Dune: Part Two
2024
*****
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem
While he plots vengeance on the people who destroyed his family, Paul Atreides learns the way of the Fremen, many of whom believe he is the prophesied messiah who will lead them to freedom and salvation. Dune: Part One was a stunning science fiction epic that managed to do justice to its difficult source material. Part Two covers the second half of the first book in Frank Herbert's Dune Chronicles. It has fewer characters to introduce and less worldbuilding to get through, which is all for the better. If the first film was an incredible cinematic spectacle, now Denis Villeneuve turns the knobs to 11. Everything looks and sounds immaculate. The performances are excellent and Paul (also known as Usul, Muad'Dib, Lisan al-Gaib, and Kwisatz Haderach) remains an incredibly complex and intriguing protagonist. Whether he is good or evil, and what his true motivations and aspirations are, remain to be seen in possible future sequels.
