The Thoughts Must Flow
Dune: Part Two is the best science fiction film since the last one, but probably better.
I can remember the exact moment that I became a Dune fan.
The year was 2000, and the Sci-Fi Channel (seen nowadays as the significantly dumbed down Syfy) was advertising a new miniseries based on a supposedly classic science fiction novel that know-it-all fifteen year old Josh had never heard of. On the night the show premiered, I sat down with my mom, eager to find out was so great about this previously unheard of (to me) science fiction mainstay. Being a lifelong Star Wars fan, it might have been fated to play out this way, but I was immediately hooked.
Everything about this fantastical world was mesmerizing to me: from it’s intergalactic feudalist society that de-emphasized advanced technology, to the reluctant hero who is hesitant to embrace his destiny because he can foresee the turmoil he will bring to the galaxy. Not to mention the sinister and grotesque villains, volatile disputes resolved at knifepoint, and (of course) the omnipresent threat of being swallowed by titanic sandworms at any given moment. It didn’t take long for me to acquire the book, and it took even less time for me to devour it.
Three years later, Sci-Fi Channel was back with Children of Dune, which combined the two succeeding books in the Dune Chronicles into a single miniseries. While not as compelling, and infinitely more bizarre, it was nonetheless a worthy follow up that served to draw me even deeper into the Dune universe (or, the Duniverse, as it were). While it would be well over a decade before there was another adaptation, I would learn in the intervening years about David Lynch’s infamous 1984 film, which I have thus far refused to watch.
Fast forward to 2024, where I’m sitting in a darkened theater in coastal South Carolina, eagerly awaiting Dune: Part Two to begin; far removed from the living room of the house where I grew up in Northern Virginia, and was first exposed to Dune nearly a quarter century ago. I don’t really get overly excited about new movies these days, as evidenced by the fact I haven’t been to a movie theater since the waning days of 2021 to see No Time to Die with Mrs. Has Thoughts (
), but I’m tingling with anticipation. Denis Villeneuve is arguably the second best science fiction director of the modern era (Christopher Nolan FTW!), and he knocked it out of the park with his 2021 adaptation of roughly the first half of the novel.Dune: Part Two begins with a tense, visually stunning set piece as Paul and Jessica Atreides, the presumed lone survivors of the Harkonnen massacre, attempt to evade a relentless search party. Right from the opening scene, this movie thunders across the screen with white-knuckle action, staggering visual compositions, dramatic character moments, and uniformly excellent performances from an immaculate cast throughout. While the first installment was no doubt a triumph, especially during a time when the film industry was reeling from the collateral damage of the COVID shutdowns, Villeneuve brings all of his filmmaking strengths and technical prowess to bear in this masterstroke of a sequel.
As much as I could sing the praises of Dune: Part Two all day long, I do (of course I do!) have a few criticisms. My biggest gripe is the significant alteration of Chani’s character arc/role. In the novel, she is Paul’s Fremen paramour, and encourages him to follow whatever path he thinks is necessary to emerge victorious. However, in the movie, while she still fulfills the role of being his confidant, Chani is more hostile to Paul’s perceived destiny and actively discourages him, which leaves her character in a much different place than in the book by film’s end. I suppose this is an attempt to create additional drama and conflict, but there’s already so much of that going on, it just comes off as a shallow change to one of the novel’s core characters. At any rate, it will be interesting to see how they resolve Chani’s story in the all but guaranteed third movie.
A few other minor complaints:
Due to the truncated timeline, the pacing and plotting feels a bit haphazard leading up to an otherwise explosive (literally) and thrilling finale.
Several characters are underutilized, most notably Dave Bautista’s Glossu “Beast” Rabban and Christopher Walken’s Padishah Emperor.
- mentions in his less enthusiastic review that the Harkonnen’s casual violence against slaves (specifically those of the feminine persuasion) left a bad taste in his mouth, and I have to agree. It was over the top and unnecessary, even for villains possessing a flair for cruelty and barbarism.
Personal quibbles aside, Dune: Part Two is an extraordinary masterpiece. It is about as close as modern filmgoers can hope to get to experiencing the Lord of the Rings trilogy on the big screen for the first time all over again.
And, when it comes to me and my Thoughts™, there really is no higher praise that I could possibly articulate.
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Given the scope of the book, I think the films did a great job of showing what they could. Would I have picked different scenes to omit or include? Probably, but not too many. Dune(s) is/are definitely one of the best sci-fi movies ever made.
Loved reading through this, and loved watching the movie. I have to agree that Dave Bautista could have done with some more screen time (even though I have no idea where they would've fit him in). I thought he pulled off his character really well and (whilst I understand why) I was a little disappointed when they got rid of him. I don't think I've seen anyone else mention it, to be honest, so I'm glad I've got at least one other person to share that feeling with