Dune: Part Two

What The Empire Strikes Back is to A New Hope, Dune: Part Two is to the previous film. In short, it's a perfectly natural sequel that doesn't suffer from the infamous ills of second parts, but continues to develop the story, stretching it out to unexpected breadth and depth, and from the opening scene gives the impression that last time it was just a set-up of pieces on a chessboard and a few tentative but thoughtful moves, but the real game only begins now. Stunning is probably the word that describes Dune: Part Two in every possible way. The elaborate script, the breathtaking desert scenery in particular, the believability, the palpability, the actors and actresses who just really are those characters. Even those unfamiliar with the source material will easily understand what makes Herbert's work special when they see all the unexpected turns the plot takes. Special mention must again go to Hans Zimmer, who probably hasn't composed anything decent since the last Dune because he was working on the second part. As was the case with the last film, I now have no choice but to believe that I will see the next installment(s), because all those ajar doors and gates are just so very tempting. (02/29/2024)

A wonderfully hypnotic and transcendent grandiose work of epic proportions that finally satisfied me to the fullest. To be honest I was very skeptical, because I didn’t like the first part very much; it was extremely slow for my taste, slightly uninteresting, it lacked any memorable wow scene (there are several here), that would make me want to watch the movie again sometime, and the action scenes were a real bummer (especially the shields, which looked like cheesy CGI effects from SyFy, really bad in contrast to the world, which looks visually stunning). Thankfully, Denis Villeneuve himself realized this and the shields are kept to a minimum, almost non-existent. The second episode had me glued to my seat right from the start, it's simply more rewarding to watch and it deals with more interesting things. I did enjoy all the customs and traditions of the Fremen (there is a lot of inspiration from the Arab world here: names, costumes, religion, but I really liked that here). Audiovisually, it's flawless, the Greig Fraser/Hans Zimmer connection is very effective, all the huge monuments, machines, worms are hypnotically captivating, and the music is wonderfully ear-splitting and chill-inducing. The Harkonnens are also perfect, their world and traditions are nicely dark and twisted, and the entrance of Austin Butler is brilliant (though he doesn't appear until halfway through the film and doesn't get as much space). Timothée Chalamet's transformation into the leader is believable and (every speech where he roars is great), the chemistry with Zendaya works too – especially at the end it had a strong emotional impact on me and the final epic battle could have been longer but was satisfying. (maybe they hired a new choreographer, because the fights are much better, though I wish it was R-rated). I'm glad I finally lost myself in Dune, albeit for the second time, but even that counts. I enjoyed every minute of it in the cinema, and the last time was with Poor Things, which is a different genre. I'm really looking forward to the third installment, with the addition of my favourite Anya Taylor Joy (a cast of the most talented young actors together!!). (03/04/2024)

With a bit of exaggeration, you could say of this colossal film it is about the USSR fighting the Arabs for oil and the Americans pulling the strings. Dune: Part Two is the pinnacle of modern big screen in every way. From the engaging storytelling, to the sound design, the fantastic sets, the visual effects, the sound and Hans Zimmer's beauty. Hands down, this a brilliant job by the filmmakers and the actors. A monumental epic that for years was considered unfilmable has succeeded for the second time. Everybody says it can't be done, until somebody does it. And that somebody is Denis Villeneuve. The event of the year – the riding of the worm and the duel between Chalamet and Butler are absolute cinematic delights. And the whiners who will complain about the final third and who knows what else are not worth addressing. (03/09/2024)

Impressive scale, a strong story that goes brutally against all modern trends and a young cast in top form (Austin Butler is demonic). It looks gorgeous, the polished design (a black and white planet!) where they paid attention to every detail surpasses the benchmark first film in places, and Hans Zimmer has taken the score to an even higher level. I liked the first part of Dune a bit more, though. It was more meditative and fresh. Here we're playing it safe and the cinemas are bursting at the seams. SPOILERS: It's interesting that a film about a colonizer who infiltrates a terrorist organization of religious fanatics and declares Jihad (it's interesting that they avoid that label) on the entire world order to avenge the death of his father gets this kind of space. Prophetic? We shall see. Denis Villeneuve has been mum about the third installment so far, and he's doing well because the leap to Savior is huge. Much more personal and the scale is smaller. The ending is bleak. (03/03/2024)

I can't deny Villeneuve's amazing ability to create captivating images and materialize fantastic book worlds, but Herbert's "Dune" with giant worms and a strange combination of spaceships and medieval society equipped with cutting weapons always seemed dysfunctional to me. I just can't immerse myself in that world, I can't enjoy it, and I'm not able to appreciate it. Unfortunately, Denis Villeneuve did not use his talent for dozens of other titles of science fiction literature, on which the genre is built. Something like "Roadside Picnic" in Villeneuve's rendition would be an irresistible treat. Overall impression: 60%. (03/11/2024)