Dune: Part Two

 Dune: Part Two [2024]

Starring Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler

Direction by Denis Villeneuve

Language: English

I am still in shock after watching this movie. For context, I never saw Dune: Part One (Sci-Fi is not usually my thing), nor have a read the books. When I was watching the Oscars in 2022, I would role my eyes whenever Dune won and my favourite movies didn't. Flash forward to 2024, and I wasn't even planning to see this installment of Dune. I had seen advertisements for it online, and I was aware that some of my favourite actors had significant roles. But my (now extinct) hatred for Sci-Fi stopped me from going. It was only when my auntie came to stay when she dragged me to Dune. I rolled my eyes when I saw it was an almost three hour long movie: not even modern Indian movies (which are known for being long) topped the length of this. However, I soon came to find that three hours was simply not enough. I would have sat in that theatre for thirty hours if the story kept on movie. Let me just say that I am now forever indebted to aunt for taking me. What can I say, I was absolutely shocked by Dune: it was brilliant! 

I was utterly enthralled in this movie. I went into it with no context and no idea what had happened in the previous installment. But as a testament to the writing, I didn't need to have watched the first one. With all of the Sci-Fi complexity, I was thrilled to know that the writers made it such that this movie was accessible to everyone. As a completely new viewer, I understood everything I needed to watch this movie comfortably. Another thing about this movie (which was particularly interesting to me, who lives in the Middle East) was the exploration of Fremen culture. I saw so many links to Islamic and Arab culture in Dune through the Fremen people: certain words used in their language had links to Arabic, and everything from the rituals prayed and the architecture seen had strong ties to the Arab world. It was quite fascinating, to me, to see the link between Fremen/Arab culture and 'Spice', an allegory to the Oil and Gas in modern day Arabia. 

I was stunned by the cinematography (no wonder the first part was nominated for so many awards in 2022), but that was not my favourite aspect of the movie. My favourite was the sheer attention to detail. All the minutia such as the technology were not only designed in a technically stunning way, but were brought to the forefront of the movie. It was brilliant to see every small aspect of the futuristic technology featured in a purposeful way. The only other place I have seen such detail has been in the Star Wars franchise, and that is one of the biggest movie franchises in history. It is safe to say that what the Dune team is doing, works. 

But, let me just say that the acting was the most distinguished part of the movie. When I was introduced to the movie online, the first thing I noticed was the star-studded cast. And God did they perform. Timothee Chalamet. I have said it before and I will say it again. I will forever be shocked by how he is such a chameleon in what he does. From Wonka to Dune, he just becomes the characters he plays in a way I have seen few others emulate. He came alive in this movie, and I saw a whole new side to his capabilities as an actor. I had previously only seen him in more lowkey movies. In Call Me By Your Name, for example, he played the role of Elio, a quiet and hugely insecure teenager. But in Dune, he transformed into a god-like power which was something so striking to watch. It also helps that Chalamet is totally attractive to the eye, but I doubt that fact is really influencing people's opinions about the movie. He was so great, and has definitely become one of my favourite actors in the Hollywood industry. 

I was expecting Zendaya to have a bigger role, to be honest. I was disappointed by the fact that she didn't get much screentime, and the audience was forced to see her as a simply hostile character. Florene Pugh and Austin Butler were great, but because they were side characters, I didn't really get to see the full extent of their acting. Florence Pugh's character was written in a way where she couldn't really 'act' that much, and Butler's character was written in such a way where he could only really play the role of a vain and arrogant man. Maybe they'll have larger roles in the next installment. 

I was totally not expecting the movie to be as good as I found it, and this is coming from a person who usually hates Sci-Fi. What does that tell you? Watch this.