Dune: Part II

Dennis Villeneuve's retains cinematic scale and expands the thematic layering

Creating a cinematic spectacle on the scale of Ben-Hur (1959) or The Lord of the Rings in today’s film landscape is becoming increasingly difficult. The rise of Marvel-style storytelling and serialized television has led to segmented narratives, meta-commentary, and frequent winks to the real world, often at the expense of full immersion. While transporting and thought-provoking storytelling can still be found in smaller films, discovering such artistry in a major studio production is rare. Yet Dune: Part II (2024) achieves precisely that.

Picking up where the first film left off, Dune: Part II follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), recently banished to the desert alongside his mother, the Bene Gesserit priestess Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), by the scheming Harkonnen family, led by the grotesque Baron (Stellan Skarsgård). Seeking revenge, Paul joins the Fremen, the indigenous people of Arrakis, in their rebellion against their Harkonnen oppressors. The Fremen believe Paul to be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy—a messianic figure destined to lead them. Paul, however, wrestles with the ethical dilemma of whether to embrace and exploit this belief for his own ends.

Dune: Part II is once again helmed by Denis Villeneuve, who reunites with his exceptional technical team to deliver another singular cinematic experience. Every element—from the cinematography to Hans Zimmer’s thunderous score, as well as the sound design and visual effects—is crafted with a level of scale, precision, and originality that demands to be witnessed on the biggest screen possible. Villeneuve and his team’s dedication to bringing Frank Herbert’s world to life, down to the intricate details of costuming and the logistics of sandworm riding, is nothing short of astounding. Every aspect of the film exudes passion and authenticity, making Dune: Part II a triumph of immersive world-building.

Co-writing the adapted screenplay, Villeneuve shifts the focus of this second installment toward the novel’s central themes: the corrupting nature of power and the intersection of politics and religion. He deftly balances these philosophical explorations with compelling character arcs, particularly Paul’s transformation from a sincere and idealistic youth into a fearsome, power-hungry ruler. The supporting cast follows similarly complex trajectories, from Chani (Zendaya), Paul’s love interest, to Stilgar (Javier Bardem), the devout Fremen leader who becomes increasingly blinded by his faith. The romance between Paul and Chani is also handled with nuance, never veering into saccharine territory but instead earning the emotional weight it carries by the film’s climax.

Frank Herbert’s Dune has long been considered one of the most challenging novels to adapt, and splitting it into two films was a wise choice on Villeneuve’s part. However, Dune: Part II occasionally succumbs to repetitive beats meant to emphasize the passage of time, which instead serve to bloat the nearly three-hour runtime—an endurance test for many viewers. This pacing issue results in a sluggish middle act and limits the development of certain secondary characters, such as the Imperial Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and the psychotic Harkonnen heir Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). Even so, Villeneuve remains committed to keeping the narrative tightly focused on a select group of characters, and despite its length, the film never truly drags.

The already stellar ensemble expands even further in this installment, rivaling the star power of Oppenheimer (2023) and Barbie (2023). Newcomers like Pugh, Butler, and Léa Seydoux seamlessly integrate into the world. Butler, in particular, is a revelation, delivering a chillingly sadistic performance as Feyd-Rautha that far surpasses Sting’s interpretation in David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation. Zendaya, with a more substantial role this time around, grounds the film with a performance that highlights Chani’s pragmatic and skeptical perspective on the Fremen’s religious fervor. Meanwhile, Chalamet faces the most demanding transformation of his career, shedding his boyish vulnerability for a Macbeth-like descent into power. He commands every scene with an intensity and menace that will astonish those familiar with his more subdued past performances.

Ultimately, Dune: Part II is a cinematic triumph—one that seamlessly blends spectacle with thought-provoking political and religious commentary. Its immersive world-building, technical mastery, and outstanding performances solidify it as essential big-screen viewing. In an era where true cinematic epics are increasingly rare, Villeneuve proves that, with vision and artistry, the genre is still very much alive.

8.5/10