Dune: Part Two is so good, Anakin would like its sand

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Full disclosure: Dune was one of the six books I fully read in high school without any use of supplemental material (i.e. Sparknotes) because I enjoyed it.  It is still one of my favorite books to this day, but this might be one of the rare instances in which the book is not better than the movie.  When a new Dune film was first announced with Denis Villaneuve at the helm, I was excited but reticent.  He had done great work reinvigorating the sci-fi drama with Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival and showed a feel for atmospheric films like Prisoners and Sicario.  With his duology of Dune complete, he has surpassed all of my expectations and all of his previous work.  Dune: Part Two is the result of a visionary artist loving and understanding the source material and a studio that was willing to throw star power and money at the artist’s vision to produce a sweeping epic that should stand the test of time.  Dune: Part One ended on the slightest glimmer of hope, as the protagonist, Paul, is welcomed into the world of the natives of planet Arrakis as he escapes the galactic cabal that is trying to eliminate his bloodline and take its power.  Dune: Part Two dives straight into the story with no recap, so if you are rusty in your lore, rewatch the first movie.  Paul, played perfectly by Timothy Chalamet, completes his character arc from regal prince to rugged legend.  Chalamet and Zendaya carried the film, beautifully portraying the ebbs and flows of an equal partnership in a relationship, until it is no longer equal.  Zendaya as Chani was a powerhouse and the emotional center of the film and gives her best performance to date.  Their relationship is the centerpiece of the film but is balanced by spectacular action, tumultuous intrigue, and shockingly believable politics.  The antagonists were excellent, all appropriately capable and menacing.  Too often, especially in sci-fi movies, the villains start as a force to be reckoned with, then when the climax arrives, they lose all sense and fail.  Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha is a brilliant dark reflection of Paul from start to finish, never wavering in his character and always commanding the screen.  While the story is truly packed with characters and critical moments, the movie is well paced, never feeling rushed or lingering.  The rhythm of the tale allows the necessary moments to hit and the beautiful world-building to have an impact.  I was blown away at the visuals.  Each world was unique and each setting was vast and overwhelming, particular the seemingly colorless Harkonnen home world.  The scale of the story made me feel small, but in a good way.  The rest of the movies this year will be hard pressed to knock Dune: Part Two from the top of my list.  I can’t wait to watch both parts back-to-back.  Overall, I loved this movie and give it 7.6 sextillion minus 1 out of the 7.6 sextillion of the approximated grains of sand on Earth, as close to perfect as there is.