By John Corrado

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, the follow-up to 2021’s Dune, is massive filmmaking in every sense. Villeneuve builds upon the first film, completing his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel.

The film picks up directly after the events of the first. Following the death of his family on Arrakis at the hands of the Harkonnen, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are taking refuge with the Fremen.

Paul is growing closer to love interest Chani (Zendaya), while training and adopting the ways of the Freman in order to get revenge on the Harkonnen. But this is not just a simple revenge story, with Villeneuve allowing ample time to explore the dense mythology, political themes, and deeper religious allegories of Herbert’s original story.

Fremen warrior Stilgar (Javier Bardem) views Paul as the prophesied Messiah who has come to save them, while Chani doubts his divine calling. The film expands this world, introducing the Emperor (played by Christopher Walken) and his daughter Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh). The new villain is Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), the nephew of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), a psychotic figure who kills with ruthless abandon.

There are some more avant garde elements of the film as well, such as Lady Jessica communicating with the unborn child in her womb. The fact that Villeneuve is able to handle all of these threads in a cohesive way makes Dune: Part Two a compelling, at times challenging work. The film’s 166 minute running time (eleven minutes longer than the first chapter) lets him explore different aspects of this world, without it feeling too much like exposition.

The performances are what ground the film. Chalamet continues to prove himself as one of our best young actors, as Paul Atreides comes into his role as a Messianic figure, and wrestles with being the Chosen One. It’s a performance that allows him to deepen and explore more of the character’s arc that was set up in the first film. Butler is chilling as his sadistic counterpart, practically unrecognizable under bald, white makeup. Zendaya is given the space to flesh out Chani, and Ferguson also delivers nuanced supporting work as Lady Jessica, who is undergoing the process of becoming a Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit.

This might sound reductive, but Dune: Part Two truly is a spectacular looking film. The cinematography by Greig Freiser features sweeping shots of the sand-filled planet Arrakis, and lets battle scenes unfold in sweeping wide shots. This is matched by seamless visual effects, such as in the set-piece when Paul first rides one of the planet’s massive sand worms. We are really immersed in the orange-hued sand and spice of Arrakis, and the different worlds of the film all have their own unique colour palette. It’s set to another pounding score by Hans Zimmer that also allows for moments of gentleness.

Where as the first film felt very much like a first half, this film feels somewhat like a middle chapter, setting up Villeneuve’s anticipated adaptation of Dune: Messiah to close out this trilogy. That said, Dune: Part Two still satisfies on its own terms for fans of the first one, making it feel more complete in retrospect. It’s a sequel that truly builds upon and even surpasses its predecessor, delivering epic fight scenes, sweeping visuals, and a great sense of scope.

As a side note, I saw the film in regular theatres, where it is presented at a 2.39:1 aspect ratio, while the IMAX version switches between 1.43:1 and 1.90:1 aspect ratios. I’m already planing to see it again in the IMAX format, since I think it will benefit even more from the bigger screen.

Film Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)

Dune: Part Two is now playing exclusively in theatres.