With “Dune: Part Two,” visionary filmmaker Denis Villeneuve resolves the biggest complaint about his visually sumptuous but incomplete 2021 adaptation of the classic sci-fi epic. feature — mostly. This time, he proffers an honest-to-goodness ending, even if it, too, teases even more chicanery and planetary conflict ahead. (Villeneuve has said he envisions this “Dune” series as a big-screen trilogy.)
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and focus on “Dune: Part Two,” which opens March 1 and has already been screened for critics. My advice: rewatch the first chapter before seeing this more creatively, narratively and technically ambitious epic. It picks up right after the first film, and is available on Netflix, Max, and other services.
Indeed, “epic” best describes what Villeneuve and his team have crafted, an instant sci-fi classic that respects author Frank Herbert’s intentions and themes (faith, hero worship, colonization, the corruption of power), and re-creates some of the 1965 novel’s most iconic moments. And it has the audacity to imagine all of it better than any diehard fan could — a rare occurrence, and one reason why this “Dune” is one of the best sci-fi films ever made.
Case in point is a thrilling sequence wherein the story’s protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) rides atop sandworms as if he’s parasailing on the desert planet of Arrakis. It’s pure movie magic, an exhilarating rollercoaster ride that fills viewers with child-like wonder and awe and is on par with what movie magician Christopher Nolan conceived with those folding, interacting worlds in “Inception.”
The first film was a work of art, and so is this one, with a screenplay from Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts that spices things up by moving characters like chess pieces to more strategic positions in this world. The key chess piece is Paul Atreides, who is seeking some payback against those who killed his dad, villains who also happen to the oppressors and profiteers on the spice-rich Arrakis.
Chalamet proves here he’s an actor with range, as Paul and his strong-willed mother Jessica (the accomplished Rebecca Feguson) assume commanding roles in the lives of the Fremen, the land’s Indigenous people. Some see Paul as their messiah and most see Jessica as their Reverend Mother, titles these outsiders don’t feel entirely comfortable wearing — at least at the start.
One who doesn’t back Paul is indeed the “Muad’Dib” is Stilgar (Javier Bardem, robustly providing much of the comic relief), a showman himself who has earned the respect and clout of others. The skeptic remains Chani (Zendaya, giving a fiery and complex performance), a fearless Fremen who’s drawn to Paul but reluctant to see him as a savior. She’s suspicious of any outsider given that so many have preyed on their land. It’s one of the themes that resonates most forcefully in this sequel.
Meanwhile, Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken, a fine choice), his more-with-it daughter Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and Imperial Truthsayer Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling, icy as ever) scheme ahead. They’re aligned on a quest to stomp out revolt with the grotesque Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and his homicidally inclined nephew Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler, slithering with evil). Other indelible characters return, including the cowboy-like Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin, in fine form) and brawny fury magnet Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista, flexing his acting chops).
It’s a huge cast of characters to deal with, and that’s one reason why “Dune: Part Two” — which needs to be viewed on a big screen with the best sound possible — clocks in at 2 hours, 46 minutes, and leaves plenty for a third installment.
It’s a credit to the cast for managing to create indelible characters even if their screen time is limited. But this is Villeneuve’s showstopper from start to finish, as he weaves together cogent, timeless themes that pertain to blind faith, savior syndrome, stripping planets of their resources and power tugs of war – to name a relevant few.
“Dune: Part Two ” juggles all of that with precision and slam-bang skill and action, giving equal credence to the spectacle, the characters and the special effects. “Dune: Part Two” imagines it all with gusto and grandiosity, worming its way next to 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” as a staggering, monumental achievement in genre filmmaking that pushes the boundaries of what genre filmmaking can and should do.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com
‘DUNE: PART TWO’
4 out of 4 stars
Rating: PG-13 (some strong violence, suggestive material, strong language)
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Running time: 2 hours, 46 minutes
Where: Opens Thursday in some Bay Area theaters, and expands on Friday
