Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures. © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
The sand trembles and appears to harden, like goose bumps on the forearms of impressionable sci-fi geeks. We come to space operas to be transported, and few sights are as entrancing as the moment a giant sandworm, its circular mouth baring a fearsome set of sharp, needle-shaped chompers, rises to the surface.
“Dune: Part Two,” director Denis Villeneuve's return to the worlds created by author Frank Herbert, delivers the imposing spectacle with visual splendor and a deafening sound mix. We want to witness our brave and determined protagonist's first surfing expedition atop the cylindrical critters. The scene comes fairly early in this hefty continuation of the cinematic retelling of Herbert's dense, highly influential 1965 novel (don't you dare call it a sequel), and it does not disappoint.
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Zendaya as Chani in a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Photo by Niko Tavernise. © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
What does come as a letdown is how this knotty exploration of lust for power, faith-based fervor and that snake-charmer's dance between fate and chance proceeds to get lost in the desert. Villeneuve, who struck such an adroit balance between storytelling and worldbuilding in 2021's square-jawed but satisfying “Dune: Part One,” is so intent in lending biblical weight to this star war that he drains the film of much of its pulp, and what starts out as engaging genre yarn turns into a bloated endurance test. He's made an otherworldly voyage that forgets to be a popcorn movie. Getting through all 166 minutes of it feels like homework.
Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan in a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Photo courtesy: Warner Bros. Pictures. © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
“Part Two” picks up minutes after “Part One” left off, with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), heading off into the sands of Arrakis, the desert planet they initially landed on to oversee alongside Paul's dad, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac, sorely missed), before the very ruler who appointed them there conspired to wipe out the Atreides kingdom, or, as Herbert coined it, House Atreides. Mother and son survived the extermination that claimed Leto's life and have joined the Fremen, Arrakis' native residents, and their chieftain Stilgar (Javier Bardem in the Anthony Quinn role), with whom Leto wanted to establish an alliance before it all went belly up.
The problem that Paul and Jessica face is that the Fremen are split between those who remain wary of outsiders and want to banish the new arrivals into the desert, and those who revere the pair and regard Paul as a messianic figure and the fulfillment of a prophecy. Stilgar, a fierce believer in that prophecy, is on Paul and Jessica's corner, but they will have to prove their usefulness. More skeptical but curious about Paul is Chani (Zendaya), who proves to be a valuable ally to the young aristocrat. In turn, Paul insists he has no appetite for power and just wants to help the Fremen.
Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessicain a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Photo by Niko Tavernise. © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
Meanwhile, Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) is weighing the consequences of his betrayal aimed at eliminating House Atreides, while his daughter, Princess Irulan Corrino (Florence Pugh) learns that Paul may be alive. They do not appear to stop their co-conspirator, the dastardly and freakishly blubbery Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and his nephew, Count Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), from searching for Paul.
But scenes set outside Arrakis are few and far between in “Dune: Part Two.” By contrast, a considerable portion of “Part One” took place in the Atreides' home planet of Caladan, giving viewers a welcome change of scenery. But for the majority of its runtime, this latest chapter leaves us stuck in that big dust bowl, where Jessica uses her ties to the powerful and mysterious Bene Gesserit Order to help sway public opinion about her son. But the aesthetic sameness that engulfs the character makes her quest feel oppressive, and that extends to the way Villeneuve, working from a screenplay credited to him and Jon Spaihts, depicts religious devotion in stark, monochromatic terms. There are skeptics, believers, and the torn, brooding Paul stuck in the middle, haunted by disturbing visions. Noticeably missing are the shades of gray that would make his predicament more intriguing.
Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen and Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring in a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Photo by Niko Tavernise. © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
As for his friendship with Chani, it evolves into something more, at least on paper. Villeneuve may possess multiple strengths as a filmmaker, but conveying romance is not one of them. Chalamet and Zendaya fight a gallant but losing battle to make us believe their characters are an item, which may not seem like a big issue, but it becomes one when the movie hinges its dramatic payoff on their bond.
More effective is the emergence of Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen's psychotic, bloodthirsty younger nephew. Austin Butler commands the role played by Sting in David Lynch's 1984 “Dune” adaptation. Before he joins the efforts to root out Paul, Feyd crosses paths with the enigmatic Lady Margot Fenring (Léa Seydoux, looking as if she stepped out of a perfume ad), who has her own motives for approaching the bald, obsidian-eyed sociopath. Butler and Seydoux share limited screen time together, but they set off considerably more sparks than Chalamet and Zendaya.
Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Photo by Niko Tavernise. © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
By the time Villeneuve and Spaihts tie their narrative strands together, this ostensible middle chapter has become too much of a chore. Pugh, dressed like she's heading to a Renaissance fair, gives a rare stiff performance. She and the formidable Walken are given nothing to do beyond Greek chorus duties. Butler dives into the villainous Feyd-Rautha with rock-star abandon, but there's not enough of him to turn things around. And the film's strained attempts to portray the change in Paul's worldview feel imposed and mechanical rather than earned. It reduces the conflicted would-be leader to a barking politician with a God complex. The more confident the character appears, the less interesting he becomes.
Three of Arrakis' sandworms in a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
“Dune: Part Two” desperately wants you to take it seriously, which is kind of hard when it features spaceships that look like testicles and is awash in phallic imagery. Villeneuve pummels you with portent, diluting the movie's entertainment value in the process. He gets to indulge in his most heavy-handed instincts behind the camera, to the extent that what's in front of it resembles a fire-and-brimstone sermon. He's preaching the Gospel of Paul but neglected to accommodate the non-believers he won over the first time around. The spice doesn't flow here. The bloom is off this desert rose. It did leave me with a gift, but not one I wanted: a big, pounding headache. My temples throbbed, but my imagination stayed firmly planted on the shifting sands.
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides and Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in a scene from "Dune: Part Two." (Photo by Niko Tavernise. © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)
“Dune: Part Two” is now showing in wide release across South Florida, including IMAX engagements at Regal South Beach, AMC Aventura, AMC Sunset Place, AMC Pembroke Lakes and the AutoNation IMAX Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
