Movie Review: Dune, Part Two

“You are not prepared for what is to come.”

After meeting the insanely high bar most Dune fans had set for Denis Villeneuve in Dune, Part One, the question remained of whether he could stick the landing. We needn't have worried.

First, there is the sheer technical prowess on display. The set design and costuming continue to impress as they visually inform the viewer of how and why the Empire works the way it does. The music and sound design help redefine the term epic and to say the cinematography is stunning is selling it short. Best of all, this is not the case of each department attempting to outshine the others, but masters of their craft doing what they do best in service of bringing a single vision to life.

Then there's the film's stellar cast. I've been a fan of Timothée Chalamet for a few years now and with each movie you can see his growth as an actor. This movie is no exception. His transformation from pampered teenager to warlord is impressive. However, it's his cast mates that elevate the movie. They give him something to work towards and fight against. This is especially true of Zendaya's Chani, who, after having only ten minutes of screen time and a handful of lines in the first movie, becomes the central player of this one. It's through her eyes we understand the true import of the unfolding events.

While fans of the book, myself included, would be perfectly happy with a fifteen hour movie that explored every nuance from the novel, reality dictated that Villeneuve had to streamline the story to fit into the two and a half hour window he was given. Yet, he never insults the audience by dumbing things down. And nothing feels rushed.

Instead, Villeneuve answers this conundrum in two ways. The first is to compress the timeframe of the book, which had a two year time gap. In this movie, the story picks up where the previous film leaves off. The result is an underlying tension where Paul is seemingly dragged towards his fate rather than becoming the master of it. This allows Villeneuve to remain true to the spirit of the novel without being beholden to it. It also avoided the need to find a toddler with the gravitas to match Charlotte Rampling, but I digress.

The second was to focus on two of the many threads found in the novel – Paul's quest to avenge his father's death and the Bene Gesserit's desire to create, and more importantly, to control the Kwisatz Haderach, a male Bene Gesserit with the power to see all of space and time. This enables Villeneuve to deliver a coherent narrative while still being able to delve into such heady topics as destiny versus free will and the relationship between religion and power. And where the first movie followed a traditional Chosen One framework while hinting at darker things, this movie delivers a straight up cautionary tale.

If you've seen the first movie, I suspect you already know whether you want to see this one. There's little I can say here that will sway you either way. Yet, as someone who has loved the books and each of the filmed adaptations, as flawed as they may be, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you to run, not walk to your nearest theater. This is how epic science fiction is meant to be done.

Now I can talk spoilers with a clear conscience. Phew!

At the risk of being sacrilegious, this version of Paul's story reminds me of Hamlet, where despite all his attempts to do the right thing he is inexorably led to a tragic end. Paul may be a good man, but he is not the hero of this story.

Jessica reminds Paul that his father wouldn't have chosen vengeance even as she pushes him to assume the mantle of the Fremen’s messiah with all its attendant power. And she is aided by Paul’s unborn but no less prescient sister, Alia. Why would any of that be necessary if not to win back his place among the Great Houses?

Paul’s desires are more modest. Yes, he wants the Harkonnens and the Emperor to pay for their treachery but he has no aspirations to lead the Fremen, let alone become a messiah. However, as with Hamlet, events conspire to put him on that path regardless of his personal desires.

Jessica and Alia aren’t the only forces to be reckoned with. As the movie progresses, Stilgar transforms from reluctant ally to friend and mentor to follower and religious fanatic. Stilgar’s faith forces both Jessica and Paul into fulfilling aspects of the Bene Gesserit’s prophecy. His belief is so strong that at one point he  demands Paul kill him in order to assume his place as a Fremen leader.

Gurney Halleck holds no such beliefs. However, his love and respect for Duke Leto and his bitter hatred of the Harkonnens pushes Paul towards war just as assuredly as Stilgar. And providing Paul with access to atomic weapons is even more of an incentive. With those, Paul is able to cripple spice production which threatens to topple House Harkonnen. It also allows him to manipulate the Emperor into surrendering his throne.

This is contrasted by Chani. She serves as a surrogate for the audience. A not quite so objective observer. For her, Paul is a respected fighter, and she values his willingness to fight with the Fremen while never losing sight of the fact that he’s still an outsider. As time passes, she falls for the man even while she watches with horror the effect he’s having on her people. In the first movie Chani talks about the cruelty of the Harkonnens and wonders who the Fremen’s next oppressor will be upon their departure. Unfortunately, she realizes the answer to that question is Paul. Her actions represent the biggest departure from the novel and yet they don’t feel out of place.

This is because Paul’s ability to rise to power was never the central conflict of this story. The question was never if Paul could or would avenge his father’s death and defeat the Emperor and the Harkonnens. It was at what cost. Paul’s fate was sealed the moment he turned south and consumed the Water of Life. One can argue whether Paul’s decision to drink it was an attempt to avoid the death of billions or simply to find a way to save Chani. In the end, it’s a distinction without a difference.

Neither the book nor the movie shies away from the danger Paul poses to the Empire. And both show Paul’s struggle to find a path that doesn’t lead to utter destruction. It’s just that the book allows you to believe he might have found it, leaving it to subsequent installments to document the holy war Paul has unleashed. The movie allows for no such illusions.

If left to my own devices I could write reams on the brilliance of various acting choices (shout out to Florence Pugh and Austin Butler) or Villeneuve's structural decisions and how they undergird his storytelling. Instead, I'll leave you with this. For all Villeneuve's skill at storytelling on a grand scale, the reason the movie works so well is his ability to explore interpersonal relationships in a way that packs an emotional wallop. This is one of the best arguments for the commercial viability of an artistic vision we’ve seen in years. Fingers crossed for Dune Messiah.

4.5 out of 5 Thumpers

Parting Thoughts:

I’m not always the biggest fan of IMAX. However, this is one movie where I would highly recommend it. At least see it in the theater. This movie was built for the big screen.

It still bugs me that the Fremen, for whom water conservation is paramount, rarely wear their stillsuits properly. I realize it would cover most of their face when out of doors, but still.

This is the second time in which Timothée Chalamet’s character will wed Florence Pugh’s. The last one being Little Women. Just sayin’.

Quotes:

The Sardaukar: “Power over Spice is power over all.”

Baron: “Tighten your grip, Rabban. Or feel mine on your neck.”

Stilgar: “The Mahdi is too humble to say he is the Mahdi.”

Chani: “This prophecy is how they enslave us!”

Emperor: “He was a man who believed in the rules of the heart, but the heart was not meant to rule.”

Chani: "Your blood comes from Dukes and Great Houses. We don’t have that here. Here, we’re equal. Men and women alike. What we do, we do for the benefit of all.”
Paul: “Well, I’d very much like to be equal to you.”

Princess Irulan: “You underestimate the power of faith.”

Reverend Mother Mohiam: “We don’t hope, we plan.”

Paul: “May thy knife chip and shatter.”

Jessica: “You chose the wrong side.”
Reverend Mother Mohiam: “You of all people should know by now, there are no sides, Reverend Mother.”

Paul: “Lead them to Paradise.”

Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.

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