Prologue - You have to watch Dune (Part 1) (available on Netflix) before you watch Dune - Part Two. All the characters, the general universe, world building is done in the first movie.
In the last 10/15 years in Hollywood, Denis Villeneuve is a director , who along with Christopher Nolan has been tireless working to make Cinema the way it is meant to be enjoyed - Big screen canvas, Technology (8k cameras, IMAX) Visual effects, Cinematography and Musical Score to enhance the experience of watching movies on the big screen.
Villeneuve had just come of the critical and decent commercial success of "Arrival" and "Bladerunner 2049" when he started on the Dune project - which was based on a series of 6 books written by Frank Herbert. Dune had been considered to be an "unfilmable" project of those times, given the canvas, scope of characters and the general universe. Previously attempted by director David Lynch in 1984 , to mixed reviews - the movie was a commercial disaster, though generally favourable with critics.
Dune (Part 1) came in 2021, just when people had started coming back to the theatres post pandemic. It was a decent success globally. I had watched it on HBO Max (Day one premiere) on TV - cursing myself for missing the theatrical experience!.
Dune is a tale set in the future with different families(houses) united under the regime of a king. The key characters belong to the House Atreides and House Harkonnen who inhabit their own planets. They are engaged in fierce competition to control Arrakis - another desert planet rich in "Melange / Spice" which is harvested from the sand. The "Spice" is known to help increase life span, enable to unlock precognition and aid interstellar travel! It is guarded by the Fremen tribesmen who are native to Arrakis and the giant Sandworms which are buried under the sand.
Part 1 talks about how the Duke Leto (Head of the Atreides family), who are commanded by the Emperor to take the stewardship of Arrakis are attacked and killed by the Harkonnens. Paul Atriedes (Timothee Chalemet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson ) survive the attack \ while they lose Paul's father (Duke Leto) and his kingsmen. Paul and Jessica (who is now pregnant with Paul's sister) survive and are rescued by the Fremen. Paul is a gifted young man - trained by his mother , who belongs to the Bene Gesserit, a sisterhood whose members have mythical and superhuman powers (mind reading / mind control).
Dune Part 2 is one of those rare movies, where the sequel not just surpasses, but successfully takes the story forward , justifying the character and world building in Part 1. The movie is the journey of how the young Paul befriends the Fremen, grows through the ranks, embraces his destiny , becomes their leader, eventually taking revenge for his family's betrayal.
He is aided by Stilgar (Javier Bardem ), Chani (Zendaya) and Gurney (Josh Brolin) along the way as he fulfils his destiny - eventually overthrowing the Emperor (the great Christopher Walken, while taking revenge on the Harkonnens. Paul and Chani fall in love ( she believes that Paul cannot be corrupted, but Paul through his premonitions knows that his greatness would come at a cost). In the end we are left heartbroken as Paul chooses to marry Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) , so he can become the emperor, while Chani leaves nursing a heartbreak.
The antagonists are Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Sarskgard), his nephew Feyd Rautha (a stunning Austin Butler with the pout and pizzaz!, we wish he had more to do!) and Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista - a menacing figure in Part 1 reduced to doormat in Part 2).
One figures just putting so many big actors together would have been a monumental challenge. Truthfully - most of the actors get good screen time and are not just walk in parts.
Timothy Chalamet is Hollywood's boy wonder - makes giant strides in this role , beautiful in the softer moments with Zendaya ( always an arresting screen presence, sometimes limited by few monotonous expressions) . He is nimble in the action sequences and absolutely outstanding when he scowls!. My favourite however is Rebecca Ferguson - playing a complex role with different shades, doing full justice.
The 166 mins of cinema are elevated with the operatic score by the maestro Hans Zimmer (my favourite) - swinging from mellifluous (Paul and Chani's love themes) to the macabre (when the action happens). Cinematography by Greig Fraser is OUTSTANDING, so many frames of the movie can be poster shots. When the Harkonnen army glides into the higher dunes, when Chani and Paul express their love with the two moons in the background, the introductory scenes of Feyd Rautha (shot in monochrome), the climatic knife fight between Feyd and Paul - so many more! Absolutely jaw dropping! Terrific storyboarding!
My two favourite scenes - when the picture and sound emulsify to perfection are - when Paul rides a giant sandworm for the first time and the scene in the climax, when the emperor surrenders to Paul, kneeling before him (and everyone follows), except the two women in his life - his present and his future!
The sound design is outstanding - the silences are as good as when the vibrating Thumpers (device which invokes the sandworms) give you a serious heart rate elevation.
Overall, Dune 2 is a fantastic cinematic experience with a rich and linear plot, exquisite world/character building, great acting (barring a couple of unintentionally funny performances) and the a class technical aspects. This is big screen cinema - watch it in IMAX or atleast a PXL screen to really experience EPIC cinema as it has to be !
Epilogue
Growing up reading and watching Indian epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana - I actually had some fun trying to map some of the characters of the Dune franchise to a mishmash of our epics - (Dune was written only in 1964) . After you watch the movie(s), let me know if you agree!
One can liken Paul to Arjuna ( Duke Leto could be Dasharatha), Stilgar to a Hanuman (who has a blind belief, sometimes comically, that Paul is the Messiah of the Fremen). Gurney is like Bheeshma. Chani is the Draupadi but has to marry Princess Irulan (Subhadra!) , so he can become the emperor!
Of course the antagonists Baron Harkonnen - who is akin Ravana and his nephew Beast Rabban is a Jarasandha while Feyd Rautha is Duryodhana). There is a Vibhishana, there is a Sanjaya - The women of the Bene Gesserit are all the Mandodari, Shoorpanaka , Kaikeyi (Jessica) (take your pick!) - tells you how rich our epics are - resonating across generations!
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