Title – Dune: Part Two (2024) 

Director – Denis Villeneuve (Sicario) 

Cast – Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh

Plot – Following on directly from the events of Part One, Part Two follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet) as he builds a relationship with Chani (Zendaya) and her Fremen tribe while seeking revenge on those that attempted to destroy his family and claim Arrakis for themselves. 

“I am Paul Muad’Dib Atreides, duke of Arrakis! Long live the fighters!”

Review by Eddie on 04/03/2024

Disclaimer this review is based off the IMAX 1570 Film Presentation. 

In so many ways, Dune: Part 2 is all you could ever ask for from a big screen spectacle with an added bonus that this visual feast and sensory shattering blockbuster has the heart and soul to match, making director Denis Villeneuve’s and his casts return to the sand clad world of Arrakis one that will not soon be forgotten in the history of the cinematic medium. 

A victim of last years Hollywood strikes, which saw Villeneuve’s much anticipated follow-up to his beloved first entry from 2021 get moved from a late 2023 roll-out to its end of Feb release this year, Part 2 is well and truly worth the extra wait eager cinemagoers have had to endure with this eye-popping epic as good of a reason as there has ever been to get off your couch and give your home cinema a well-deserved break to get out and see what Villeneuve has in store for you, with what can only be described as the quintessential example of what can be delivered on the big screen format. 

From the haunting beauty of the unforgiving plains of Arrakis (aka Abu Dhabi) where Paul and his new Fremen friends wander, the almost rollercoaster like experience of sandworm riding, the black and white majesty and horror of our first trip to the Harkonnen owned planet of Giedi Prime, the stunningly staged battles both externally and internally through to the unforgettable world building of Hans Zimmer’s instantly iconic score, Part 2 is an all-round success that builds on what was special about Part 1 and enhances it at all times. 

Throughout this technical marvel we are also treated to the official arrival of the next stage of the already memorable career of lead Timothée Chalamet, who here brings Paul Atreides’s journey from meek boy to what many see as a life-changing messiah sent to save them from the oppressiveness they have felt for ages gone by in a fashion that is awards worthy. 

It’s a career-defining performance from Chalamet, it’s been sometime since I can recall seeing such growth and screen presence come to life before our eyes but its more and more evident in Part 2 as the films never dull close to three hour runtime moves forward with Villeneuve and his cast never wasting a single second of screentime on anything that feels like excess baggage or unwarranted diversions, this is a film with a singular vision that never panders down to its audience and treats its material with a respect and reverence that can proudly sit alongside the likes of The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the original Star Wars trilogy for world building, creation and characters being sprung to life. 

Arriving at a time in the history of cinema where debates are raging about the future viability and even keenness from audiences to support the world of move-making on a grand-scale, Part 2 can be looked at much like Paul Atreides is seen by the blue-eyed faithful that watch his every move, a messiah of sorts coming along to remind us all of what the possibilities are, all delivered by the grand puppet master that is Denis Villeneuve who has here, without question or debate, marked himself down as one of the all-time great filmmakers. 

Across the span of just over a decade, the French Canadian mastermind has managed a set of films that are up there with as good of a run as we’ve ever seen with 2010’s Incendies starting a run of Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Dune: Part 1 and now Dune: Part 2. 8 incredible films that show no signs of slowing down anytime soon and we as audience members should be happy to be witnesses and partakers in such a career that could be this generations defining one alongside Christopher Nolan. 

With everyone and everything at the top of their game, from Rebecca Ferguson’s noteworthy turn as Lady Jessica, Austin Butler’s scene-stealing villain Feyd-Rautha, cinematographer Greig Fraser’s masterful camerawork, Jacqueline West’s costume design and art direction and set decoration that puts most Hollywood productions to shame, Part 2 is as alive as a film could be, a Sci-Fi masterpiece that in turn bares witness to blockbuster entertainment can and should be, making Part 2 the very definition of a must-see cinema spectacle. 

Final Say – 

Upping the game in every facet, Dune: Part 2 is the perfect progression of the already great Part 1, gifting us a chance to enjoy a feast for the senses like very few films have provided us over the course of cinema history. Filled with memorable set pieces, noteworthy performances and much to ponder, Dune: Part 2 is an all-round success story that deserves all the praise that is being heaped upon it. 

5 blue drinks out of 5