Dune 2 is a visually captivating, intensely striking, an absolutely gorgeous film you MUST watch in the cinema on the biggest monstrosity of a screen you can find. It is that good. I’ve got notes but overall, it is a beautiful film. Well-crafted, expertly told story with more than the usual attention paid to the aesthetics. After being in theatres for just over 30 days, it grossed $683,917,808 worldwide which is 3.6 times its production budget of $190,000,000, surpassing Dune Part 1 by over $200,000,000. It currently holds the record for the highest grossing movie of 2024. In the United States and Canada, the film’s advanced ticket sales surpassed those of Oppenheimer and Oppenheimer was last year’s phenomenon. I’m aware this review is kinda late but let’s dive in. Note: spoiler alert.
Before I begin, Disclaimer: I have not read Frank Herbert’s books of the same title- it’s a series of 6 novels- for which the Dune movies are an adaptation. However, I do think this is an advantage as I can review the movie without any affiliations or expectations. If you have read the books and are expecting some sort of comparison, then respectfully, this review is not for you.
In the second installment, the worlds are further expanded. Arrakis is a desert as far as the eyes can see but we see how the Fremen live, what they eat, we see its people. The suits the Fremen wear are cool and I have heard comments about how they don’t seem to sweat. Those of us that live close to the desert understand that dry heat doesn’t make one sweat, the humidity does, so the lack of Fremen sweat is accurate.
Geidi Prime is quite the foreboding planet. There is no colour whatsoever which adds to the sense of fear. You know this is the villains’ lair. The scenes are brief and shot with infrared cameras which adds to that dreadful vibe. The number of times a loyal staff (slave?) gets their throat slit, head bashed in or has some kind of fatal harm come to them for no apparent reason or for a reason not commensurate to death definitely makes one quite antsy. The Harkonnens are an ambitious people with a singular purpose- controlling spice production and harvest. You’d expect a more calculated approach and some control of temper. How can everybody in one family be psychotic? How does the constant murder of members of your camp benefit the cause?
The film pays special attention to the overall aesthetic and we see that clearly in the costume design. An entire sci-fi universe was crafted through the costumes. The costume designer Jacqueline West deserves special mention. The gauzy veils worn by Lady Jessica, the utilitarian suits of the Fremen on Arrakis, the veils of the Bene Gesserit, the headpieces worn by Princess Irulan (the Emperor’s daughter), the masked bodyguards on Geidi Prime- all allow the viewer to understand this universe and immerse themselves into a place from scene to scene throughout the film. None of the costumes ever feel out of place.
The characters are also fleshed out from Part 1 -we meet a more ruthless and calculating Lady Jessica- Paul’s mother- who embraces her role as Reverend Mother and even puts her son in grave danger without batting an eyelid. Guess you can when you have the gift of insight. We also meet Chani in her expanded role as Ferman fighter and Paul’s love interest. More on that later. We meet a new character- Feyd-Rautha, another psychotic Harkonnen with, as it turns out, a weakness for the fairer sex.
Speaking of fighters, the fight scenes are well-crafted and quite engaging. I do love those good old-fashioned close hand-to-hand combat scenes and we get quite a few well-sequenced skillful fights – few wasted movements. The Fremen ambush a few spice vessels which is fun to watch and the final fight scene is both brutal and suspenseful. Stilgar (played by Javier Bardem) gives us some much needed fanatical comic relief. The film is nearly 3 hours long so that is major.
Paul is reluctant to accept his role as messiah- Lisan al-Gaib– despite his mother’s and the fundamentalists of the south’s belief. The less fanatical Fremen of the North which Chani is one of, mistrust the prophecy and don’t believe him to be the Lisan al-Gaib, although recognise him as a Fedaykin (Fremen guerrilla fighter). They believe the prophecy is a tool used to enslave. Whenever Paul refuses that he is the Lisan al-Gaib, Stilgar reinforces belief in Paul by saying to his fellow believers that Paul’s refusal to accept shows humility which is only further proof that he truly is the Lisan al-Gaib. It’s quite funny which is nice because it’s a seriously long, serious movie.
