Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 2 is amazing. The plot is faithfully recreated, and the aesthetics are on point. The technology feels believable while still being somewhat fantastical. The writing is great too, with well-placed jokes that aren’t too intrusive and genuinely funny. This epic film follows Paul Atreides’ war against the Harkonnens for the planet Arrikis. With plenty of twists & turns, this movie is sure to surprise, even if you’ve read the books.
The technology of the Dune series has always been interesting. One of the first things Frank Herbert thought of when creating the world of Dune was, “How do I make the solution to fight in a sci-fi story not be a “space gun” every time?” The answer to this question was personal shields, which repel high-speed attacks but can be pierced by slower strikes, hence the need for swords and similar melee weapons. The renewed use of bladed weapons led the factions of the story to adopt a medieval combat doctrine, with some minor changes such as close support assault craft, kinetic bombardment, thermonuclear bombs, and short range flight capability integrated into the Harkonen’s combat gear. While the invading forces fight like the knights of Europe (at least on the surface), the Fremen use guerilla warfare tactics, such as stealth, sabotage, and support elimination which is surprisingly contemporary commentary on the United States’ view of its own time in the Middle East.
With a budget of $190,000,000, which is more than the GDP of some third-world countries, Dune: Part 2 actually costs less than most of the blockbusters of 2023, by around $10,000,000, according to Screenrant. However, Dune: Part 2 does much more with less, and while in big studio terms, $10 million is lunch money, It still matters. And this massive budget shows, with plenty of glitzy CGI explosions, worms, and spacecraft.
On the subject of CGI, this movie looks genuinely phenomenal, and while a certain Star Wars character would hate this much sand, the vistas are gorgeous. The sandworms are, in my opinion, actually a bit worse than the ones in the first movie, as they had more of a force of nature feeling rather than a vehicle or domesticable animal. However, they still have immense power, but as symbols and rites of passage. This film displays the power of CGI very well, with seamlessly blended set pieces to the point where you have extreme difficulty distinguishing real from computer generated.
The only real criticism I can give this movie is that it has strange pacing. There were several points where I thought the movie was over only to realize that there was another hour to go and the film’s climax falls a bit short after all the eye candy the movie feeds you. The running time is around 2 hours 45 minutes, but still ends on a massive cliffhanger and while a 3rd film has been confirmed, the lightning of the first and second films may be difficult to recapture. The film is best experienced in theaters, as the majesty and expanse of the environments really is lost when watched on anything smaller than a 20 foot screen. While the movie is quite long, it is most certainly worth your time as a truly epic experience.
