They Did It: "Dune: Part Two" is a Masterpiece
Denis Villeneuve's new film is a sci-fi epic grounded by a doomed romance
Love may be a strange and unexpected center of an epic science fiction film with psychedelic spice necessary for interstellar space travel, giant sandworms natives ride like horses, and a guy named Glossu Rabban; nonetheless, love defines those on camera and behind it in Dune: Part Two, the second of director Denis Villeneuve’s two-part film of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 novel.
It’s easy to get lost in the mores of Dune, a faithful and dense adaptation of a novel long considered unfilmable, despite several previous efforts of varying success. Describing a single piece of story or character motivation necessitates explaining roughly five other topics, which each introduce five more, and exponentially on it goes. This is part of what I call the Boy Explains Canon, in which boys endlessly explain the lore of their favorite franchises to their (patient, forgiving, and deserving of better) significant others. Dune is quite possibly the apotheosis of the Boy Explains Canon, as its story contains many ideas: the unavoidably violent, oppressive impulses of the human species; man’s destruction of nature for selfish gain; how the systems of politics and religion subjugate rather than liberate. While Dune: Part Two sings those themes and then some, Villeneuve smartly makes his film into one type of story above all else: a love story.
The seemingly impossible romance between Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Zendaya’s Chani anchors the film, as both characters embody its myriad, complex themes. Chani is one of the Fremen, the native population to Arrakis (Dune’s primary setting) who adopt Paul as one of their own. The Fremen’s and Paul’s goals align, as both seek to disrupt the vicious Harkonnen regime’s spice mining on Arrakis; the Fremen want to protect their homeland, and Paul seeks vengeance after the Harkonnen’s murdered his father and left him and his mother to die in the desert. Further complicating Paul and Chani’s relationship are Fremen prophecies Paul is their messiah. Paul, meanwhile, is plagued by visions of a distressing and violent future his quest for retribution initiates, least of all how that destruction may affect Chani.
Despite and in some ways because of that dichotomy, Paul and Chani fall in love, and theirs is a classic Hollywood romance. Their scenes are frequently set against gorgeous sunsets, beautifully composed by cinematographer Greig Fraser, as they gaze wistfully into each other’s eyes. These longing expressions, largely shot in closeup by Villeneuve and Fraser, create a colossal intimacy that is especially resonant in IMAX. Amplifying the effect is Hans Zimmer’s contemplative, thundering score, with Paul and Chani’s theme profoundly balancing their relationship’s beauty and tragedy. Both Chalamet and Zendaya’s performances are exceptional; while each deliver truly impressive feats of both acting and movie stardom, Zendaya is particularly powerful. Though it’s early in the year and such genre fare is rarely recognized in acting categories, Zendaya is nothing short of Oscar-worthy.
Chani’s dream of the Fremen’s freedom, seeing the oppressive patterns more powerful systems utilize to suppress them, gradually puts her in direct conflict with Paul’s ascension. She literally shouts, “This prophecy is how they enslave us!” before a prominent moment in Paul’s rise to supposed messiah. Paul himself continues to lean on Chani despite reality progressing closer to his apocalyptic, terrifying visions. Moreover, their nuanced love evokes the film’s themes: What is it like to love a man who could be your oppressor, and what is it like to love a woman whose culture you oppress? Dune tackles that directly, building to a superb, harrowing crescendo with a final shot that has haunted me in the days since seeing the film; the entire movie hinges on that shot, and it is downright magnificent.
Nevertheless, Dune: Part Two is not just a love story. Textually, the film expands on so many disparate elements and ideas from Part One, each deserving of their own dissection (maybe I’ll do it): Javier Bardem’s moving portrayal of a Fremen leader named Stilgar, a man motivated by faith who slowly loses himself to zealotry; featuring in a similar role is Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck, a loyal advisor and warrior for House Atreides who returns to assist Paul’s rebellion, advocating for bloodlust at every turn; Rebecca Ferguson excellently plays Lady Jessica, Paul’s mother, who spreads the gospel of her son, utilizing her connections to the Bene Gesserit, a mystical, superhuman sisterhood subtly manipulating the galaxy to their will; the Harkonnens have an expanded role in the story, as Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, the grossest man to ever live, returns to sic his nephew, Feyd-Rautha (a captivating, animalistic Austin Butler) on Arrakis. The film also introduces a new political faction, the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, Shaddam IV, portrayed by a remarkably restrained Christopher Walken, and his daughter, Princess Irulan, a small but significant role from Florence Pugh.
You’ll count four Academy Award nominees and two winners among the cast, plus other equally acclaimed performers I neglected to mention. Such a high caliber of talent and care extends behind the camera, as Dune’s production is a staggering feat of love. In an achievement comparable only to the peak of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, there is not a second of its entire 167-minute runtime that intense ardor for the material is not stunningly apparent, not an element of its beautifully rendered world done so without the utmost thoughtfulness and affection. I am sure I could get coffee with Villeneuve, ask him the most minor and inane of questions about the world he portrayed, and listen as he provides carefully thought-out responses for every detail regardless of how seemingly trivial or minor with delight and zeal (for the record, Denis, I’m available). There is no current blockbuster franchise guided by this much thought and specificity, that treats its material and its craft so sincerely and lovingly. It is truly a joy to witness such a presentation of this world.
An overwhelming, towering triumph of incomparable craft anchored by a sensitive and doomed love story, Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two is the apex of science fiction storytelling and an astonishing piece of filmmaking. Based on both his own comments and the film itself, Villeneuve plans to adapt Herbert’s second novel, Dune Messiah, to complete a Dune trilogy. Both that story and history point to Messiah being as deep, menacing, and colossal as Dune: Part Two; here’s hoping this final trip to Arrakis makes me feel this bad.