Dune: Part Two Is Fantastic
Like an oasis among the dunes, Dune: Part 2 shines brightly amongst the sea of releases in March. Our generation’s Empire Strikes Back has finally come with the release of this film; a sequel that improves greatly upon it’s original in nearly every sense.
Denis Villenueve (he/him) has put his heart and soul into this film, with every frame of it showing the work of an expert. At nearly every frame, there’s a painting like composition of blocking and cinematography, and it’s truly a visual feast for the eyes. It’s one of those great examples of visual storytelling, but not only visual.
Accompanied by a soundtrack that’s goosebumps inducing by the well established composer Hans Zimmer (he/him), there’s both a treat to the eyes and ears when viewing this. One of the best moments has to be when Paul Atreides, played scarily well by Timothée Chalamet (he/him), has to do a task to impress the Fremen people. In this moment, the score combined with the imagery makes it all so triumphant and grandiose that I couldn’t stop a smile from forming.
Speaking of performances, everyone here plays their role, and perfectly so, although Christopher Walken (he/him) is somewhat just being himself, so not entirely everyone. However, each of these characters are so compelling in each of their own ways. The character of Lady Jessica played by Rebecca Ferguson (she/her), is one of these shining characters where you’re so interested to see how she’ll achieve her goal while also being uneasy about the morality of said good.
Morality here is a major player in the film. It’s a very strong subversion of the typical hero trope, in that it portrays the way that the blind following of a ‘hero’ can be very dangerous. Throughout, Paul is reluctant to the call of becoming the ‘hero,’ but when he gives in, he turns almost terrifying. Both in the power he holds and in the way he’s going to use it as he gains more. This terror is portrayed through the character of Chani, played by Zendaya (she/her), who is in love with him but sees the dark path he’s to lead her people, who blindly follow him. This confliction in how she feels is shown so well in her performance.
Dune: Part 2, while slowly paced, is an incredible experience, and one to definitely have in an IMAX theater if possible. Every second isn’t wasted, as in each you’re either serenaded by the soundtrack, fascinated by the performances, in awe at the visuals, or probably laughing at Javier Bardem’s (he/him) surprisingly hilarious performance of Stilgar. This gets a solid 5/5 from me.
One of my earlies memories was watching stories unfold on a small TV in my room. Ever since then, I've always wanted to become a filmmaker to put stories of my own onto all manner of screens. Being a fan of writing alongside this has also led to my love of writing analysis/reviews on the things I view. It's a joy to share to others my thoughts and insights on media.
