Dune: Part Two
Honestly … it’s pretty spectacular.
There have been many - failed at worst and weird at best - attempts to bring “Dune” to the big screen. Over the years filmmakers have found it near impossible to capture just how vast and intense the world of Arrakis is. It is no small task trying to emulate the planet’s beautiful but deadly desert landscape, or the sheer brutality of the Harkonnens.
Moreover, the political lore and consistent internal monologues are relatively dense. This has ultimately made it more challenging for previous filmmakers to accurately represent the dynamic interplay of events and motivations.
Denis Villeneuve has successfully broken this streak of poor adaptations. His main reasoning behind separating “Dune” into distinct parts was to create an accurate, authentic live action retelling of the beloved sci-fi classic novel by Frank Herbert. By allowing the narrative extra time to unfold, Villeneuve creates enough space for fleshing out important details and providing necessary context. This not only intensifies the action, but also makes the story that much more interesting to take in amidst the truly stunning cinematography.
Speaking of cinematography, let’s just go ahead and state the obvious. This film is absolutely gorgeous. Potentially more so than its counterpart. The harsh grays and darker tones ever present in the first installment, are replaced by the stunning deep yellow and golden undertones of the Arrakis Desert. The drastic change in color palette does an excellent job symbolizing the tonal shift between the first and second half of the overall story being told. Also, this creative decision further validates Villeneuve's decision to split the narrative between two films.
This transition to showcasing the bold, vibrant colors of the desert additionally serves to represent the evolution of protagonist Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet). In “Part Two,” Paul begins to reconcile the implications of his increasing prominence amongst the Fremen on Arrakis. As he becomes more invested in Fremen culture, Paul begins to uncover the extent of Bene Gesserit influence on Arrakis. Meanwhile, the stakes continue to rise as the unyielding Harkonnen oppression brings the mounting tensions to a boiling point.
What makes “Dune” so compelling is undoubtedly the relationships between the various characters. In “Part Two” specifically, we get to learn so much more about the mindset and motivations of the major players. Villeneuve masterfully integrates key aspects and information established in “Part One,” with the more action-driven story progression that takes place in this movie.