By Jamil Weeks

Not even two months into 2024 and we already have a movie of the year contender. Do not read the title and think blasphemy. Over the past 10 years, Denis Villeneuve has emerged as one of the most brilliant filmmakers of our time, alongside Christopher Nolan. With cinematic masterpieces such as Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve has been behind some of the greatest films of the 21st century. His films leave no stone unturned in terms of delivering the ultimate movie theater experience. Acting, sound design, story, cinematography, score, visual effects, costume design, etc. Villeneuve’s current triumph is the sequel to 2021’s Dune Part One, with Dune Part Two. The three-year wait was well worth it as Part Two picks up where the previous film left off. With an all star cast, consisting of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Dave Bautista, Florence Pugh, and Christopher Walken, Villeneuve has ensembled the Hollywood equivalent of the 1992 Dream Team. While the more subdued previous film introduced us to the mythology surrounding the Dune franchise, the sequel builds upon this mythology as we follow the ascendance of our main character, Paul Atreides (played by Chalamet), in the ongoing feud between House Atreides and House Harkonnen over control of the spices found on the planet Arrakis. With House Atreides decimated in the first film at the hands of the evil, deceitful Baron Harkonnen, played by Skarsgård, Paul has joined the native inhabitants of Arakkis, the freman, to learn their ways.

Part Two is a blend of Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Shakespearian plays. With help from the freman, Paul learns how to navigate the harsh terrains of the Arrakis desert. Slowly he starts to win over the freman, and the heart of one key freman, Chani played by Zendaya. The budding love story between Paul and Chani is the heart of Part Two as Chani takes Paul under her wing to teach him the ways of the freman. The dreams Paul had of Chani from Part One begin to come into fruition. The undeniable connection between the two characters is evident with every onscreen moment. Chani goes from viewing Paul as a little kid to falling desperately in love with him as his leadership skills are put to the test through the events of the film. You root for a happy ending for the pair, but ever present is a looming sense of doom that the never-ending quarrel from the Harkonnens will threaten this union.

Paul’s path to fulfilling the prophecy of leading the freman and last remnants of the House of Atreides to annihilate the Harkonnens starts by convincing the freman he is the Mahdi, the one who will lead them to paradise. The freman put Paul through a series of tests that measure Paul’s courage and judgement before they accept him as one of them. With some convincing from Stilgar, played by Bardem, the freman gradually become convinced that Paul is the Lisan al Gaib, or the off-world messiah. While Part One introduces you to the freman, Part Two plunges you into their world as you are introduced to new freman characters. An example is a freman fighter played by Rand Faris, who symbolized the faction of the freman who are skeptical of Paul being the Mahdi. Another notable new freman character is leader, Shishakli (played by Souheila Yacoub), in a gender-swapped role from the same character in the book.

The freman are not the only new characters established in Part Two. We are finally introduced to the emperor alluded to in the previous film, better known as Emperor Shaddam IV (played by Walken). In Part Two, through the emperor and his daughter, Princess Irulan (played by Pugh), their alliance with the Harkonnens that led to the massacre of the House of Atreides in Part One is unraveled throughout the story. One of the scariest figures introduced in Part Two is Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, played by Austin Butler. Feyd-Rautha is the youngest nephew to Baron and is described in the film as a pure psychopath. Feyd-Rautha kills without any sort of emotion and on a whim, heightening the suspense of each scene in which his character appears due to his deadly unpredictability. One last newcomer to the Villeneuve Dune franchise is Léa Seydoux, who plays another Bene Gesserit, Lady Margot, a character close to the emperor. Lady Margot plays a small but crucial role in Part Two as she exerts her control and influence over the Harkonnens from the shadows. Rather it is the returning stars or the newcomers, the acting is stellar across the board from the entire cast, outside of Dave Bautista who spends the majority of his screentime frantically screaming at his soldiers. Under Villeneuve’s direction, each character is fleshed out as you understand their motivations that drive the story and intensifies the more suspenseful moments in the film. Each character plays their role perfectly, rather it be incredibly menacing like Feyd-Rautha, or Paul and Chani being completely believable as a young couple enamored with each other in each scene with their electric chemistry, making the actors in Part Two one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory.

Even more impressive than the entertainment of the film are the technical aspects of Part Two. Villeneuve and cinematographer, Greig Fraser (Rogue One, Vice, The Batman), reunite from the first film to provide some of the most beautifully shot scenes you will ever witness in a motion picture. Each movie frame is rich with intricate detail. Legendary composer, Hans Zimmer, creates another memorable score for the film that is both beautiful and haunting given the action taking place within each scene. The visual effects are so good in this film that you can barely tell if there are CGI effects or green screen. Arrakis and the war that takes place on the planet look and feel real, even though it is obvious a fictional place with fictional events. Villeneuve effortlessly blends practical and special effects the way Spielberg used to in the 80’s and 90’s. The scope of the film is immense with grandiose wide shots of the desert and the Harkonnen army marching (reminiscent of Nazi rallies). The immersive sound design places the audience directly amid the action during the war set pieces.

One word best describes Part Two: escalation. Escalation in terms of the depth of the characters, the mythology, the action, and the stakes. Even in the way the movie is shot, with Villeneuve shooting the entire film in IMAX to capture the massive scale of the story. Villeneuve’s sequel perfectly builds upon the first film where the world of Dune was set up. Part Two serves as a revenge tale as Paul embarks on a quest to avenge the death of his father and his people as the conflict with the Harkonnens continues to mount. With this surge in the centuries-old dispute, Paul undergoes trials and tribulations in his quest to convince himself and the freman he is this messiah-like figure that will become a great leader. Chalamet takes his character to new places emotionally as this escalating feud takes its toll mentally on him, which is a part of his character’s growth into becoming the leader he is destined to be. While his growth may feel somewhat rushed, Chalamet’s superb acting sells his character’s evolution as a leadership figure amongst the freman in moving scenes where he delivers William Wallace-like speeches. Compared to the previous film, Part Two showcases more dazzling, but thoughtful action sequences that contribute to Paul’s character development.

Dune Part Two is a modern-day movie treasure. Not since Spider-Man: No Way Home have I experienced such a spirited crowd reaction. The movie theater would explode with laughter during the funny moments, mostly provided by Bardem’s Stilgar character, as well as gasped and clapped during the climatic battle sequences. The movie is a complete movie delivering thrills, chills, laughter, fright, and sadness, running the complete gambit across the emotional spectrum. For the most part, the cast plays their roles perfectly, although there were certain characters you would have liked more screen time with, such as Feyd-Rautha or the emperor. Villeneuve covers all the bases as the characters play a high stakes game of chess over control of the spices in Arrakis. You will need to see the previous film to fully understand what is going on with this film. Villeneuve’s attention to detail in almost every shot is mesmerizing. He has managed to make a super-nerdy sci-fi film that can be enjoyed by anyone. Villeneuve has proven himself as an innovative storyteller by focusing on strong character progression with a thoughtful, well-written script. Part Two is a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen, particularly in IMAX. Using every aspect of film making to fully engross moviegoers in the world of Arrakis, Villeneuve proves why he is becoming one of the most important filmmakers of this generation. Much like the lead character, Paul Villeneuve has emerged as a leader in his own right and is on pace to become one of the greatest science fiction directors of all time.