Back in November 2021, director Denis Villeneuve’s (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival) adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel Dune hit the cinemas. A triumph of genre filmmaking, it boasted a powerhouse cast backed by breathtaking cinematography and extraordinary visual effects — Dune was a film that demanded to be seen in the theater. A film few believed could even be made, Dune would end decades of speculation to become a box office success, while scoring multiple awards, including four Oscars (out of ten nominations). 

Now, with Dune Part 2, Villeneuve and his team have returned to continue the epic.

The saga continues

The film picks up in the aftermath of Part 1: House Atreides is in ruin, survived only by Paul (Timothy Chalamet, Wonka) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, Mission: Impossible, The Greatest Showman). Having allied themselves with Stilgar’s (Javier Bardem, Skyfall) contingent of Fremen, the mother and son make their way across the Arrakis desert towards an uncertain future.

Despite continued whispers of a prophecy that he will save the planet, Paul assures Chani (Zendaya, No Way Home) that he has no aspirations to power, opting instead to join the Fremen in their fight against the Harkonnen spice miners. Along the way, Paul learns the ways of Chani’s people, growing closer to her in the process.

The phantom menace

At the same time, the architect of House Atreides’ downfall, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård, Mamma Mia, Thor), has grown impatient with his nephew Rabban’s (Dave Bautista, SPECTRE, Guardians of the Galaxy) inability to quash the indigenous rebels.

The Baron assigns the task to Rabban’s brother, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler, Elvis, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), a brutal fighter who will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal. When visions of the future spur Paul to lead a literal Holy War in hopes of saving Chani from an untimely demise, Arrakis will become the site of a battle for the universe’s fate.

Revenge of the Atreides

The believability of Paul’s heel turn relies on Chalamet’s ability to sell his character’s emotion, and the young actor acquits himself superbly. His scenes with Zendaya’s Chani are particularly well done, their young love shining through the sci-fi trappings to underscore the tragedy to come. When Paul tells Chani that he doesn’t want to be a leader, Chalamet’s wide-eyed sincerity makes us want to believe him as much as she does.

Unlike Paul, Jessica isn’t above using her newfound status as a religious figure to get what she wants, leveraging her clout to ensure he embraces his role as Akkaris’ savior. A further wrinkle to the proceedings has Jessica having full-on conversations with her hitherto unknown unborn child, which takes a little getting used to, but is surprisingly effective in communicating her motivations.

The noble natives

The Middle Eastern coding of the poor locals struggling against the pale, power-hungry foreigners stealing their natural resources continues here, in all its problematic glory. While the production’s efforts to present each race as distinctly as possible is appreciated, it doesn’t change the sociopolitical connotations of a blue-eyed white man being worshipped as a deity by brown natives fighting for their natural resources (at least Avatar took the trouble to color them blue). In any case, a one-liner about Javier Bardem’s accent doesn’t absolve the film from its decision to cast the desert-dwellers as pretty much anyone who isn’t Caucasian.

The empire strikes back

On that note, the colonizers of the piece (literally) couldn’t be any whiter. In Part Two, the Baron is as repulsive (and corpulent) as ever, while Bautista’s Rabban gets a couple of moments to remind us of his formidability. Christopher Walken (Batman Returns, Pulp Fiction) joins the cast as the Baron’s boss, Emperor Shaddam IV. Shaddam presides over his court with a sense of detached boredom, the Emperor’s reputation doing more to sell his (supposed) menace than anything he does in person.

Accompanying Walken as his daughter Princess Irulan is Florence Pugh (Little Women, Black Widow), whose character’s epic wardrobe complements her status as the film’s de facto narrator. No mere set dressing, Irulan is the one who puts the pieces together, from Paul’s improbable survival to learning how the campaign against House Atreides actually began. The intrigues behind the throne intensify as the Imperial Truthsayer (Charlotte Rampling, Under the Sand) engages the services of Lady Margot Fenring (Léa Seydoux, No Time to Die, Blue is the Warmest Color) to advance her sinister agenda.

The dark lord

Taking on the lead villain role in the wake of Rabban’s failure, Butler’s Harkonnen sibling cuts a terrifying image with his stark white skin and laser-focused serial killer gaze. Introduced in a striking monochromatic sequence, Feyd-Rautha is an unrepentant sadist, proficient with verbal venom as he is with a blade. Butler (finally) trades in his Elvis drawl for a younger affectation of Skarsgård’s gravelly voice, and the effect is chilling. Lean and agile, where Bautista’s Rabban was large and imposing, Feyd-Rautha makes an ideal opponent for Chalamet’s newly minted Messiah.

Desert warfare

The action is bigger this time around, as Paul instigates a holy war to drive the Harkonnen forces from Arrakis. Utilizing everything from infantry and sandworms(!) to guerrilla tactics, Paul combines his new knowledge with his years of martial training (alluded to in the previous film under the tutelage of Jason Momoa’s improbably-named Duncan Idaho) to take on his enemies.

After one and a half films of deliberately paced table-setting, Villeneuve and editor Joe Walker (Sicario, 12 Years a Slave) finally allow themselves to cut loose; from the holy war’s first salvo to Paul and Feyd’s inevitable confrontation, the pace will render you breathless, while leaving you primed for more.

The bottom line

Dune: Part Two is a prime example of how blockbuster cinema can enthrall without sacrificing any of the elements that made the original novel a classic. Where the first film excelled at introducing audiences to a complex universe while the A-list cast gave believable life and dimension to their characters, Part Two takes those concepts and pushes them further. Over its nearly-three-hour runtime, Villeneuve cements his credentials a master of his craft; this is a cinematic tour de force that doesn’t merely adapt its source material – it surpasses it.

Dune: Part 2 premieres in Philippine cinemas on February 28.

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