The second part of the science fiction film Dune is a grandiose epic, which is troubled only by occasional realism.
The beautiful and terrifying second part of Dune is an almost flawless film. PDO
Dune: Part Two
USA, 2024
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
IL rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve56, is one of the giants of contemporary Hollywood cinema, not afraid to take on seemingly impossible challenges.
When an American writer by Frank Herbert (1920–1986) A science fiction novel about space warfare published in the 1960s Dune was filmed for the first time in 1984 by David Lynch by, the end result was an unsatisfying mess, which has gained an albeit small cult following, mostly due to its beautiful implementation.
Dunes others have also tried to film it, and it has resulted in a rather poor TV series.
Since the book, which was groundbreaking in its time, has already influenced so many different areas of popular culture, filming it in a fresh and interesting way was a task for which even many of Villeneuve’s (Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) die-hard fan didn’t believe.
However, Villeneuve once again showed what kind of master he is when directed, written and partially produced by a man Dune-the first part of the film trilogy came out in 2021. However, the film only told the beginning of a broad story, so fans had to wait a few more years to get a more complete picture.
Now the second part of Duny is out, and it’s not very easy to find anything to complain about.
Paul Atreides, his mother Jessica, and a group of rebels belonging to the native inhabitants of the planet are again seen at the heart of the power struggle for the domination of the planet Arrakis and the mysterious land it contains, with the cruel baron Vladimir Harkonnen and his relatives on the opposite side.
Like the first part, the film stars Hollywood’s top stars. Included are, among others Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin mixed Javier Bardem. In addition to them, the sequel will also feature a legendary Christopher Walken80, in the role of a crooked space emperor and ethereally beautiful Florence Pugh as his daughter.
However, the 32-year-old becomes the hypnotic fixed star of the film Austin Butler (Elvis, Masters of the Air). Butler, who quickly rose to the top of Hollywood’s male actors, interprets Paul Atreides’ blood nemesis, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, in an ice-cold and creepy way. It says a lot about Butler’s skills that even in those scenes where he would be in danger of slipping into overacting, he manages to maintain balance and remain believable.
There are two things in particular that make the second part of Dune a completely exceptional film.
First of all, director Villeneuve manages to conjure up with his team some completely unique scenes on the big screen, the likes of which have never been seen in films before. For example, seeing the black fireworks of Giedi Prime, a planet inhabited by the Harkonnen family, sends chills down the spine.
Secondly, the finishing of the film is such a meticulous and polished job that it puts most of even Hollywood’s giant spectacles to shame. Every single scene, image, sound effect, piece of music, movement and line is polished to diamond perfection. No distortion seems to be found, no matter how you look.
However, in just a few aspects, the second part of Dyyn still leaves a little to be desired in terms of its content.
First, the film takes itself a little too seriously. At times, the characters’ staring, statuary and dramatic lines begin to slip into unintentional comedy. But fortunately only in very few places.
However, all kinds of humor and the familiar relaxation from the first part are now almost completely absent. The desert battles are, of course, serious work, but sometimes the whole film seems to move from one sand dune to another a little too toothily.
One surprising and peculiar fact that distorts the otherwise perfect surface of the film is also the fact that for some reason Villeneuve does not want or have time (the film is already 166 minutes long) to explain and open up the story any further. The herb of the planet Arrakis is the most valuable substance in the entire galaxy, because it enables space travel, without which the whole empire would not hold together. However, this is mentioned in the film only almost in passing, which perhaps does not help those viewers who are not familiar with Dyyn’s story to keep up with all the twists and turns.
The evil of the movie’s villains, i.e. the Harkonnen family, sometimes becomes so cartoonishly cruel that it almost resembles a parody. I would have hoped for Villeneuve to have a closer eye on this, because the problem would have been easily solved by slightly correcting a few of the worst scenes during the editing stage of the film.
Despite all this Dune: Part Two is a fantastically fine work that continues the gallant traditions of the spectacles of Hollywood’s golden age and is at its best when seen on the big screen.
Villeneuve’s Dune will probably get a third part as well, as the end of the trilogy has reportedly received the green light from the production company. So it will be seen on the big screen in the next few years, hopefully sooner rather than later, so that the visually masterful adventure gets the great conclusion it deserves.
Dune part two premiered on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.