“Dune: Part Two” Movie Review

After months of a blockbuster release calendar as barren as the Arrakis desert, “Dune: Part Two” roars into theaters this weekend like a giant worm erupting from spicy sands. Directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, this is a truly colossal achievement in tentpole filmmaking, a thrilling space opera that combines provocative themes about fundamentalism and what happens to those who wield power with gobsmacking visuals.

Adapting the second half of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel, “Dune: Part Two” begins where its predecessor left off. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet, dreamy as ever) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, steely as ever) are shepherded to safety by Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and his fellow Fremen – a population native to Arrakis. There is tumult within the community as some believe Paul and Jessica to be the embodiment of a prophecy about a mother and son who will bring peace to the planet. But others don’t buy it – including Chani (Zendaya, with a perpetually furrowed brow), a young woman who nevertheless develops feelings for Paul.

Paul, who claims he’s not seeking power, learns the ways of the Fremen. See: a stunning sequence where he rides a gargantuan sandworm. He orchestrates a series of raids against House Harkonnen, dismantling their spice production. Spice is a fuel source, but it’s also used by the Fremen as a psychedelic that gives the user precognition. The head of House Harkonnen, Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård, doing his best Jabba the Hutt impression), is none too pleased with this disruption. He worked hard for his position – in “Part One,” he decimated House Atreides to get it. So Vladimir dispatches his nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler in full-on psycho mode) to squash the insurgents. Meanwhile, Jessica, endowed with special abilities thanks to a religious order called the Bene Gesserit, has her own designs for Paul.

The biggest knock against the first film was that it only presented half a story. I liked “Part One” very much, but viewers can look forward to resolution in “Part Two”…and a few teases for future storylines. (Villeneuve has expressed interest in adapting Herbert’s second novel in the series, “Dune Messiah.”) Another criticism of “Part One” was its dour tone. (Did people see Jason Momoa’s swashbuckling Duncan Idaho? The name alone!) Here, we get a healthy dose of levity from Bardem’s Stilgar, a man who believes so fully that Paul is the savior of Arrakis that it’s as though he were next in line for “Monty Python’s Life of Brian.” Fanaticism can be funny…until it isn’t.

Villeneuve came under fire for recent comments about not liking dialogue in film, calling it a corruption by television. It’s hard to argue that television hasn’t had an influence on the industry – if not through dialogue, certainly through visuals. Today, movies are often shot in close-ups and mediums for viewers who watch on TVs, tablets or – dare I say it – phones. Few and far between are the directors who can still show the value of the big screen experience. “Dune: Part Two” might be the biggest movie of the 21st century that wasn’t directed by Peter Jackson. There are sights to behold, but Villeneuve adopts a human perspective, staging those sights at a distance if that’s where his characters are, which makes the world feel tactile and expansive. (Don’t worry, there are plenty of money shots that’ll leave your mouth agape, such as when an army has a close encounter of the sandworm kind.) Another strategy the director employs is putting his characters next to all manner of massive spacecraft only to cut to an even wider shot, showing how small that craft really is against the landscapes of Arrakis or one of those hungry, hungry sandworms (coming this spring from Milton Bradley).

Key collaborators from the previous film return – cinematographer Greig Fraser, production designer Patrice Vermette, costume designer Jacqueline West, editor Joe Walker, and composer Hans Zimmer. All do exemplary work. I appreciate how both movies look and feel distinctive in a marketplace saturated with science fiction and fantasy. I especially like Zimmer’s work. He delivers a thrumming, theater-rattling score (literally in the case of my IMAX screening), but his love theme for Paul and Chani is quiet and swoon-worthy. It’s quite the change of pace for a composer known for bombast.

Christopher Nolan likened “Dune: Part Two” to “The Empire Strikes Back.” I think that comparison could set folks up for disappointment, but both are second chapters that take a decidedly dark turn. “Empire,” famously, features startling revelations about its main villain that complicate matters for its hero. In “Dune: Part Two,” there are startling developments with its hero that complicate matters for, well, the audience. I don’t want to delve into spoilers, but the journey Paul goes on is disturbing, particularly for a film with this price tag. And Chalamet – an actor I don’t normally associate with intensity – is up to the challenge.

Speaking of Nolan, last year’s “Oppenheimer” was a bulwark for a blockbuster that seemed to have all but died out – a director-driven project intended for adults. “Dune: Part Two” is another such film. May the assured success of Villeneuve’s latest ensure many more films that are as ambitious and exciting as they are unsettling. Long live the fighters.

What are your thoughts on “Dune: Part Two?”