By Philip Berkwit

On March 1 2024, “Dune Part Two” released in theaters. It has become the highest grossing movie of 2024 so far, making over $600 million. The film has also become one of the most critically acclaimed sci-fi movies in the modern era of film. “Dune: Part Two” serves as both a sequel to the 2021 film, “Dune” (Dune 2021) and an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic 1964 novel with the same name. Dune has always been an iconic series. It’s influences on the genre of sci-fi has been huge. The Star Wars movie series which is one of the most popular pieces of entertainment was even influenced by Dune. However, when it comes to movie adaptations, Dune hasn’t always had the greatest record. The book first had a 1984 film adaptation that was directed by David Lynch, a critically loved director who won an Oscar for best Director in 1981,1987, and 2002. However, this version of Dune was not loved at all. It bombed at the box office and has a 37 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Even Lynch wasn’t a fan of his own film. According to Screen Rant, “Lynch has always been outspoken about his disappointment in Dune and how he didn’t have much say in the final cut, calling the movie a failure. This time is no different, with Lynch resolutely saying that he’s “proud of everything, except Dune.”  Since then, no major adaptation for Dune had made it to theatres. That was until 2021, when Dune 2021 released. This version of the story was highly praised, but it only adapted half of the original Dune book. But “Dune: Part Two” finally concludes the story of the book.

“Dune: Part Two” starts where the last left off. It follow Paul Atreides as he joins the Fremen religion after the faction known as the Baron attacked his home of royalty. Paul becomes a divisive figure to the Fremen. Some believe him to be a messianic figure, one who is chosen to lead them into prosperity. However, other members of the Fremen don’t believe this. They see Paul as just an outsider, or at best, an ordinary man. This story is all about how Paul’s relationship and influence over the Fremen change.

To put it bluntly, “Dune Part Two” is great. The film is a visual spectacle that feels so unique and epic. The Director, Dennis Villeneuve brings visual storytelling to a whole new level. Villeneuve is no stranger to directing sci-fi. He Directed both of the modern Dune films, “Blade Runner 2049”, and “Arrival.” Dennis Villeneuve uses striking visuals that are filled both with beauty and horror. This visual story-telling forces an emotional response out of you. According to Deadline.com, Villeneuve stated, “Dialogue is for theatre and television. I don’t remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image. I’m not interested in dialogue at all. Pure image and sound, that is the power of cinema, but it is something not obvious when you watch movies today.”  Villeneuve is a visual director, and he excels in this. The films score, composed by Hans Zimmer also adds to this way of filmmaking. The sound design is also extremely immersive and powerful, making watching Dune like an unforgettable watching experience.

Although Dune 2021 was very well received, one of the biggest complaints that Dune 2021 had was that many felt that the film was too boring and empty. Although Dune 2021 had amazing visuals, its characters and story weren’t working for everybody, and some viewers found the film dull. “Dune: Part Two” fixes these issues. This film makes the viewer interested in its characters. The villain, Feyd-Rutha who is played by Austin Butler is one example. Butler gives a fantastic performance as Feyd that feels creepy, yet entrancing. However, the best performance in the film is easily given by Timothee Chalamet who plays Paul. Chalamet gives such an immersive and surprising performance, that goes from feeling calm and quiet, to powerful and passionate.

The film also adds more action as this part of the story includes much more battles and tense moments. The visuals don’t lose any quality either. In fact, they look even better than the first movie. The film also chooses to tell parts of the story in the perspective of Chani, Paul’s love interest. Chani isn’t that special of a character, but showing it from her perspective helps execute the message of Dune. One of the main messages of Dune is to be cautious with leaders. Paul becomes a charismatic religious leader, and many believe him to be a messianic figure. However, this is all false. Paul isn’t truly a messianic figure; however, Paul is given so much power, and is able to lead the Fremen into a holy war. Displaying this through Chani’s perspective works wonders because it shows that Paul is not a heroic figure, but a false idol. However, It often seems like the film doesn’t give enough clues to show this prior to the third act. For most of the film, it really does feel like Paul might be this savior-figure. Some viewers might find it a little disappointing that the third act takes an unsubtle turn with this idea.

“Dune: Part Two” isn’t an easy film to understand. There’s so much lore and parts of this story that are complicated and quickly brushed over. But this in some ways adds to the immersion of the film. It’s less about understanding and more about feeling. With that being said, the movie isn’t perfect. The film doesn’t give enough reason to believe that Paul isn’t a messianic figure, and the film had some humor that felt a little awkward. It was nice to have humor, especially since the first film had such little humor, but it does come off as awkward and slightly out of place at points.

The issues of “Dune Part Two” are still very few. This film is such an immersive and great sci-fi epic that is recommended to any fan of films