Movie: Dune: Part Two

There are many similarities between Dune: Part Two and its predecessor Dune: Part One.

Of course, that’s no surprise given Part Two is a continuation of the famous and influential science fiction book written by Frank Herbert in 1965.

As was the case with the original movie, fans of the book will know what’s going on as, like Part One, director Denis Villeneuve is said to have been faithful to the source material.

Like the first movie those who haven’t read the book maybe a little confused about who is who! For this reason it’s probably a good idea to read a summary of the book and/or watch the 2021 released Part One before seeing this offering.

Not only may this help explain the characters but also Part Two starts where Part One left off with Paul Atreides ( Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) stranded in the desert on the planet Arrakis. The two, members of House Atreides, have just escaped a massacre led by House Harkonnen which has seen Paul’s father and Jessica’s husband and many others murdered.

Control over the mining of precious melange found only on Arrakis, was the reason for the attack.

After the massacre Paul and Jessica decide to join with the Fremen, the desert-dwelling native peoples of Arrakis. While many within the tribe don’t trust the pair, Stilgar (Javier Bardem), the Fremen tribal leader, believes Paul is the promised messiah.

Jessica is a rogue member of Bene Gesserit, a matriarchal order whose members train their physical and mental abilities to get supernatural powers which they use for political and lineage control. She knows that the Fremen religion is a lie planted by the order for their own mysterious long-term purposes, and she uses that lie to protect her son and his claim to be the messiah.

The first half of Dune: Part Two sees Paul proving himself to the Fremen with the help of warrior Chani (Zendaya) whom he has fallen in love with.  This he does by learning to understand the desert, successfully riding a giant sandworm and numerous highly successful guerrilla attacks on the Harkonnen who are trying to destroy Paul and wipe out the Fremen.

Once he gains the support of the Fremen, Paul plots the downfall of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard), the monstrous head of House Harkonnen. Vladimir recruits his psychotic and vicious nephew Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) to kill Paul and ensure that Arrakis’ invaluable spice reserves are secured.

On another planet, the ultimate ruler Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) plots with his daughter Irulan (Florence Pugh) and the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother (Charlotte Rampling) on the future of Arrakis. When it is revealed Shaddam sent the House Atreides to its destruction, Paul is also gunning for him.

Needless to say during the film’s 165 minutes there are numerous fight scenes with lots of impressive and massive explosions, knife fights and dead bodies! The ‘baddies’ are particularly evil with Butler’s Feyd-Rautha leading the way followed closely by Skarsgard’s Baron.

There are also a couple of bizarre moments such as the communication between Jessica and her unborn daughter. No doubt for fans of the book such things make sense!

For this newbie, as was the case with Part One, it’s the stunning cinematography and set designs which impress the most about Dune: Part Two.

Leaving aside the death and destruction those scenes which feature ‘natural beauty,’ including the many desert scenes and the grandeur of the buildings featured, are stunning especially on the large IMAX screen.

Fans may have a chance to see this a third time. Given the ‘loose ends’ at the end of Part Two there’s already talk about a third offering based on Herbert’s Dune Messiah depending on the box office results for Part Two. Given the reaction of the fans to this movie a third offering would seem just about assured.

Dune: Part Two is now playing a cinemas around Australia.

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