nally has a cinematic counterpart worthy of the name. Dune. If there seemed little appetite for a one sci-fi epic back in 2021, Villeneuve’s conviction that Herbert’s vision warranted two was risky. Certainly, there was no guarantee in a pandemic weakened box office that Part Two would ever see the light of day. Villeneuve’s long anticipated – in certain quarters – Blade Runner sequel had, after all, failed to match critical for commercial acclaim. And yet, here we are. Where Villeneuve’s first Dune was bold, noble and a little ponderous in its world building, his second is nothing short of mesmeric. Villeneuve has made peace with the Shai-Hulud and this is just the beginning.There’s definitely something to be said about entering a film like Dune: Part Two blind. Even so, it seems hard to imagine even the highest of expectations going unmet in this case. Part Two does have it all. Aching romance perfectly balances scene after scene of pulsating action. The heart races, breaks, soars and sings in line with a narrative gifted the sort of breathing space most blockbusters, and high budget directors, would kill for. What’s more, as penned by Villeneuve himself, alongside Passengers’ – yikes – Jon Spaihts, the film enjoys a density of both plot and thought provocation. It is an epic of such scale and might as cinema has not seen since the lofty days of David Lean and Charles Heston.
DUNE: PART TWO | REVIEW
