Film adaptations of books are often hit or miss and can leave both audiences familiar with the story and those new to it scratching their heads. In a world of failed book adaptations, Dune: Part Two, directed by Denis Villeneuve, stands out as a refreshing take on the book by Frank Herbert, and leaves fans of the series and those just delving into the universe satisfied with its portrayal. The storytelling, star-studded cast and epic cinematography have been praised endlessly by critics and fans alike. The cast includes Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, and Florence Pugh among other A-list names.
The movie opens where the first one left off, showing Paul (Timothee Chalamet) and Lady Jessica’s (Rebecca Ferguson) welcome into the Fremen society, the natives of the planet Arrakis, where the movie is set. The story follows Pauls’ plan to take revenge on House Harkonnen, the bloodthirsty group that took over the planet in the first movie. Through its action and suspense, this installment in the franchise does a wonderful job continuing the world that was built in the first one.
If you’ve read the book, the description of Paul Atreides sounds strikingly similar to Timothee Chalamet. Admittedly, he’s not my favorite actor, and I’ve avoided other movies because of him. However, in Dune: Part Two, Chalamet delivers a stunning performance as young Paul and shows his growth throughout the movie exceptionally. The standout performance, though, is Austin Butler’s Feyd Rautha. Best known for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Lurhmann’s 2022 film, Elvis, Butler steps into the role once held by Sting in the 1984 adaptation of Dune. Oftentimes, I found myself forgetting that the character was played by Austin Butler due to his vocal inflection and acting style. Feyd Rautha serves as a primary antagonist in the movie and is shown as young, evil and even naive, through different parts of Butler’s performance.
The visual effects in the film are exceptional, especially considering the budget of 190 million dollars. The budget is 25 million dollars lower than that of the 2023 travesty, Flash. Dune: Part Two made Flash look like it was made in Adobe Photoshop. Attention to detail is shown when scenes on Giedi Prime, the Harkonnen planet, were shot in black and white. The sun on the planet is black, giving a black and white hue to everything outside. However, whenever the characters walk inside, color is returned to the screen and is extremely visually satisfying.
In the first film, there were a few times where I found myself needing subtitles to hear lines delivered quietly. However, seeing this second installment, I felt that much less. The dialogue and music were well balanced, to a point where you could appreciate each one separately without losing anything. The use of made up languages is well balanced with the use of English, and subtitles are provided for scenes in those imaginary languages. I see an Oscar, or at least a nomination, in the future for the sound and editing of this film.
In the end, Dune: Part Two does a wonderful job telling the story Frank Herbert wrote almost 60 years ago. A few minor details were changed from the book, but :none of them were detrimental to the storytelling. Although the film was exceptional, it’s hard to decide whether it was better than the first one. The first film did so much of the world-building and introductions that the second film needed. Dune: Part Two, wouldn’t be so exceptional without Dune, and that’s okay. Both films feed off of each other’s perfection to create a lovely dyad of the story loved by so many people for so many years.