Dune Part Two: Movie Review

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Stellan Skarsgaard, Austin Butler, Josh Brolin

Director: Denis Villeneuve

The second part of director Denis Villeneuve's space opera take on Dune is an endurance in more ways than one.

But a visually stupendous one, make no mistake about that.

Continuing the adventures of Paul Atreides (Chalamet) as he joins the growing resistance fight on Arrakis with the Fremen tribe who are fighting back against the House of Harkonnen, Dune Part Two is more about spectacle than narrative.

Character beats and nuanced storytelling are dropped in favour of visuals and world-building, showing Villeneuve is moving more towards silent film than anything heavy with dialogue or deep emotional resonance. 

Perhaps for the world of Dune that is no bad thing at all, but for those less ensconced in Frank Herbert's mind-bending book, Dune Part Two is nothing short of an at times tedious FX-fest filled with largely faceless characters or one note antagonists.

Rid of anything like a recap, the second film begins with the aftermath of a genocide and continues a very slow and inexorably languid pace toward no real kind of resolution; it is the very definition of a second set-up movie, coming on the back of a very successful first film that introduced strands before ending on no sign of conclusion. While that's no bad thing for those engaged in this world, it does mean the experience of the second film teeters dangerously close to frustration for casual audiences.

Yet there are some vicarious pleasures to be had by those just after spectacle. Villeneuve's penchant for visual mastery is well showcased here, with scenes of gravity-defying soldiers, stark monochromatic Gladiator-like conflicts and the all around fetishisation of stark imagery contributing to make Dune: Part Two a visual spectacle the likes of which are seldom seen - or indulged - on the big screen. A slippery snake-like Ferguson and a playfully comedic Bardem make for great bedfellows in their respective story arcs, with Ferguson's ascension into religious fervour delivering plenty of Oedipal undertones for future installments.

But there are equally frustrations within too - Dave Bautista's character, once integral to initial proceedings, is now reduced to a simply growling man unhappy at his lot; Zendaya's Chani character, almost pivotal in parts, is reduced to glowering in the back half of the film, her petulance and anger etched painfully across her face - and even Chalamet's Messianic yet somehow flat Paul Atreides appears to massively volte face in a rushed denouement to the 166 minute movie.

There's nothing new here said about religion, prophesies or false prophets; nothing new about colonisation and oppression or radicalisation - it's all well etched out in front of viewers, but reduced to complement a series of bursts of action and bombastic Hans Zimmer score.

Visually, Dune Part Two is an ocean of imagery, welcoming for audiences to drink in; but narratively, it is as dry and arid as the sand-dune laden wastelands of Arrakis. 

Whether that's enough for a third part to be commissioned isn't in doubt - and while the smorgasbord of FX, battles and bombast will likely pull in great audience numbers, unless the scope is widened for more emotional heft, the Dune franchise is in real danger of becoming an epic visual feast but an ongoing cinematic slog.