Gold Class in 4K with Dolby Atmos. Watched with @mikerow1990.

Funny enough, this is my first time watching on the big screen since Kung Fu Panda 3 back in 2016!

Many people compare this to The Dark Knight, T2, Aliens and The Empire Strikes Back in of the sequels being better than the original movie. Do I agree with this statement? Uh Yes and No.

See my Dune review HERE.

Of course, Denis Villeneuve delivered a terrific grand spectacle of a movie that you would be in awe, especially in these days when worthy blockbusters are few. This is certainly his strongest direction in of the epic scope, but as an overall film, it falls slightly behind. The screenplay is not perfect at all. The opening scene of the movie is flawless as it allows us to understand the Emperor and Princess Irulan's thoughts on Atreides and the Harkonnen. The movie delivers us into the middle of the action straight after the title card that completely gripped my attention. The Harkonnen is much more thrilling and evil due to Feyd-Rautha.

Feyd-Rautha's introduction is super interesting. It brings back to the German Expressionism era of filmmaking with the duality of black and white colours representing the evil side. The tall stadium production design harrows back to the sets in Metropolis and the threatening aspects of the Harkonnen. Most of the scenes are also very dark, which is reminiscent of Darth Vader's room in The Empire Strikes Back.

While the first film ends on Paul accepting into the Fremen tribe, this movie expands on Paul's training to become a Fremen and his romance with Chani. The training scenes are so exciting due to many ambitious moments that will shock you so much. I was surprised at Chani's relationship with Paul towards the end of the film. Fremen's comments on Paul earlier in the movie did make me laugh.

I personally interpreted Paul as Moses. You could see so many similarities to Moses' storyline. Paul's rise to power and being respected by the Fremen is outstanding. Lady Jessica has a huge commitment to her pregnancy and being adapted to the Fremen. This movie is so spiritual with not just with regards to the deeper examination of the Fremen's living lifestyle, but also the feeling I had throughout the movie.

However, I did find some scenes hard to understand. Some scenes are rushed and could have been developed more, and the muffled dialogue makes me hard to capture any information. Gurney's introduction is a bit sudden for me. The worldbuilding is not as strong. Rewatches could benefit my understanding, but regardless of how many times I rewatch, the lack of development in some areas will still be an issue. Hopefully, subtitles can clarify more of what I missed. I also wish the characters were more interesting. I compare this to the Return of the King - that film perfectly focuses on each character arc and this film doesn't do the justice.

Timothee Chalamet is miscasted as Wonka, but on the other hand, this is a 180 degree flip. This is, at the time of this writing, his best performance. He shows so much fury, determination and ambition. Austin Butler is incredibly sinister with his voice and his facial expressions. He does make you dread, just not to the extent of The Joker and Anton Chigurh in of memorability. Zendaya and Javier Bardemn's roles are all expanded and they all are fantastic. Stellan Skaargard and Dave Bautista are flawless casting choices. Florence Pugh is great as always. Christopher Walken is awesome. And how can I not mention the lovely Rebecca Ferguson? Wonderful performance from her. All timer cast.

The action scenes are neither inferior nor superior to the first part. In of how much action there is in this movie, I would say the same amount of action as the first part. It was underwhelming for me as I expected to be the same level as The Return of the King. The action sequences are choreographed well, but the build up could have been better.

The cinematography is impressive like the original movie. The opening harsh orange lighting is so cool. The colour palette is relatively similar to the first part. The yellow heat lighting in the climax is the real highlight for me. The editing is flawed - I understand that the expansion of worldbuilding does require some pacing drags (which is the same for The Two Towers), nonetheless, it does feel jarring sometimes and I did get slightly bored in some scenes.

The music score is menacing and alien in the big bombastic moments, while remaining peaceful during Chani and Paul's romance. The costumes are so showy and unforgettable. The makeup on Lady Jessica is a chef's kiss. Just look at how effective the makeup is on the scary Harkonnen - it will haunt you! The production design of the Emperor's home is a respite over the harsh desert climate. The green scenery is quite meditative. The Fremen's home has some terrific details. The Harkonnen's spacecraft seriously reminds me of Star Wars.

The sound design will live in my head rent-free. Whenever I hear the sandworms approaching, the explosions and shootings, there is a nice rumble on the floor. What an immersive experience! The visual effects is a marvel to look. The CGI creation of the baby and the Water of Life amazes me. And not to mention the commitment to using practical effects with CGI to create an experience that makes you feel like you are in the moment.

While it is not as top-notch as what others are saying, I still love this film. Regardless of what I think about this movie, this is certainly one of the best films of 2024. Hot take: I like the first film more than this.

If you can watch on the big screen, you certainly won't regret it! If you miss out, I still highly recommend this film. Just lower your expectations if you believe this film to be on the same league as LOTR.

For more of my other modern film reviews, click HERE.