I know it was a bit of a meme for people to say that they fell asleep watching the first movie but I liked it a lot and was so enveloped in Arrakis and the general universe. I was obsessed with the beauty that Villeneuve managed to portray in what can be a very sterile, heavy, and soulless universe a lot of the time. Part Two took almost everything to an even higher level for me.

Timothée Chalamet nails it as Paul Atreides and while I had doubts beforehand, I bought the transformation of his character and the end result. He really proved that he can carry the weight of a film like this. Javier Bardem is a standout and plays a fanatic so well. Rebecca Ferguson is great as always and there are also some enjoyable cameos along the way.

Visually the movie is just as stunning if not more so than the first and it ties into one of the gripes I had that has been put to rest this time. That gripe was that I felt the first movie didn’t go in on the weird and unsettling nature of the source material as much as it could have but this one delivers on that front. I adore the continued influence of H. R. Giger on the Harkonnen homeworld of Giedi Prime. There is an entire sequence that introduces and builds up a significant character and threat and I felt that it was one of the best sections of the film and also paid off tremendously.

Dune has been iterated upon and imitated for decades but I don’t think there is anything quite like these two movies. The cinematography, score, adaptation of the material, it’s all top tier big budget film making. Few movies make me feel as immersed and captivated in them as these ones have. Hans Zimmer’s score in these two movies has directly tapped into my soul. There are differences and small gripes to be had sure, but overall I’m very happy with what has been achieved. Villeneuve is one of the best film makers working today and he has delivered once again for me. I really hope to see him continue this story one day.