Long review short, this movie is a ‘yes’ from me.
Long review long, this film is the perfect companion to Dune: Part One. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Dune: Part One was released on October 22nd, 2021 and was a smash hit in the box office, collecting an impressive $108 million in the US and over $400 million worldwide.
I loved the first movie a great deal, but I agree with a lot of people expressing frustration with the pace of this film. While it is a slow watch — two hours and thirty-five minutes to be exact — I believe it was necessary to have the effect the second film does. Dune is a large universe to cover, with six books written by its original author, Frank Herbert. That isn’t even the end, however, because his son Brian Herbert wrote another 17 novels, bringing the total of books in this universe to 23.
But even with such a hefty amount of source material to keep straight, Denis Villenueve, the director of both Dune films, did a wonderful job of bringing the important parts of the universe to light, including the current political issues on Arrakis, the political issues surrounding The Great Houses and the importance of the Fremen people and the spice harvested on their planet. I haven’t read any of the books, but after the first film, I felt completely ready to head into the second one armed with the knowledge I gained.
Dune: Part Two was released on March 1 and was arguably one of the most highly anticipated films in 2024. As of the 10th, Dune: Part Two has grossed $157 million in the US, and $307 million worldwide, coming close to surpassing the first film. I had the pleasure of seeing it on opening night, and I was honestly blown away – it took me a solid day and a half to get my thoughts together at all before I could talk about it.
Compared to the first film, this one is jam-packed with action. The new additions to the cast (such as Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha and Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan) fit perfectly into the world of Dune, even though their parts might be considered small compared to that of Timothèe Chalamet and Zendaya. The latter half of the movie was shocking and had my jaw on the floor.
To be completely honest, leaving the theater and coming back to the Suburbs of Chicago was SO disappointing. For 2 hours and 45 minutes, I was thoroughly convinced that I was a part of the Fremen; I was a member of the Bene Gesserit; I was a Harkonnen. Being thrust back into the world as Gil Chmielewski, staff writer for The Harbinger, shook me up a bit.
The only problems I have with this movie is the length along with the complexity – though, there really isn’t much that can be done about that with a film like this. In some films, minutes can be removed with redundant storytelling and plot points that just don’t move the story forward. Every second in this film has some sort of relevance — even if it’s just a telling look from Paul Atreides, everything feels like it fits into the big puzzle box that is the Dune universe. While I was engaged the whole time, I can totally see some other people who aren’t as big of fans start to get bored (or even fall asleep!).
The complexity bit is just how the Dune universe is. Remember, this universe has a total of 23 books depicting its story. There are a multitude of different groups of people the film focuses on – the Harkonnens, the Bene Gesserit, the Great Houses and the Fremen, and that isn’t even all of the people weaved into this film. This is a franchise you can’t have in the background and know what is going on. If you give the time and attention to it, this series will reward you greatly.
If you decide to see this movie, PLEASE see it in IMAX. The sound design alone in IMAX makes this film jump out of the screen even more. Grab the Dune popcorn bucket, hunker down and enjoy a film that director Christopher Nolan (known for directing films like Oppenheimer, Dunkirk and The Dark Knight) compared to Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of The Sith. Long live the fighters!