The highly anticipated “Dune Part 2” hit theaters on Mar. 1, sucking in viewers and tossing them forward in time to the best dystopian interstellar saga released in the past decade. With a star-studded cast that includes Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, and Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica; “Dune Part 2” combines filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s incredible directing of Frank Hebert’s original “Dune” novel with some major industry talent.
Here’s what you absolutely need to know about “Dune Part 1”: Paul, our protagonist, is the son of Duke Leto Atreides and concubine Lady Jessica, who is a member of a creepy matriarchal religious cult, the Bene Gesserit. The House of Atreides, ordered by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam, relocate to the harsh giant-sandworm-infested desert planet Arrakis. The Atreides House takes over the production of spice, an incredibly valuable hallucinogen used to power space travel. Additional challenges come with the indigenous community of Arrakis, known as the Fremen, who are resistant to the exploitation of spice. The eerie (and eyebrow-less) House Harkonnen, formerly in charge of spice production, display immense cruelty as Part 1 ends with them massacring the entire House of Atreides (with the help of the emperor’s army), leaving Paul and Lady Jessica as the sole survivors. The action of Part 1 ends there, with Paul and Jessica convincing the Fremen to begrudgingly take them in.
“Dune Part 1” is like dipping your toes in the water with its focus on world-building and laying the groundwork for major conflicts ahead, while “Dune Part 2”, with its action-packed almost three-hour run time, is like diving headfirst into the deep end. The artistry of “Dune Part 2” is evident in the depiction of Harkonnen planet Giedi Prime, which is entirely shot in black and white, representing the black sun of the planet. The battle scenes on Giedi Prime are epic, as viewers are exposed to the psychopathic nature of Feyd Rautha. Austin Butler does an excellent job portraying the ruthless and unsettling Feyd Rautha.
While Dune revolves around several different power dynamics, Part 2 specifically focuses on heavy messaging of the dangers of saviorism and religion. Religious propaganda has led fundamentalist Fremen to believe that a savior, the “Mahdi” or “Lisan Al Gaib” will come and lead them to Green Paradise…and they are convinced Paul is that savior. Paul is plagued with visions of the potential consequences of his actions as he grapples with trying to find the truth: Is the prophecy real, or is this all a farce? As for Chalamet, he nailed every second of portraying Paul in his complexity, expressing his obsession with avenging his father and his adaptation to life among the Fremen. You find yourself rooting for Paul, even through his imperfections. Chalamet captures how crushing adulthood erodes charming boyhood.
I don’t want to give too much away about the “Dune” films, but I will say this: It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a film that transports me inside the screen. Give Dune a chance.
