Dune: Part Two Review

Denis Villeneuve and his all-star cast return to the desert planet of Arrakis, with the second part of his adaptation of Dune.

The Harkonnens have taken over Arrakis and House Atreides has fallen. However, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) survived the attack and joined the Fremen in the depths of the desert. Their presence sparks a divide within Fremen since half of them believe Paul is their messiah, and the other half see him as an outsider and doubt the validity of the prophecy. Paul must learn the way of the Fremen while the natives of Arrakis launch a guerrilla campaign against the Harkonnens.

Frank Herbert’s Dune has a devoted fanbase and has been regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi novels. It has often been called the ‘Lord of the Rings of sci-fi.’ The novel has been adapted a few times: there was the David Lynch version back in 1984 and the Sci-Fi Channel released a miniseries in 2000. And of course, there was Villeneuve’s first Dune film that focused on the first half of the novel. Dune: Part Two focused on the second half of the novel, or to put it another way, the storyline the David Lynch version tried to tell in the third act.

Dune: Part One was about power struggles between two of the great houses of this universe and played like a sci-fi version of Game of Thrones. Dune: Part Two had a white saviour narrative where Paul Aterides must learn about the culture and customs of the people who took him in so he could lead them against their oppressors. It’s a popular narrative as seen in films like Dances With Wolves, The Last Samurai, and Avatar, but it can be controversial since it takes an outsider to lead a rebellion. Dune was partly influenced by Lawrence of Arabia and David Lean was approached to direct an adaptation.

However, the Villeneuve Dune series attempt stands out from other white saviour narratives. The first film opened with Cheni’s (Zendana) narration about the Harkonnens’ oppression of the Fremen and she asked, ‘Who will be our next oppressors?’ Cheni was a sceptic and argued that the Fremen needed to free themselves, not rely on an outsider. Paul had to win her over so he could unite the Fremen. Despite their ideological differences, there was a budding romance developing between the pair.

Paul was shown to be sympathetic toward the Fremen, but he was fighting for his self-interest. It wasn’t a story of someone thinking ‘I must save these poor oppressed people.’ He wanted to get revenge against the Harkonnens and get the attention of the Emperor. The Fremen were capable of fighting the Imperial forces but as Paul argued he knew how the Harkonnens operate, so they needed to combine their knowledge to defeat their mutual enemies. Jessica was more focused on her self-interest: she wanted to protect her son and get revenge for her partner, and the Fremen were a way to achieve this. Jessica was also given the option of being the Fremen’s Reverend Mother or die, so she had to put her lot in with the Fremen.

A Chosen One narrative is popular in the fantasy and sci-fi fantasy genres. It’s easy to come up with examples like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and His Dark Materials. Frank Herbert was against messianic stories, and he aimed to subvert this trope. In the world of Dune, the Bene Gesserit had manipulated the Fremen into believing in a messiah who would come to lead them to freedom. The Bene Gesserit had performed a centuries-long breeding programme so they could create this messiah for their own machinations. Villeneuve and his co-writer, Jon Spaihts did a great job at translating this complex storyline into something that audiences could digest.

Paul was reluctant to fulfil this prophecy, whether through fate or manipulation. Despite this, Stilgar (Javier Bardem) saw Paul as the messiah even when Paul denied it. Their relationship felt like a scene in Life of Brian where the main character was declared the messiah by fanatics, no matter what he said. Paul’s story does take a darker turn when he has visions of a potential future. It shows Paul’s fate not being as clear cut as it first appeared, his morality was grey, and it set up a potential sequel.

As well as the action on Arrakis, Dune: Part Two did show events beyond the planet. There was more politicking involving The Harkonnens and it expanded to the Imperial Court, and the Bene Gesserit who were fighting for their own self-interest, but since they had mutual enemies formed an alliance of necessity. This gives the sequel more of that Game of Thrones feeling that fans enjoyed in the first film.

Dune: Part One was a faithful adaptation of the first half of the novel. Part Two took more liberties. Some major characters were omitted from the story and the love story between Paul and Cheni was framed differently since Cheni had a different ideological stance. However, Dune: Part Two was a case where it might not have stuck to the letter of the novel, it honoured the spirit of Herbert’s work. Villeneuve was able to bring out the complexity of the world due to all the different factions with their own agenda. Like the source material, Dune: Part Two was incredibly dense, a rich world that audiences could sink their teeth into.

Villeneuve is a director who has cultivated a fan base like Christopher Nolan, someone who makes critically acclaimed films that appeal to cinephiles and general audiences. Dune: Part Two fitted in that mould since it was a sci-fi film with a complex story and provided that blockbuster spectacle. There was terrific cinematography, and special effects throughout the film. There were great sequences like when Paul rode a Sandworm, and when the Fremen used their guerrilla tactics against the Harkonnens. The action was quicker and more fluid than it was in the first film which made the sequel more exciting. One of the most unique sequences in the film was a monochrome gladiatorial contest which will be seen as a highlight from the film.

Dune: Part Two was a film that delivered to fans of the novel and still have enough appeal to a wider audience. It’s the type of film that the blockbuster sphere needed, an auteur-led film that was made with passion and vision, not made on a cinematic assembly line.