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| Images courtesy of Warner Brothers |
Back in 2021, Denis Villeneuve tried his hand at adapting Dune, the well-loved and famously complex sci-fi novel series by Frank Herbert. Although it was delayed a bit by the pandemic, it garnered favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike and was a box office hit despite its lengthy running time and enigmatic narrative. It was only one part of a more significant tale, and Villeneuve is back again to try to finish the Atreides story arc.
Dune: Part Two (2024) picks up directly after the first film's events: Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) have joined the Fremen of the spice planet Arrakis. They hope the Fremen will accept them and that they will help them fight against House Harkonnen, who betrayed House Atreides in the first film. Paul forges a deeper relationship with Chani (Zendaya), a fierce and independent Fremen fighter who is incredibly devoted to her people and their freedom.
The film's first act is dedicated to Paul's attempts to integrate himself into Freman culture while representing himself as the heir to the Atreides family legacy. At this point, Paul is optimistic and open to change, and he is excited to welcome the Freman's culture into his own. House Atreides only saw spice as a means to immense wealth, but the Fremen used it to further their consciousness and spirituality and gain superhuman powers. A fish-out-of-water aspect is introduced while Paul learns the way of the desert group and gains their respect, and a budding romance develops between himself and Chani.
Religion is one of the main concepts that Dune critiques, and it does so through Paul's hero's journey. In a lesser story, Paul would be "the chosen one" and save everyone through his miraculous actions and selfless disposition. Even further, given that the groups in Dune have parallels with real-life cultures, they could have been trapped in the "white savior" cliche. The Freman have a religion based around prophesies and legends, and Paul conveniently fits into every slot. In this way, the narrative is a subversion of the Hero's Journey, in which the protagonist cannot change his destiny or refuse the call and is tragically exploited by powers outside of his control.
Just as real-life religions share similar origin stories, just told from different perspectives, the Freman religion is filled with ambiguous symbolism that can be applied to many situations. Paul is an easy target to use to manipulate people through misguided faith, and he is also reluctant to be worshipped. Dune asks questions about religious zealotry, messiah complexes, and how it is used to control instead of liberate. Chani is naturally skeptical of the legends and is essentially a humanist who wants her people to overcome the opposition by their will and cooperation alone.
Visually, Dune: Part Two surpasses the first film and establishes a strong style early on with bold colors and striking scene composition. The scenes on Arrakis are warm-toned and easy on the eyes, a mixture of gold, brown, and deep reds, which is contrasted sharply with the cold black-and-white starkness of House Harkonnen. Even though the runtime is longer than the first part, it flies by quickly due to the excellent pacing and increased action. Villeneuve uses the "show, don't tell" technique much more in this outing, avoiding exposition dumps while keeping the narrative streamlined and easy to follow. Hans Zimmer's bombastic musical score is intense and sweeping, and the sound design, in general, will elicit goosebumps at the climatic scenes.
Dune: Part Two ups the ante in every way compared to the first film, and both movies combined form an incredible story of power and tribulation.
--Michelle Kisner