Reviewed by Lim Ye Kai
I was not a huge fan of the Dune franchise. I even had to watch a YouTube recap of Dune: Part One to remember what happened in the previous film. But, upon watching Dune: Part Two, I have the urge to grab a Dune paperback to read.
For me, that is how I would quantify success for film adaptations, when fans grow to love the entire franchise and dive deeper into the lore than the storytellers have created and built.
Dune: Part Two is jam-packed with action, incredible visual effects and production design. The highlight of the film was the impeccable soundtrack by the legendary Hans Zimmer. Forget the Kuleshov effect, the soundtrack was the main contributor to creating tension in the film. Every beat, every nuance was flawlessly timed.
If you’re considering catching the film in the theatres, I would highly recommend you to catch them in the IMAX theatres. There are multiple scenes where it just felt surreal because of the elevated IMAX experience. When protagonist Paul Atreides rode the giant sandworm, I felt like I was there watching him do it alongside the Fremen. Even when the Fremen used the thumper to summon the sandworm, the iconic vibrating sound felt isolated from the music and dialogue.
It could be argued that the presence of a star-studded cast contributed to the film’s success. However, I believe director Denis Villeneuve challenged many of the actors, coaxing out performances that are arguably the best of their careers to date.
For example, Timothée Chalamet delivered one of his most convincing & heartfelt performances despite the shift from his usual roles. I remembered giggling while he spoke in Chinese in Dune: Part one and thinking to myself how he couldn’t pull off in the next film. He made me eat my words. The scene of him claiming to be the Lisan al Gaib in front of all the Fremen, left me speechless. The use of close-ups in the film has helped to enhance the experience but be able to see not just their expressions but even the movement of the actors’ eye.
If you’re on Twitter, Tiktok, Letterboxd or any other social platforms, you’ll realise that there is a debate sparked from the film. Is Paul Atriedes a saviour or a villain in the film? Though, I feel like he is an anti-hero from a morality standpoint, his actions and shift in his behaviour lead me to view him as a villain. He goes from denying his supposed role as the Lisan al Gaib, the messiah for the Fremen, to assuming that role and overthrowing the Harkonnens. The vengeful act of revenge and betrayal towards Chani made me doubt Paul Atriedes as a hero. We can only wait till Denis Villeneuve directs Dune: Messiah, the trilogy of the Dune saga. Only then, can we finally see Paul’s true intentions.
Like Lord of The Rings and Star Wars before it, the geekdom’s renaissance is witnessing yet another boon with Dune. For decades, Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic was thought to be impossible to adopt for the big screen. Pioneering directors David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky have all tried their hand in the past, but none have been as successful as Denis Villeneuve in translating what made the original text so compelling.
This is thanks, in part, to today’s technology, where the films in IMAX have created an undoubtedly unparalleled movie-going experience. Do not miss your chance to catch the film in any IMAX theatres for this immersive experience of Dune: Part Two. Trust me, you will not regret it.
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This review is also published on Singapore Film Society as part of *SCAPE’s Film Critics Lab: A Writing Mentorship Programme.
