Duna: Parte Dos

Saw an early screening of this film at the Tilton Square Theatre in New Jersey, and I was completely blown away. From the opening scene all the way until the credits I never felt bored, which is impressive for a 2 hour and 45 minute film.

I don't want to write too much here, I prefer anyone reading this with the slightest bit of interest in the film to go see it immediately. It doesn't release worldwide until March 1st, so grab tickets and I would highly recommended you see it in IMAX if possible. Almost the entirety of the movie is filmed with IMAX cameras.

This movie is an absolute visual spectacle probably going to win a couple Oscar's for sound editing, picture, etc., and the fight scenes are choreographed so fantastically. Like I stated in the beginning, see this film!

I saw Dune 2 on an XD screen and sound system. Visually, Dune 2 was jaw dropping. The sound was intense, and at times, too loud and droning. If you are interested in seeing this movie, it is worth seeing on a big screen.

Though I was fully engaged for its 2 hour and 46 minute run time, I would not call Dune 2 a masterpiece. Most characters acted emotionally flat. I also felt the romance between Paul and Chani was not convincing. When the story was reaching its climax, I did not care about the characters. I also think the movie should have spent a little time on setup about the Fremen. I get that they are oppressed by the Harkonnen, but their sacrifices and lost freedom should be shown to the viewer so we understand the emotional motivation to do a full assault on the Harkonnen.

Austin Butler was so intense in the movie. It illustrates his acting range. I hope he is recognized for his performance.

And here are some little nit-picky criticisms. They don't address how the Fremen eat. In terms of world building, these sort of details are necessary to make the world believable. I'm not convinced humans could survive on Arrakis. There is no way you could grow crops and raise animals. Did they eat synthetic food? The planet also couldn't sustain gigantic worms. These huge beasts would have to consume millions of calories a day, which is not available. Showing the details of a sustainable life on such a dry planet would help with believability. And the voice control thing done by the Bene Gesserit is sort of dumb. I know this is from the book, but that part of the book doesn't hold up over time.

Dune Part 2 is an epic movie; slickly made, and visually stunning.

But I had to explain quite a bit to the friends around me who had not read the book, especially the water of life scene and the final battle.

The movie had almost a 3 hour run time, but it felt overlong because Villenue focuses too much on spectacle on very little on substance.

It is a beautiful movie, but it feels like it has no soul. The emotional connection between Paul and Chani, so vital to the story, is completely lacking and unbelievable. The two main characters are good looking enough but has absolutely zero chemistry on screen.

I am certain Zendaya is a fine actress in some things, but she has basically 2 facial expressions here, and the one she uses the most is a scowl directed at Paul. I found her to be the worst part of this movie.

The final fight scene is short, choppy, and a mess. It felt anticlimactic and unfulfilling The Harkonens are basically reduced to bumbling villainy almost cartoonish. The ending was super abrupt, and was so different from the book that it left me wondering what the filmmakers would do if they want to do a sequel.

I want to reiterate that this isn't a bad movie. Villenue is great at creating a world that looks living and breathing, but he can't give life to individual characters.

It is like he can't see the trees for the forest.

A monumental piece of cinema.

Paced to perfection, uniquely beautiful, thought-provoking, beyond thrilling, with unbelievable cinematography and flawless worldbuilding. Backed up by the best ensemble performance in a blockbuster since Fellowship of the Ring. An entire production on their A-Game.. it's an incredible technical achievement. Everyone on set was clearly aware they were working on something special. Denis Villeneuve's love for 'Dune' shines through every stunning frame. Part 1 of his adaptation was wonderful, but here he improves on it in every way. It just doesn't get better than this.

If you liked or loved the first one, the same will apply for this one. Personally, I loved this one even more and I think general audiences will as well. So I hope it does well at the box office because I need Dune Messiah now. This is everything I love about going to the movies. Also, Hans Zimmer.

For book readers, I'd say this one takes more liberties than the first, but they were changes I liked, some for the better even. For the most part, it still hits the main beats from the book with a few things altered. The biggest change being no time jump. Therefore, a certain character doesn't fully appear in the movie contrary to the book. Though, they still use the character in a different way that I liked personally.

I know it's early in the year, but you can lock some Oscar nominations for this movie: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Score, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume, Best Production Design, Best Makeup, and hopefully Rebecca Ferguson this time for Best Supporting Actress. I guess that's pretty much every category now that I've typed it out lol.