Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two is certainly up there with some of the best science fiction movies I’ve ever seen.

Villeneuve’s facility with this stuff doesn’t just come from his talent for spectacle, though there are set pieces in Dune: Part Two that aim to blow the top of your skull off.

The second chapter of Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation delivers on the visual grandeur and political intrigue, even if the characters tend to be reduced to their plot function.

The first half of Dune: Part Two is among the best things that Villeneuve has ever done, though the sheer eventfulness of the plot and a bustling retinue of side-players (Austin Butler upgrading Sting’s cod-pieced ninny from the 1984 film into a hairless psychopath is worthy of mention) means that the final act does feel rushed.

As blockbuster movies go, Dune: Part Two is a thrilling ride that totally earns its two-and-a-half-hour running time. The filmmakers add much-needed heft to their display of virtuoso filmmaking by adding serious real-life themes.

Still visually dazzling and overwhelming in its scale, Dune: Part Two becomes enmeshed in the political denseness of author Frank Herbert’s world, unevenly marching through this part of the story before rather abruptly coming to an end.

Just as in the first film, I was put off by the white-savior narrative (Stilgar’s fervent belief quickly becomes grating), and the Hans Zimmer score that sounds as if Arrakis were in the Middle East rather than space.

Es una secuela monumental, una experiencia visual y narrativa que confirma el genio de Denis Villeneuve. Cada plano es arte, cada diálogo, una pieza de un universo político y místico que se siente tan real como soñado. Es cine épico en su máxima expresión, donde la ciencia ficción se funde con la fantasía para recordarnos por qué aún vale la pena maravillarse en una sala oscura.

It's weird how this movie has so many fewer reviews than the first one. I smell Metacritic shenanigans to bump the score up higher than the first one. Dune 1 established the style which is the most striking accomplishment of the series. Yes the narrative feels unfinished but that's to be expected; it's the first half of a single novel. Dune 2 carries all of that forward while having the benefit of resolution which adds to the satisfaction factor. However this film rewrites the novel in ways that are unforgivable. In an attempt to modernize the narrative (or whatever, I just see it as feminist propaganda) they completely ruin Channi's arc in an attempt to make her seem less dependent and more strong and independent. In chasing trends it actually makes the character seem petty. There's real strength in the novel and a sense of yearning in Chani's decision to accept her role as Paul's crypto love interest playing second fiddle to a union that is overall better for the power structure. These decisions at the stake of this narrative feel more real than a love interest attempting to call the shots with a god-king. It's like Dune was rewritten as a YA novel. Really disappointing stuff, although I'm sure the producers insisted the changes be made like they always do.

Again - gorgeous cinematography and epic visionary display but the horrendous "creative" changes just ruined any love I have for this version. Come on!?! I just can't rate this any higher and I had held out so much hope that someone maybe, somewhere, would smack the production team and director and go back to the source material and stay true but in classic Hollywood fashion . . . they f***ed it up!

Don't know what happened with this one. Denis stuck in the first movie pretty closely to the actual source material, with the only real thing to complain about being the lack of a pivotal political scene that introduces a lot of players. In this one all of that gets smashed to the side, in order to depict the **** told romance story of all time. Not only do the two leads have no chemistry, but 90% of their interaction was original content that Denis pulled out of his ass for whatever reason. What a shame that Part 2 doesn't adapt the second half of the book in any way, shape or form.

Stunning visuals, but other than that snoozefest. No good character interaction, blend characters and all around not much of an improvment of Lynch Dune.