By Jacob King
Dune: Part Two released March 1st, 2024 and almost immediately it took the nation by storm. Many claimed that this was the Empire Strikes Back of the Dune film series and I completely agree. Everything from the cinematography, to the plot, to the soundtrack was incredible and the only issues I had with the movie were super small and can be fixed by simply viewing the film in a different environment.
I had the opportunity to see Dune: Part Two in an IMAX theater and this is definitely the best way to see it. The cinematography was absolutely stunning on the big screen and the high resolution made every little detail crystal clear. Even though most of the film takes place on a barren desert planet, the cinematography made it interesting. However, I do hope that in the next films they start to show more planets because I really like the Dune universe, especially the various houses and nobility that remind me of the classic kings and knights of old.
Possible spoilers are to follow regarding the plot of the film.
Dune: Part Two was definitely an improvement of the first film and even makes it better in hindsight. My main issue with the first Dune film was that it felt like a long setup for the rest of the series, introducing the world and governmental hierarchy of the Dune universe. While it was done well, I think that the score and cinematography carried the first movie, but in the end the setup paid off for Dune: Part Two where Paul Atredies, played by Timothee Chalamet, begins his quest for revenge against the people who murdered his father and sentenced his family to death. Paul’s character arc over the course of the film felt very natural as he transitioned from refugee to leader, utilizing the beliefs of a people group to gain power and notoriety.
Dune: Part Two’s music was beautiful and utilized perfectly. Composed by the legendary Hans Zimmer, the soundtrack does a wonderful job of complimenting each scene and never felt intrusive. Using a combination of synthesized instruments and natural voices, the music feels very otherworldly but also very ancient. This makes sense in the context of the story since the religion the Fremans believe in has been around for centuries. I am a firm believer that the soundtrack of a film can make or break it, and Zimmer gave what may be his best soundtrack with Dune: Part Two.
For me, the best part of the film was the cinematography. Every single shot in the film was breathtaking. It is hard to say which scene was my favorite, but three that stood out the most to me were the Harkonnen Colosseum fight scene (which I recently learned was shot on Infrared film), the final battle between the Fremans and Harkonnens, and the final duel between Chalemet’s Paul Atredies and Austin Butler’s Fey-Rautha. Every shot in the film are close to perfect, but these three in particular stood out amongst them for their creativity and use of unusual filming techniques.
As I mentioned, the only issues I had with Dune: Part Two were super small and, honestly, nitpicky. This first issue was probably not even the fault of the film, but in my opinion sometimes the film was very loud as in rattling my head loud. Now this could just be the fault of the theater I saw it in so it may not be as big an issue in the future. The other issue I had was that often the film would cut from very dark scenes to incredibly bright scenes unexpectedly, and in a dark theater this was almost blinding. However, I do not think these issues detract from the integrity of the film.
In all, Dune: Part Two is a masterpiece and I would highly recommend it even if you have not seen the first Dune. It does a wonderful job briefly explaining the major plot points of the first film without seeming intrusive. If you can, see Dune: Part Two in IMAX.