Chani’s and Paul’s relationship give us an intimacy that makes the movie well-rounded. They fight by day and cuddle at night. Her suspicions of the prophecy and belief in Paul’s insistence that he is not the messiah set her up for disappointment when he does finally accept his ‘destiny’ which seems inevitable. A war-based romance always feels like it will be short-lived, but it seems destined in order to fulfil a prophecy and Lady Jessica was aware. The Bene-Gesserits are an order of mind-controlling witches, who for hundreds of years, have planted seeds of the prophecy -a messiah to do messiah stuff- and have spent a long time trying to breed this messiah into existence. They are the antithesis of a religious organisation as they use religion to manipulate. Paul finally accepts his role and blooms but Chani is upset by his transformation because he broke her trust. We now have a woman scorned because her misgivings continue even when the evidence is clear that Paul is the prophesied Lisan Al- Gaib. I would love to see how that plays out in Part 3- Dune Messiah.
My first head scratcher is the timeline which seems quite rushed. He spends several months with the Fremen and becomes their leader in this time because his mother’s talking foetus is still in the womb, assuming it takes nine months for a baby on Arrakis. That felt a little rushed to me. His role as their leader would be more believable if he spent more time with them, learning their ways and fighting with them. After he drinks the water of life, his recovery is also quite speedy. Hmmm. One of my favourite scenes has to be when he uses the Bene Gesserit voice on the leader of the order, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam. The fear on her face, the way she cowers and says “Abomination!” called to mind an actual Nigerian Reverend Mother and it made me laugh. That scene shows Paul as developing mastery over his powers more of which I am sure we will see more of in Part 3.
A good sci-fi usually has a score that stays with you. Classic example is The Imperial March in Star Wars. I would have loved for that to be the case with Dune- the world humming the score 5 or 10 years down the line. The score does a good job of creating anticipation and maintaining a rumbling intensity throughout the film but that’s all it does. I have to search my brain to recall it. That is not a big issue and it’s definitely not a deal-breaker but the score didn’t move me. It didn’t elicit any strong emotions but the movie itself did. I am invested on an emotional level. I believe in Lisan- Al- Gaib! It had great performances on a large scale. Princess Irulan remained a princess until the very end which I thought was quite cool.
Paul did get to avenge his father’s death but not to my satisfaction to be honest- the emperor was complicit. I love a good ‘exacting of revenge’ story but the revenge didn’t feel complete. I enjoyed what seemed like the swift taking of the Harkonnen forces by the Fremen. The Fremen are good fighters and believe they are on the side of good and righteousness as they are defending their home which has been pillaged and plundered by the Harkonnens for ages. This has always been quite the motivator throughout time and the weapons they now had must have done something for morale. However, I would have liked to see more of a gritty, gory battlefield, but with a 12 rating I guess I got more age appropriate scenes. They were underestimated but showed up and showed out. The great houses have come to fight and the Fremen led by Paul are formidable.
The final fight between Feyd-Rautha and Paul would have felt so much more thrilling if they’d met before, had some kind of encounter and were raring to go at each other. This vicious killer and the prophesied teenage messiah. Feel me? Their fight just sort of happens and it’s anti-climatic for me. That final confrontation should have had more oomph.
Final verdict: With this movie, we get everything- a sci-fi universe with an incredibly told backstory, the fanatical many, a love interest, a saviour and a messiah, a revenge and a re-invention- however reluctant- and a holy war. The plot twists and curve balls are fascinating! It really is a complete film. The movie on its own is a beautiful, powerful experience and I have added the book to my read list. It is visually captivating and definitely an enhancement on Part 1. Denis Villeneuve is a very engaging director and you can see his attention to detail in the visual masterpiece that Dune is. He and his team did a very good job of putting this film together and it is worth your time and money. Definitely see it in the cinemas because it just amplifies the visuals, the fights, the costumes and the all-round ‘epicness’ of the movie. Watch Part 1 again to get you in the spirit of Dune- it’s on Netflix.
Thank you.
