2024 list - HERE
Villeneuve list - HERE

Ok, let’s do this.

This was the first time I saw a Denis movie in theaters. He is my favorite director and has consistently blown my mind with every outing (my favorite movie is his). And it brings me nothing but joy to say that Dune: Part Two is one of his best films. It is everything I love about his style of filmmaking put together with a story of mysticism, tragedy, religion, loyalty, and above all, faith. Faith on a better future.

Thimotheé Chalamet is electrifying here, as he dives into Paul’s journey with courage and knowledge. Zendaya is great and Rebecca Fergusson is amazing - very different from her in the first movie. Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken are also very good in the little screen time they have. Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista and Stellan Skarsgård are all great as well. Javier Bardem is hilarious and portrays his extreme faith fervously. And finally, the most shocking, terrifying, effervescent, and transformative performance here: Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha. I didn’t know he had this in him. He steals every scene he’s in and is one of the best villains I’ve seen in years. Oscar campaign starts now!

The story is incredibly dense, but Villeneuve is able to condense it in 2:46hrs and make it one of the most intricate and compelling science-fiction stories I’ve ever seen. Religion and devotion are portrayed here as the different storylines are delicately knit and built up until the final act. The themes of faith, destiny, conflict, power, and greed are all addressed here in Paul’s journey. There are scenes where the theater shook and my eyes were fed with awe-inspiring scenes that show the power that these themes carry.

I think the film could use another 5-10 minutes in the final battle, but overall the pacing is deliberate and precise like in every other Denis film.

The cinematography is incredible. The use of color and camera placement come together to create some of the best shots in film. There were sequences where I had chills and my jaw on the floor. The sound design explodes the boom boxes and the production design just elevates the world-building. Hans Zimmer outdoes himself once again, now working with 3 main themes for Dune: the chant, the one from the first film, and this new melancholic and epic theme.

The final 15 minutes were electrifying and unlike the first film that was definitely a part one, this one ends the characters’ arcs (most importantly Paul’s). The final 2-3 minutes of the film set up things that are to come that make me extremely excited for Dune: Messiah. I need WB to green-light it soon and for Villeneuve to end the Dune trilogy (after his 3 confirmed projects) and go on with his career with his name carved into the list of greatest filmmakers (as if it isn’t already)…

Denis said that Frank Herbert wrote Dune: Messiah because people misinterpreted Paul as a heroic figure. Villeneuve makes it clear here that Paul isn’t a hero through many scenes (and one decision he makes), just perfectly adapting the book towards the writer’s original intention and vision.

Dune: Part Two is something else. It’s a giant in the Sci-Fi world that packs a punch in visual and auditory spectacle through one of the most thematically and narratively dense stories from the past few decades. It’s a sight to see and beautiful to behold. Thank you Denis for keeping blowing my mind in relation to what film can be. Thank you.