Dune: Part Two is directed by Denis Villeneuve, director of Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Prisoners (2013), Sicario (2015), and Dune (2021). The second part of the live-action adaption of the novel created in 1965 by Frank Herbert, resumes the story of Paul Atreides right where it broke off. Played by Timothee Chalamet, Paul has to decide between the love of his life and the fate of the universe.
Chani, played by Zendaya, plays a prominent part in the movie, contrary to the first part. Her contradictory nature is exhibited greatly through Zendaya’s performance. The profundity of her character’s arc is evident from the start of the movie to the end. Nonetheless, the actor who stole every scene he was in was Austin Butler, who delivered an Oscar-worthy performance. His character, Feyd-Rautha, struck fear in the hearts of the audience. When he emerged on the big screen, one felt the tension of the scene with his character being the primary reason. His performance makes me reminisce about the late Heath Ledger’s performance of Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). The presence exerted by both actors in their respective films was menacing and memorable. Nevertheless, the only problem presented by Austin’s character was his lack of screen time. If the character was presented with a few more moments, he’d undoubtedly have been more memorable, but due to the amount of things going on in the movie, it’s completely reasonable.
Timothee Chalamet in the role of Paul Atreides was one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. Towards the end of the movie, one could see Chalamet’s acting range. His presence, just like Butler’s, was almost unparalleled whenever he was the main focus. That is because the writing that was put in Paul Atreides’ character is unfathomable. From the beginning of the movie, the audience is uncertain as to where his character will go, and this uncertainty carries with them towards the 2nd half of the movie. However, when you reach that 2nd half, you’re left shocked by what you have witnessed. The character development of Paul Atreides will be talked about over the years.
The cinematography of this movie is outlandish. Past movies created by Denis Villeneuve also exhibited a high level of cinematography, but in Dune: Part Two, he incorporates all the lessons of his past works into this one masterpiece of a shot film Multiple shots in the film could be hung up in your local grocery store. Once again, the story of this movie is incredible, and that is not surprising considering the source material in which it came from. The pacing is also consistent and not overbearing, which was a great thing considering the slow pacing that Villeneuve usually has in his movies.
Overall, Dune: Part 2 is inevitably going to go down in history as one of the greatest films of all time. The evolution of Sci-Fi films is the main reason why this movie was made to perfection, contrary to what David Lynch failed to achieve in 1984 due to the lack of technology available. So, grab your parents or your friends, because this rollercoaster of a movie is a must-watch. On my rankings, putting into consideration the acting, plot, cinematography, and characters I give this movie a 9.1 and I’d certainly watch it again.
