Dune 2 – A Spicy ‘Must-See’ Experience

Image sourced from gq-magazine.com

For many sci-fi fans, the wait for director Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune Part: Two” was unbearable – but now is finally over. 

In 2021, “Dune (Part One)” earned box office receipts of a whopping $434.8 million, easily turning a profit on its budget of $165 million. Within its first six days after release, Part Two has already hauled in nearly half of Part One’s total, breaking $200 million – a clear success. 

It’s no surprise that Part Two has made such a splash. The movie explores the journey of Duke Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he learns the way of the Fremen while living in the harsh deserts of Arrakis. He is taught their spiritual beliefs by Stilgar (Javier Bardem), a Fremen chief who believes Paul is the Lisan al-Gaib, the Fremen’s prophesied Messiah – and is taught how to become a Fedaykin warrior by Chani (Zendaya).

With these companions, Paul begins to learn more about life on Arrakis and the terrible maltreatment the Fremen faced from the Harkonnens. He then helps the Fremen by seeking justice for the massacres the Imperium caused, while learning more about himself than he really wanted to.

Many viewers can agree that the cinematography, soundtrack and acting for this latest is far more than impressive. Chalamet once again rocks the theater audience with his incredible portrayal of Paul, and Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica also leaves it in awe. The imagery and music come together to send chills down the spine of every person present.

That said, the storyline could have been much better. Throughout the movie, there are plot points that can be missed in the blink of an eye. In the original Dune books, these plot points are far more thoroughly explained, and while I understand that book adaptations for the screen will need to leave some information out, I feel like the omissions are extremely important. 

I certainly ended up becoming rather confused the first time I watched Part Two, though I was able to understand a bit better the second time.

There is no denying the new release can be very confusing. At a long 2 hours and 46 minutes, it surpasses its predecessor by 11 minutes, and while Part One packed every second with information that was explained very thoroughly, this sequel doesn’t leave much time for explanations, trying to fit too much into too short of a runtime.

I think it would have been much better if the movie’s makers had stuck a little closer to the book and not strayed too far into their own plotlines. The book lovers will definitely be disappointed. Still, I do have faith that was has been harmed can be healed, if “Dune: Part Three” focuses a little bit more on making sure viewers understand the plot.

Despite being a bit confusing, many extremely entertaining and enjoyable moments make Part Two a must-see combination of culture, combat, and comedy.