It’s here, it’s finally here. Dune joins the very small club of SciFi books with amazing adaptations. When Part One hit the screens, people were amazed that it was so good. Now, with Part Two, we hear that it’s even better than the first one!
But I was very skeptical. The trailers seemed to indicate a train wreck. They were full of explosions, angry screaming guys and the taglines about war. Dune was never about war. War was in there, but it was never the point. But cinema, SciFi especially, loves special effects, and big-booms are amongst the most used. I dislike a lot of SciFi movies from the USA, as the (so called) spectacle is all there is1.
But what the hell, I chose an IMAX experience nevertheless. The first Dune was breathtaking, so why not?
And then the movie started, and my worries were replaced with anger. What the hell is this? Soldier banter? Puppy-eyes? Joking? It’s a SciFi war movie. There are preparing for the specle Dirty Fremen Dozen! Independence Day of Arrakis!
But, just as the action moved to Giedi Prime, the movie completely transformed. What was mediocre, became absolutely marvelous!
Now, after seeing and rethinking the movie, it makes sense. It’s a not sequel to Dune, but part two. It doesn’t start in act 1, as that was in the last movie. The first chunk of this movie is a cool-down after the ending in of Part One. Both Dune movies should be treated as one long movie. Much more than Kill Bill, as we have no clear ending between the two. Part One ends with finishing of the Harkonen attack plot, which only ignites events of this movie. And looking at it as one one big movie, I have to say: wow!
They made some changes to Herbert’s text, but I like them. Fremen are no longer a singular force that Paul uses. The movie version of them is divided, having different cultures. Maybe it’s too black and white, but it’s a nice change.
Similarly, Chani become a multidimensional character. And while yes, Jessicas portrayal makes Chanis character shine much less, it’s still a great change. But the way Rebecca Ferguson plays Jessica is nothing short of wonder. She starts scared, but loyal to both, Paul and Bene Gesserit. After becoming the reverent mother however she becomes menacing. With this comes another change - Alia is not born here. She is talking with her mother telepathically, but at the end of the movie she is still to be born2. That’s a dangerous change, but it works perfectly because the tone Jessica uses when talking with her - calm, silent, almost a whisper, yet still menacing. I can not stress it enough - Rebecca is perfect here.
But the biggest change is the introduction of scenes from Dune Messiah. You see, Dune was often seen as a savior story. Paul was to be the good guy, who comes and saves the day. This is as far from what Frank Herbert envisioned as possible, so he wrote a short sequel book. This movie vision introduces plot points and scenes taken directly from that book, so the meaning behing the story is much more obvious. I think it’s a good change, as we already see folks arguing against Dune due to this misconception. This way it defends itself.
Luckily, this movie is much weirder than Part One. While last time Dennis omitted a lot, here he shows more things3, but still there is no context. We see the finger of the Baron, but we never learn what actually is there. It comes as an Easter Egg for old time fans, which is nice as it takes nothing from the story. But then there is Geidi Prime which is monochromatic, empty and cold - in the scariest way. I’d love to see more of this side the world, but we got it spot on. And Fayd? Where Lynch gave us half-naked Sting, Austin Butler is a psychopath. This is the Beast we all deserve! This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
I am happy to report that this is not a war movie. It’s Dune full of plots within plots, mysticism and (lastly) war.
Unfortunately, once again I am not happy with the music. While most of the tracks are good (or great), the main theme is even worse than last time. It’s now layered over a lot more noise, making it this much more annoying. It decreased my enjoyment of many of the greatest scenes. Luckily, there is also new theme so this screaming woman may not follow us into the third movie.
So, Dune Part II is an excellent movie, but Dune the complete story is a marvel. It’s the greatest thing I’ve seen in American SciFi in a very long time. It’s what it should be. While not flawless, it’s as close to what I’d imagine as a perfect Dune as it comes. The movie gets a 4.75 from me (same as the first one), but looking at both Dunes as a single movie? Then it goes to a 5. I don’t think we will get anywhere close to this level of quality anytime soon. What Baldurs Gate III made for cRPG, Dune makes to SciFi cinema.
And, I love that Christofer Walken is once again in the Dune universe. He warned us about the Worm years ago.
