This triumphant second part of the franchise develops the characters with poignant stories about family, love, power and honor as deep as the desert sand. Despite the celebrated cast, Timothée Chalamet, as Paul Atreides, comes of age as an actor playing the Chosen One going through trial-by-fire to lead a rebellion over control of the planet’s powerful element, Spice. Be familiar with the characters and their names as they often have more than one moniker.
Based on the award-winning sci-fi novel, Dune, by Frank Herbert, Director Denis Villeneuve sews threads together better this time. He executes his grand vision with stunning stark natural settings, juxtaposed with futuristic wasp-like aircraft. Add finely crafted combat choreography, all in a well-paced, coherent 2 hour and 45 minute epic that is also a love story. Hans Zimmer has done it again. His dramatic score majestically elevates every scene. If you see this film in Dolby or IMax, you just might feel it in your seat.
Paul and his mother, strong widow Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), are trying to evade the evil Harkonnens by joining the indigenous Fremen in a rebellion on Arrakis. Lady Jessica, still grieving her husband’s death, is carrying his child. She has an unusual connection with the baby in her womb. She becomes the Reverend Mother after drinking the water of life which nearly kills her , but gives her a special connection with her unborn child. Ferguson’s makeup looks mystical ensconced with a beautifully tattooed face.
Paul has befriended Chani (Zendaya) and their mutual affection has grown. Zendaya had a small role at the end if the first film where their relationship started. Some felt cheated having to wait for more of their relationship. Here, it is finally expanded as Chani becomes Paul’s confidante and lover, but there are complications.
Javier Bardem is both powerful and funny as the Fremen warrior, Stilgar, becoming the young man’s desert mentor. Believing the prophecy about a mother and son destined to lead them, Stilgar teaches this outsider how to stay alive in the unforgiving desert and not only deal with the enormous sandworms, but ride like a cowboy. Villeneuve makes the process of mounting and riding literally devour the screen. You don’t see as many of these creatures in this film, the director gives them a grand entrance emerging from the sand.
Villeneuve understands that great heroes need equally evil villains. The oozing, grotesquely large villain from the fitst film, Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) again surfaces sllmy from his oily bath. His nephews Glossu Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista) and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) round out the murderous clan. Bautista is weak in a role that didn’t give him much to work with.
But Butler proves he can turn from a rock ’n’ roll idol into a frightening- looking character. His makeup alone is horrifying, with piercing sunken eyes, a black mouth, and bald head. He has no eyebrows, but the makeup department wasn’t allowed shave them off because Butler needed his own eyebrows for the role in his next film. Here, he had to wear a bald cap to covers own eyebrows to get his slick persona. To create the huge Harkonnen army, however, many hundreds of other eyebrows had to be shaved.
Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck is also strong in his recurring role as the ally who taught Paul hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship. They have a bond. He is right there to support his student in battle. Both Chalamet and Butler get to show off their acting, action ability and martial arts training. Villeneuve choreographs their fight scenes with expert choreography. It seemed that the frame rate is sped up for a more exciting spectacle. These scenes, shooting from specific angles with tight closeups to bring you into the fight.
Several characters fill out the storyline. Christopher Walken appears as the Emperor who was leading the war against the Fremen and Chalamet. Florence Pugh plays his daughter in a striking metal cowl and tunic. And we see Anna Taylor-Joy looking mysterious in a quick tease portending what’s to come.
Even with all the stunning visuals, it began to drag around an hour and a half. Within a few scenes Villeneuve managed to draw us back in and keep our attention. Chalamet’s slight frame is strong enough to carry this film and make us care about the stakes over the battle to possess and controller this most powerful element, Spice. Villeneuve aptly weaves the disparate threads of family, power, mysticism, religion, politics, and love in this second part of a strikingly visual film. Climb into the sandbox for this one.
Warner Bros. 2 hours 46 minutes PG-13
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