When comparing the two entries in the Dune franchise, part of what made the first movie memorable (aside from the world building and moody atmosphere) were the likeable characters fighting for or supporting Paul Atreides. I didn't expect to miss Duncan Idaho, Duke Leto Atreides or Gurney Halleck (who reappears but with a different attitude and demeanor) as much as I did. We get more time with members of the Fremen, including Chani and Stilgar but I didn't find them as engaging or I didn't want to follow them as much (more on Chani and Paul later). The interactions between the Fremen and the remainder of the Atreides clan start to fall into a pattern quickly and while I was intrigued to see how easily Paul and Lady Jessica would assimilate into the tribe, it takes a while for the Harkonnen's to start making moves and the pontificating about the nature of power and church vs state with the Emperor and Princess Irulan also got a little tedious.
Dune's hero Paul Atreides is once again played by Timothee Chalamet. Timothee slips back into this role like a glove and he does a good job of showing Paul's conflict over having to grow into what has been foretold for him. The character is a little darker and a little less aloof in Part Two and Chalamet shifts his performance to compensate. Zendaya is also appropriately fierce as Chani. She plays her character as guarded, Chani's skeptical of the legend surrounding Paul and annoyed Stilgar and his brethren are so quick to declare Paul the Lisan al Gaib. She eventually gets into Chani's vulnerabilities and does what she can to sell the bond between her and Timothee's characters. Rebecca Ferguson returns as Paul's mother, the Lady Jessica Atreides. I've always thought Rebecca was an underrated talent and Ferguson brings some coyness to Jessica when she's trying to convince the Fremen of Paul's power but she flips the switch and becomes ruthless to see Jessica's plan through. Of the newer additions to the cast, Austin Butler was my favourite as the brutal Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. His impression of Stellan Skarsgard's voice slips here and there but he's good at playing the savage and angry champion of the Harkonnens and he has a strong screen presence when he's vanquishing or intimidating his enemies. Javier Bardem is also good as Stilgar but I couldn't get past some of the parallels between his character and similar characters from other Sci-Fi franchises. His character is a little one note and while that's not Javier's fault, it did distract me a little.
Even when Dune is meandering through Paul's journey in the early sections, you can't help but be impressed with how engaging the film is through just the visuals and the world building. We are reminded throughout Dune: Part Two how dangerous the planet of Arrakis and how difficult it can be to survive in the wild. This is captured beautifully through the long and contemplative shots of the desert environment and you can see how much care went into making everything looked lived in yet arresting all the same. I also have to compliment Villeneuve and his team for the action in the movie. While the amount of time between set pieces can drag, the film delivered what I wanted. The battles and the ending fight are full of tension and got my pulse racing a little. The choreography is tight and the action looks good and fits in with the tone.
Dune looks impressive, they've cast the movie well and I wanted to know where the story was going to go. The biggest problem I had with Part Two was how slow the 1st half of the movie was. It also became a little formulaic, Paul is presented with a challenge to join the Fremen, no one believes he can do it, he does it, rinse and repeat. It never fully bored me but I was checking my phone. The budding romance between Paul and Chani also didn't completely work for me. Chani is mean-mugging Paul in the early going despite the fact he's smitten with her almost immediately. She flips opinions on him pretty quickly and when they're vowing to stay and protect each other, it was a bit of a tonal shift. I thought the two actors did what they could, I attribute it more to the script and possibly the edit. I also have to both commend and criticize Dune: Part Two for not making an effort to catch people up at all. It was a confident choice but I felt bad for anyone who hadn't seen the 1st entry, there's not going to be an opportunity to catch up.
I can see why everyone is so excited about the future of the Dune franchise and I did like this movie quite a bit. Part One has a small edge over Part Two for me but I get why Part Two has been so successful. It looks gorgeous, the cast gets the job done and there's a story here that justifies a multi-film franchise. I hope there's not a huge gap between entries and with how things finished in Part Two, we should be in for a crazy Part Three.
Dune's hero Paul Atreides is once again played by Timothee Chalamet. Timothee slips back into this role like a glove and he does a good job of showing Paul's conflict over having to grow into what has been foretold for him. The character is a little darker and a little less aloof in Part Two and Chalamet shifts his performance to compensate. Zendaya is also appropriately fierce as Chani. She plays her character as guarded, Chani's skeptical of the legend surrounding Paul and annoyed Stilgar and his brethren are so quick to declare Paul the Lisan al Gaib. She eventually gets into Chani's vulnerabilities and does what she can to sell the bond between her and Timothee's characters. Rebecca Ferguson returns as Paul's mother, the Lady Jessica Atreides. I've always thought Rebecca was an underrated talent and Ferguson brings some coyness to Jessica when she's trying to convince the Fremen of Paul's power but she flips the switch and becomes ruthless to see Jessica's plan through. Of the newer additions to the cast, Austin Butler was my favourite as the brutal Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. His impression of Stellan Skarsgard's voice slips here and there but he's good at playing the savage and angry champion of the Harkonnens and he has a strong screen presence when he's vanquishing or intimidating his enemies. Javier Bardem is also good as Stilgar but I couldn't get past some of the parallels between his character and similar characters from other Sci-Fi franchises. His character is a little one note and while that's not Javier's fault, it did distract me a little.
Even when Dune is meandering through Paul's journey in the early sections, you can't help but be impressed with how engaging the film is through just the visuals and the world building. We are reminded throughout Dune: Part Two how dangerous the planet of Arrakis and how difficult it can be to survive in the wild. This is captured beautifully through the long and contemplative shots of the desert environment and you can see how much care went into making everything looked lived in yet arresting all the same. I also have to compliment Villeneuve and his team for the action in the movie. While the amount of time between set pieces can drag, the film delivered what I wanted. The battles and the ending fight are full of tension and got my pulse racing a little. The choreography is tight and the action looks good and fits in with the tone.
Dune looks impressive, they've cast the movie well and I wanted to know where the story was going to go. The biggest problem I had with Part Two was how slow the 1st half of the movie was. It also became a little formulaic, Paul is presented with a challenge to join the Fremen, no one believes he can do it, he does it, rinse and repeat. It never fully bored me but I was checking my phone. The budding romance between Paul and Chani also didn't completely work for me. Chani is mean-mugging Paul in the early going despite the fact he's smitten with her almost immediately. She flips opinions on him pretty quickly and when they're vowing to stay and protect each other, it was a bit of a tonal shift. I thought the two actors did what they could, I attribute it more to the script and possibly the edit. I also have to both commend and criticize Dune: Part Two for not making an effort to catch people up at all. It was a confident choice but I felt bad for anyone who hadn't seen the 1st entry, there's not going to be an opportunity to catch up.
I can see why everyone is so excited about the future of the Dune franchise and I did like this movie quite a bit. Part One has a small edge over Part Two for me but I get why Part Two has been so successful. It looks gorgeous, the cast gets the job done and there's a story here that justifies a multi-film franchise. I hope there's not a huge gap between entries and with how things finished in Part Two, we should be in for a crazy Part Three.