Denis Villeneuve's Dune project may still end up being one of the defining cinematic productions of this decade. The first film was a thunderclap of ambition; a shot in the arm for the lost art of the Epic. It set the stage for something like the 2020's version of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. In other words, the next great epic saga in movies. Dune Part II, for all its enormous hype, doesn't quite fulfill the promise of that first introduction to Arrakis by way of Villeneuve. This is a smaller, less monumental film that the first. It lacks the freshness, the wonder of discovery that defined the appeal of that 2021 film. But as the last shots of this newest Dune hint, this is not the end of the line. Could it be that an epic conclusion comes along and puts this middle piece into proper context? Time will tell.
One of the unavoidable problems with Dune Part II is its opening sections. Dune 2 begins with moments that, in the book, require the buildup of everything that has happened before. A sequence of Rebecca Ferguson's Jessica drinking the Water of Life is meant to be a crescendo of her character's arc. Instead, it comes with little fanfare at the very beginning of this movie. Same goes for Paul's worm-taming set-piece, which works properly only when teased over the course of time. Here, it appears right on schedule at the movie's midpoint. Dutiful storytelling, but without full impact. To make matters even less impactful, Dune 2 also ends with a pseudo-cliffhanger. Although all the material of the first book has been covered by the time we reach the credits, there is little sense of finality to this film's finale. The truth is that there is a narrative flow issue in Dune 2's pipes. A sluggish beginning and pomp-deficient ending being the main culprits.
But you have to take a movie like this in its full glory. When you do that, you see a continuation of the same level of craft, ingenuity, and ambition as Dune Part I. Denis Villeneuve is an undisputed superstar among blockbuster directors, and his strengths are readily present in Dune 2. The stark, bold visual palette, and obsessive attention to world-building are all there once again, albeit in smaller doses. We do get, for example, an astounding hiatus on Giedi Prime-an entire chunk of movie entirely designed to amaze the senses-but much of Dune 2 is subdued. Sights that we expect to take our breath away, such as the many Fremen rituals that pepper the film, are instead muted, practical affairs. It may be that Villeneuve is making a stylistic choice with his "down-and-dirty" Fremen designs, and it may even be a smart one. But it's a choice that diminishes the strange alien wonder that vaulted the first Dune into something truly special. This time the visual and aural amazement only shows up for scant moments instead of enveloping the whole picture.
It seems like the filmmaking qualities of Dune 2 are a given, but it is important to remember that stuff like sincere storytelling and controlled, considered visual ambition are traits rarely found in the world of mega-blockbusters. If Dune 2 is not the overwhelming experience its predecessor was, it is still a major movie event, and one I recommend engaging with. With time, and a stronger sequel, we may yet crown Denis Villeneuve's Dune as one of the Great achievements in movie history.
74/100.
One of the unavoidable problems with Dune Part II is its opening sections. Dune 2 begins with moments that, in the book, require the buildup of everything that has happened before. A sequence of Rebecca Ferguson's Jessica drinking the Water of Life is meant to be a crescendo of her character's arc. Instead, it comes with little fanfare at the very beginning of this movie. Same goes for Paul's worm-taming set-piece, which works properly only when teased over the course of time. Here, it appears right on schedule at the movie's midpoint. Dutiful storytelling, but without full impact. To make matters even less impactful, Dune 2 also ends with a pseudo-cliffhanger. Although all the material of the first book has been covered by the time we reach the credits, there is little sense of finality to this film's finale. The truth is that there is a narrative flow issue in Dune 2's pipes. A sluggish beginning and pomp-deficient ending being the main culprits.
But you have to take a movie like this in its full glory. When you do that, you see a continuation of the same level of craft, ingenuity, and ambition as Dune Part I. Denis Villeneuve is an undisputed superstar among blockbuster directors, and his strengths are readily present in Dune 2. The stark, bold visual palette, and obsessive attention to world-building are all there once again, albeit in smaller doses. We do get, for example, an astounding hiatus on Giedi Prime-an entire chunk of movie entirely designed to amaze the senses-but much of Dune 2 is subdued. Sights that we expect to take our breath away, such as the many Fremen rituals that pepper the film, are instead muted, practical affairs. It may be that Villeneuve is making a stylistic choice with his "down-and-dirty" Fremen designs, and it may even be a smart one. But it's a choice that diminishes the strange alien wonder that vaulted the first Dune into something truly special. This time the visual and aural amazement only shows up for scant moments instead of enveloping the whole picture.
It seems like the filmmaking qualities of Dune 2 are a given, but it is important to remember that stuff like sincere storytelling and controlled, considered visual ambition are traits rarely found in the world of mega-blockbusters. If Dune 2 is not the overwhelming experience its predecessor was, it is still a major movie event, and one I recommend engaging with. With time, and a stronger sequel, we may yet crown Denis Villeneuve's Dune as one of the Great achievements in movie history.
74/100.