Frank Herbert’s novels from the Dune series are classics of fantasy, which, moreover, in many respects remain unsurpassed even today. The series rests on many complex elements that are closely related to each other. To transfer something like that in the movie format is an almost impossible task. But the first part of “Dune” by Denis Villeneuve showed that you can still find your own cinematic approach to the original source. And now “Dune: Part Two” has reached cinemas. We tell you in our review how this movie turned out.

Pros:

the spirit of epic fiction in every scene; a good script adaptation that will allow almost all viewers to enjoy the film; the incredible directorial style of Villeneuve, which is perfectly combined with the setting of “Dunes”; interesting ideas from the original source

Cons:

there are questions about the choreography and the general staging of the battles; not all worthy moments from the original made it into the adaptation; someone will definitely be bored while watching

8.5/10

Estimated by ITC.ua

“Dune: Part Two” / Dune: Part Two

Genre space fiction
director Denis Villeneuve
In roles Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh
Premiere cinemas
Release year 2024
Site IMDb

The great House of Atreides perished in the first part of “Dune”, but Paul (Timothy Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) managed to escape. Now they survive among the Fremen, who have learned to use the harshness of the deserts of Arakis to their advantage. For some Fremen, Pol has already become the sacred figure of Muad’Dib, who is supposed to make the planet a “Green Paradise” again. The boy is afraid of uncontrolled power, because he has seen what cruel actions the desire for it leads to. But the circumstances are such that only the fanaticism of the people around the surviving Atreides is able to help them achieve their goals and take revenge on the wrongdoers.

Denis Villeneuve as a director is known precisely for his film language, which speaks to the audience not with dialogues, but with visual images. This is best seen in “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049”, in which the aesthetics of all the scenes are the most significant plus and influence on the tonality of the story. At the same time, Villeneuve also tries to be a good storyteller, but it is in traditional stories that he gives some slack.

“Dune: Part Two” is typical Villeneuve and ideological development of the first part in all directions, but this film does not offer anything fundamentally new.

It seems that the director was believed by all the management, the film crew and the audience with critics. So he just did what he does best. Namely, an incredibly beautiful, large-scale, pathetic film, which nevertheless feels a little excessive.

This is partly the fault of the original source, because “Dune” is the most complex work. It deals with many themes and storylines that cannot be fully reproduced in the format of a movie or even a TV series (and there have been such attempts, as we remember). Therefore, fans of the books should be prepared for some creative manifestations of freedom that the creators of the film adaptation allowed themselves. Something did not make it into the film at all, some moments were changed. It does not particularly affect the general emotions, but because of this it is necessary to have.

Script changes had a greater impact on the moral and ideological component of the plot. Dune, as a work of art, has always placed great emphasis on environmental issues. The film has almost no focus. Instead, Villeneuve and screenwriter John Speights bring to the fore the issues of feminism, matriarchy, and religious influence on people’s minds. And they do it exactly in Villeneuve’s style.

And this means that the actions of the characters and the captivating beauty of Arakis speak here more than words. For moviegoers, watching “Dune: Part Two” will be a real holiday, because the film looks incredibly attractive. Villeneuve combines aesthetic minimalism, when only a few objects and silhouettes can be in the frame, with a pathos worthy of the level of the adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (perhaps even exceeding it in some moments).

The general palette of colors and camera techniques here are very restrained, but they are always on point and go straight to the heart. The movie can be viewed and viewed only for the visual component, it will definitely be analyzed and stretched into beautiful arts and wallpapers for devices.

“Dune: Part Two” looks most beautiful precisely in calm, panoramic moments. When it comes to the battle scenes, there are questions about the film. The movie leads to them well, but the actual fights turned out to be too hectic. And individual duels can be criticized for problematic and clumsy choreography.

It is clear that the film is not about battles at all. It is built on the conversations and emotions of the characters (with a skew in the second). Religious motifs occur here in almost all dialogues, and the characters themselves do not hesitate to actively use the terminology of their fictional world. Because of this, it can be a bit difficult for people who are completely unfamiliar with Dune to understand the story. However, the filming team did everything so that even without knowledge of the first part of the movie, you still got your decent level of pleasure.

This pleasure is sublime, almost arrogant, so it will not suit everyone. If you were bored while watching the first part of “Dune” (and there were enough of such viewers, believe me), then the new movie will not change anything here. Boredom may even increase, because watching the entire film in the almost sterile locations of Arakis is not a pleasure for everyone.

However, boredom can be attributed to the spirit of epic fiction that permeates the entire film. It combines perfectly with Villeneuve’s directorial style and forms a film worth watching. The genre of space operas does not often give us something outstanding, but “Dune” as a work of art definitely deserves a decent adaptation. “Dune: Part Two” is that worthy adaptation.

Now we just have to wait for “Dune: Messiah”, in which Villeneuve will adapt Herbert’s second novel. Given the events of the original source, there will be plenty of moments worth appreciating on the big IMAX screen.

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Conclusion:

If you liked the first part of “Dune”, then you will go to the second one without any extra pleas. If not, then giving a chance to the work of Villeneuve is indifferent. This is unique in many aspects of cinema, about almost all the negatives of which you instantly forget when another stunning appearance of Arakis appears on the screen.