligns with Chani and the Fremen, fueled by a desire for retribution against those who dismantled his family. Confronted with a pivotal decision between his profound affection for an individual and the destiny of the universe, he commits to averting a dire future he alone envisions.
Varun reviewedJanuary 26, 2025
A truly glorious spectacle. My IMAX theatre usually starts with an ad before the movie that says “Don’t see a movie, be a part of one”, and this accurately fits my experience of Dune 2. THIS IS CINEMA. This movie puts other blockbusters to shame. The visuals are spectacular, with so many picturesque scenes that I could use as a wallpaper and the amazing cinematography gives you a grand scope of the world. The perfect vfx makes the surroundings, vehicles, weapon explosions, Worms, etc. all feel tangible and real. It enhances the tense and energetic action sequences. It’s a no brainer at this point to praise Hans Zimmer, he knocks it out of the park every single time. The score is deep, mystical, invigorating and just BADASS. And the sound design is way too good, it makes perfect use of the IMAX speakers. This is hands down one of the best sci-fi/fantasy worlds you’ll ever experience on the big screen. Spoilers ahead. Timothée Chalamet did a really great job, you can feel his motivations, frustrations, precariousness and ultimately his strong presence as the prophet. Zendaya as Chani provides a great anchor and mirror to Paul but is also very much her own person. Rebecca Ferguson is really captivating in her frightening transformation into the Reverend Mother. Javier Bardem as Stilgar is really good at handling the comedic elements as well as representing the faction of fanaticism amongst the fremen. Austin Butler’s acting blew me away, he is completely unrecognisable as the psychopathic Feyd-Rautha. All the performances were great. The pacing of the story felt unique, it was both slow and fast at many times but I enjoyed every minute of it. However there were a few scenes that felt rushed, with the main one being Paul’s transformation after drinking the Water of Life. I wanted to see more of his visions and why it had a big effect on him, and I also found it weird how Chani takes a drop of the water and then there’s an abrupt cut to Paul waking up, I don’t understand how she helped him. The love story between them was very believable but I wanted to see more of their interactions. There’s way too much information and relationships to be packed into a single movie, but I really believe Denis Villeneuve did his absolute best to render it all into a cohesive and entertaining way and I hope an extended cut will release to smooth out some of the flaws. Paul trying to mount the Worm has to be one of my favourite cinematic sequences of all time, I was almost out of my seat and grinning like an idiot. The final war was crazy and despite its brief length, it still manages to be better than most high budget superhero movies who can’t stop making crap and uninspired action scenes. I was really enthralled by the power politics of the empire, the Bene Gesserit’s schemes, religious faith and rule amongst the fremen, future visions impacting the present moment and so much more. The dessert looks unrelenting and they did a great job depicting the fremen as ferocious survivalists. The Harkonnen black and white world was really cool. I’m really looking forward to Florence Pugh’s character in the future despite her small role. Also Anya Taylor-Joy supremacy continues! Although not a huge variety, the costume designs still go pretty hard in this film and I can’t wait to see what the other houses look like in the sequel. Despite a few flaws, I’m giving this movie a perfect score because it was mind-blowing and I can’t stop praising it enough and y’all need to watch this in IMAX to do justice to Denis Villeneuve’s grand vision.