Released in 2021, Dune took famously troubled source material and turned it into an unlikely success. Dark sci-fi doesn’t always work at the box office, as Blade Runner 2049 proved despite rave reviews. Yet that film’s director, Denis Villeneuve, managed to entrance audiences with his Shakespearean vision of interplanetary revolt, establishing Timothee Chalamet as a megastar and proving that you don’t need superheroes to be successful. Almost three years on, it’s time to return to Arrakis for Dune: Part Two.
Picking up right after the first film, Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides, who has joined with the native Fremen on the planet Arrakis, earning their trust through a series of trials. Bonding with Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya), he plots vengeance against House Harkonnen, the family behind his family’s murder. However, visions of a dark future leave him torn between his passion and his fate.
The first film was a masterpiece of visual filmmaking, rewarding an emotionally fraught first half with spectacular set pieces and a rich conspiracy plot. Happily, this sequel builds on all those elements, taking things even further both on the screen and the page. Traversing Arrakis’ ocean-like wilderness with the Fremen is a delight, offering action that isn’t simply a mess of violence, but narratively satisfying as well.
Themes of religion, idolatry, and colonisation from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel all come into the mix, with much of the world-building already taken care of in Part One. This time we spend a bit more times with the characters and it’s a joy. Few filmmakers would have the resources to make a film this ambitious, much less the skill to pull it off, and this feels like the moment Villeneuve joins the ranks of the most celebrated directors (if he hasn’t done so already).
Considering he was playing Willy Wonka a couple of months ago, Chalamet slips back into the lead effortlessly. A restless youngster last time, we see Paul grow as a warrior, conflicted by the Fremen’s belief that he is their messiah. Rebecca Ferguson is also terrific as his mother Jessica, torn between being the architect of this adoration and a concerned mother. It’s great to see Zendaya given a more established role, with Chani’s complex feelings toward Paul and her part in the revolution coaxing out her strongest performance yet.
Of the newcomers, it’s hard not to geek out at the sight of Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam IV, the puppet master of the colonisers alongside his daughter, Princess Irulan (the always-excellent Florence Pugh). This is the first time that cinema audiences will have seen Austin Butler since Elvis, and so his appearance as the hairless Harkonnen heir Feyd-Rautha will be jarring, but he shows there’s more to him than Blue Suede Shoes.
Dune: Part Two feels like the right film for this moment. In a post-Barbenheimer world, where big blockbusters can also have something to say, this is the perfect sandstorm of filmmaking, performances, and vision. It’s hard to imagine anything else this year having the same impact.