One of the most hyped-up films of the spring, “Dune 2,” has quickly risen to the top of people’s must-watch movies. “Dune 2” is the sequel of “Dune” in the hit science fiction series. In the first movie, the main character of the series, Paul Atreides, played by Timothee Chalamet, and his mother, Lady Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson, ran away into the desert to escape the mass murder that their family suffered at the hands of the Harkonnens. Paul and Lady Jessica are part of the House of Atreides, one of several Houses of the Imperium. The House of Atreides originally ruled over the planet Caladan but was moved to the planet Arrakis to control spice manufacturing. This led to the Harkonnens’ surprise attack ending the Atreides bloodline, or so they thought.
Throughout “Dune 2,” Paul is viewed as the Messiah and savior of the Fremen, he is the “Prophecy.” This prophecy is being spread throughout the whole Fremen civilization by Paul’s mother, in hopes that they will follow Paul and worship him creating a rise of hope and power amongst the tribe.
The outstanding performances from Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and others struck awe in me. With such a stacked cast and a popular first movie, my expectations were high. Not only were my expectations met but also exceeded. Chalamet has been in many great movies like “Beautiful Boy.” “Call Me by Your Name,” “Little Women” and many others, but I can confidently say this is one of his best works. He perfectly portrayed Paul’s struggles with the power and responsibility of being “Lisa Al-Gaib.” I had chills running down my arms more times than not.
Chalamet wasn’t the only star. Rebecca Ferguson was absolutely phenomenal as Lady Jessica. Ferguson has been in other hit movies like “Mission Impossible” and “The Greatest Showman,” but I think this performance will make her even more known in the industry. Every scene she was in was a breathtaking and a terrifying masterclass. I couldn’t get enough of Austin Butler’s performance as Feyd-Rautha, one of the main villains. Every scene he was in had such a dark and powerful vibe, leaving movie goers eager to see more of him. My only criticism of his role is that there wasn’t more of him. My fina, most notable performance came from Zendaya. Her role in the movie is not talked about enough. She was such an independent free-spirited character, who brought a truly raw human effect to the movie. She kept Paul grounded and showed him the way of the Fremen, without her, there is no Paul.
Equally important as a good story and great acting, is how the movie is portrayed. Director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser turned such a dry and colorless planet into something beautiful. Every shot was carefully articulated and planned out. There truly were no bad scenes throughout the whole movie. What sealed the deal for me was the special effects. The CGI was unreal — you could not tell that there was any. Somehow Villanueve made giant sandworms look like they could be real. I was truly impressed by how realistic everything looked.
Author, Frank Herbert, wrote “Dune” in 1966 setting the blueprint for future science fiction movies like “Star Wars” and “Mad Max.” If you’re a fan of the “Star Wars” movies then you would definitely be a fan of “Dune.” The movie’s only issues were the information from the book that was cut or minimized and the lack of screen time for Feyd-Rautha. Other than that, “Dune 2” gets 5/5 stars from me. With such a beautifully written story paired with phenomenal acting and cinematography, I am not sure how I could rate it any lower.
