Dune: Part Two (2024): The Greatest Sci-Fi Sequel
When many moviegoers think of the greatest Sci-Fi/Fantasy sequels out there, many think of the likes of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), or Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1981), but I believe that we have a new candidate in the conversation now with Dune: Part Two (2024).
At the end of the first film, we saw Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica taking refuge with the Fremen in the deserts of Arrakis after House Atreides’ demise. Upon this film’s start, we cut right to a chase with Paul and Jessica, now properly acquainted with the Fremen. One clear thing from this introduction is the main complaints of the first film — the fact that it was considered too slow — are nowhere to be found; if you are looking for something more action-packed, high-intensity film, this is the one for you.
The showcasing of the beauty of Arrakis continues in this film with stellar cinematography and set pieces; in my opinion, the sandworm sequences are by far the most astounding and beautifully shot of the film. We also get to see different sections of the planet being shown, including the southern parts with a plethora of Fremen locations, which show us more about their culture that we previously did not know.
We also see the evolution of the relationship between Paul Atreides and the Fremen over the film from being an outsider and a false prophet to almost all calling him “Lisan Al Gaib” or their messiah. The most interesting thing about this is we see Paul confused about this messiah title as he doesn’t know how to proceed properly and wants to become equal to the Fremen, which is a core pillar to his journey — a beautiful character progression!
Lady Jessica, on the other hand, uses these messiah claims to her full advantage, quickly ascending the ranks to the religious leader of the Fremen. She uses this position to push her son Paul and exploit this in her attempts to get back at the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. Also, out of this situation, we get one of the most interesting new character additions, Feyd Rautha, the psychotic, bloodthirsty nephew of Baron Harkonnen tasked to take down Paul and the ever-growing Fremen threat on Arrakis.
The score of this film is completed yet again by the great Hans Zimmer, who can capture and compliment the landscape’s beauty or an intense fight scene to a tee. Amongst the plethora offered, my personal favorite is the theme played during the battle in the final act of the film.
When looking at the final battle think of anything you have seen and turn it up 100 times, because seeing the armies of the Imperium and Harkonnens face up against the forces of millions of Fremen riding gigantic sandworms is nothing short of astounding.
This film felt biblical and almost like a crusade and director Denis Villeneuve was able to capture the themes of religion that are very apparent in the novels super well. Along with that, he shows the audience that Paul Atreides is not strictly a hero and may sometimes act cynical in the future.
I strictly wanted to stay away from any of the main spoilers because I encourage each and every one of you to please go see this film on the big screen. Very few films come around nowadays in the ever-growing commercialization of the film industry that have the grandness and detail of this film, and I do find this to be one of, or possibly, the greatest sci-fi sequel ever made. A third film tackling the events of the second Dune book, Dune Messiah (1969), is on director Denis Villeneuve’s radar, but he does not want to rush into production for the film. We may be amidst one of the greatest trilogies of all time, and I hope we get another entry in the series. Please do yourself a favor and check out the masterpiece Dune: Part Two.
Thumbnail Photo of Denis Villeneuve: Director of Dune (2021) and Dune Part Two (2024) courtesy of Wikimedia Commons