Olleus
Joined Sep 2021
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Olleus's rating
The film has plenty to commend it. Spectacular set pieces. Multiple plots that weave together. Interesting side characters. A pace that rises and relaxes with the right beats. The feeling of a taking place within a rich Roman world that has a life of its own.
But it's hard to appreciate those when the film has numerous key flaws. There's very little tension outside of a 4th act twist, with everything before being a reskin of the events of the first film. The echoes aren't subtle either, but the characters quote their predecessors and we have multiple flashbacks. The action, the historical details, and even individual characters key decisions make so little that it often breaks the suspense of disbelief (not least of all that scene of kids playing football). Most critically, the key cast and Paul Mezcal most of all (but with the notable exception of Denzel Washington) simply fail to make their characters believable: that the scripts has them always giving stern speeches rather than simply talking doesn't help.
There's elements of a good film in there. But it's hard to appreciate them when the flaws stick out so sorely.
But it's hard to appreciate those when the film has numerous key flaws. There's very little tension outside of a 4th act twist, with everything before being a reskin of the events of the first film. The echoes aren't subtle either, but the characters quote their predecessors and we have multiple flashbacks. The action, the historical details, and even individual characters key decisions make so little that it often breaks the suspense of disbelief (not least of all that scene of kids playing football). Most critically, the key cast and Paul Mezcal most of all (but with the notable exception of Denzel Washington) simply fail to make their characters believable: that the scripts has them always giving stern speeches rather than simply talking doesn't help.
There's elements of a good film in there. But it's hard to appreciate them when the flaws stick out so sorely.
It's rare that I walk out of the theatre *more* excited about a film than I was going in. Especially when my anticipation was already so high. But Villeneuve and his crew absolutely pulled it off again with this mesmerising masterpiece that pulled me down to the surface of Arrakis and pushed me through a religious revolution without ever letting go.
That's not to deny its flaws. It's probably a bit too long. Some characters are turned into a caricature of themselves. Some deviations from the book were clearly done for brevity, but others are serious deviations that will surely have major ramifications as the story continues. It hits a little too hard on the nose with its core message that religion is a great power but morally ambiguous.
All of that is nit-picking however. The film manages to combine multiple plot lines, character development and world building without sacrificing pace or relying on fight scenes to keep the momentum going. It's true to the broad strokes (and some of the smaller ones) of Frank Herbert's vision, but perfectly accessible to someone who only saw part one years ago. Every piece of the film making craft comes together in this beautiful sci-fi epic. For once, the cliche that watching a film in a cinema (with the largest screen you can get to) is an 'experience' rings true.
That's not to deny its flaws. It's probably a bit too long. Some characters are turned into a caricature of themselves. Some deviations from the book were clearly done for brevity, but others are serious deviations that will surely have major ramifications as the story continues. It hits a little too hard on the nose with its core message that religion is a great power but morally ambiguous.
All of that is nit-picking however. The film manages to combine multiple plot lines, character development and world building without sacrificing pace or relying on fight scenes to keep the momentum going. It's true to the broad strokes (and some of the smaller ones) of Frank Herbert's vision, but perfectly accessible to someone who only saw part one years ago. Every piece of the film making craft comes together in this beautiful sci-fi epic. For once, the cliche that watching a film in a cinema (with the largest screen you can get to) is an 'experience' rings true.
