Dune: Part Two
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Warning: This review contains spoilers for Dune: Part Two. Reader discretion is advised.
My biggest issue with Denis Villeneuve’s first stab at adapting Frank Herbert’s Dune is that the first film feels like a three-hour prologue that is building up towards something, and I was greatly anticipating whatever followed suit. Part Two is finally here (it was slated for a 2023 release until the SAG-AFTRA strike took place), and I will keep things brief by stating that I still feel the same way to some degree. Perhaps it is my impatience talking, but I feel as though this is not so much a trilogy of films as it is a nine-hour-long film that has been cut up into various parts, as to allow for proper budgeting and production protocols. I’m starting to think that the only proper way to watch Villeneuve’s Dune is to watch all three parts in one sitting. Clearly, we cannot do that just yet. We’re likely years away from Part Three (or it may get called Dune Messiah, as that is the novel it will be heavily based on), so all I can do is judge what we do have. In a sense, it’s another part of a whole that cannot stand fully on its own, but what we do get is — once again — massive and stunning.
What I can say about Dune: Part Two which makes it at least slightly better than Dune (if they aren’t borderline equal in quality otherwise) is that the feeling of this all being expository information finally disappears roughly an hour into this film. Once the story builds upon the then-new appearance of Chani (Zendaya) — the Fremen rebel who romantically connects with protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) — we cut to what feels like the next threshold of the overall story: the quest for Paul to either fulfil or negate the visions he has been seeing. The Fremen begin to see him as some sort of a messiah figure that will bring them to the promised land (or bring prosperity to Arrakis), but he doesn’t want to uphold this prophecy; he doesn’t think he can carry out these desires, as he envisions a massacre in his wake should he follow suit in what is foretold. That’s all well and good, but I think what transpires is what makes Dune: Part Two a more interesting watch than the first part (even though I would argue it is quite indebted to its existence in order to work): a hero trying to avoid a mistake and thus turning into the very villain he was trying to prevent his people from (or so it seems this will be the case in the final part).
Dune: Part Two continues the strengths of the first Dune and has its own reasons for standing out.
There’s also the inclusion of new characters like this film’s lead villain, Feyd-Rautha Austin Butler) who is a fascinating heir to the House Harkonnen who devours whatever second he gets on screen; again, he best serves the larger story and, thus, feels a little underutilized otherwise. Some other new faces include Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) who will likely make a bigger splash in the third film (at least she has this opportunity, unlike some of the characters of old and new). I’d argue that the start of the Feyd-Rautha storyline is precisely when the preliminary parts of this Dune series finally concluded (it felt like a four-hour creation of Paul’s position, and everything afterward is what shapes him and those around him), which is a little ironic given that this sequence is, once again, an introductory one.
What I will say is that most of the payoffs in Dune: Part Two feel much larger and more earned, outside of a couple of examples (despite the hours of frustration, Glossu Rabban is gone all too quickly, and even the Feyd-Rautha fight feels anti-climactic for his character whilst better serving Paul’s change of heart and growing corruption). Even though Paul can now clearly see the future (after drinking the Water of Life), Dune: Part Two is clever enough to not allow us to see all that he can accurately predict, so we feel led astray by him and the film; had there been more transparency, there feels like there would be no reason to follow a film where the protagonist knows everything coming his way (I do believe that his visions will be misinterpreted at some point and will serve as his comeuppance). I also have never read any of the Dune novels and have no idea what is coming our way. So far, Dune: Part Two turns what once felt like a biblical depiction of a new prophet and Christ-like figure into a cautionary tale about blurred political lies, and the toxicity that power brings. Whereas Dune ended and had me wondering what would happen next because this felt like an unfinished story, Dune: Part Two leaves me worried about the pending Holy Wars of Maud’Dib (Paul’s Fremen name). This is a good kind of a cliffhanger ending that sets up the last part. Will Paul come to his senses? Will there be justice brought to the Fremen people? Will Paul get slaughtered as a martyr or via his own tyranny? Well, those who have read Herbert’s novels already know, but I’m happy waiting to find out.
While Dune: Part Two still feels like it narratively depends on two other films in order to fully work, it is quite strong as a political comment of biblical proportions.
At least Dune: Part Two has enough actual narrative shifts to feel like there is some progress in this epic triptych. The build-up to the climactic overtaking of the Sardaukar is calculated enough to make the actual battle feel overwhelmingly exhilarating; remind yourself how short this actual fight truly is, and you’ll be stunned by the weight of how it felt in relation to its duration. After this fitting follow-up to one of the biggest science-fiction films in recent memory, all we can do is wait once more to see how all of these pieces lock into place; hopefully within the puzzle of the biggest sci-fi epic of our time. We won’t know for sure until it is all done in a couple of years (considering the pandemic and the strike pushed both Dune films respectively, so help me God if another delay is caused). For now, despite me slightly preferring it to the first film, I can only say the same thing I felt the previous Dune: Part Two is only as good as it can be because it is a segment of a whole that needs its other films in order to fully discern how worth it or pointless the entire trip feels. Having said that, six hours into this odyssey and I can say that Villeneuve’s Dune is starting to feel necessary. I can only hope the last film sticks the landing because these two grandiose films will suffer from their dependency on this conclusion. The trip so far has been quite the ride.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.