Here's my spoiler-free review for Denis Villeneuve's Dune Part 2. I'm going to be posting a full breakdown and video essay with spoilers in the next few days, so stay tuned for more! But what did you think of Dune Part 2? Let me know in the comments below.
Aside from omitting the Weirding Way & no exposition of the spice - Guild Navigator relationship, it was really good. The acting was excellent (Timothee Chalamet(sic) was great, really coming into his own), and the Harkonnens/ Ghedi Prime was so oppressive.
It's absolutely worth the hype. It is incredible. Star Wars. The Godfather. Mad Max: Fury Road. The Seven Samurai. Bladerunner. Lord of the Rings. Apocalypse Now. The Last Temptation of Christ. And Villeneuve's own Arrival. There are elements of Dune 2 that meet the boldest and most important moments of each.
@@ST-ek6lf Honestly, you're wrong, there is all kind of evidence to prove you wrong. If you found TLotR boring, there's no way I believe you think this movie is interesting.
I am 50 years old now and seen quite a bit of cinema in my time. This film is just a breath of fresh air for me as it hits all of the reasons that I fell in love with in movies from the get go. Sterling experience in IMAX and cannot wait for Dune Messiah which is sure to come. Thank you Denis!
Definitely a film for the ages that shows what a real, thinking creative genius who refuses to insult the audience’s intelligence can do. I think it’s a film that will need to be seen more than once, with some thinking and discussion, to fully appreciate.
I hope it gets recognized, but sci-fi isn't usually what the Academy goes for. I know it will get some nominations, but how many will depend on how crowded the field is in each category.
@CosmicPotato I honestly don't see much competing with it in the tech fields this year (the first movie won 6 statues) as for direction and picture. It's an obligatory nomination this time around in both categories. The only film that has any chance of getting close to the technical prowess side of things this year is Furiosa. If the first half got 6 academy awards and this one is better in every way, I can see it hauling 8-10 statues easily.
This movie is a grand achievement- it was absolutely mind-blowing. I was sure of one thing stepping in was that nothing could outdo the high expectations I had for this movie; as a fan if anything you can only expect to be let down by the high expectations....Never in my wildest dreams did I think it was possible that Dune Part 2 could exceed those expectations...And IT DID on every level...so many times during this movie from starting sequence to ending I had to sit back and just ghasp at what I was seeing. It's incredible what Villeneuve has accomplished here...I fell like I'm going back to childhood and just witnessed a LOTR quality anthology film for the first time...This will be a defining movie! It's living proof it is still possible to make amazing films in 2024
Imagine LOTR being the bar you set..... Man, have higher expectations. LOTR was average at best. I guess average lands pretty high nowadays. The 80s so called "B" movies were actually the golden age in movies.
@@668771 Imagine being such an idiot that you'd call LOTR "average at best". There are billions of people in this world.... you must be one for the few contrarian losers out there. I pity you.
I haven't seen this much overwhelming positive reviews & uncontrollable hype for a movie for a long time. Dune might have set a gold standard for epic film making after Star Wars, Lord of The Rings, and Titanic. Denis Villeneuve, you are the greatest fanboy of all time ❤
Extraordinary film!! A real feast to the senses that stands out as an unique piece of art that requires no previous knowledge of the book to be enjoyed!! Bravo Denis Villeneuve!!! standing ovation!!
Watched it on fed 25th, it is definitely the best of sci-fi in the past decade, or two decades. And a really really strong contender for possibly the best sci-fi we ever made.
Agreed. I saw it on the 25th too. It's definitely MY new favorite sci-fi film ever. By a LONG shot. It was almost literally perfect. I can't WAIT for everyone else to see it!
I watched the movie in a simple cinema with a low quality sound system in a small town in Thailand. But still, I was so deeply captured by the movie that I took me an hour to arrive in the real world afterwards. I wasn’t just seeing a movie I was there. Never had that before in my life. Can’t wait to see it again few more times.
I bought tickets for 3/1 a few weeks ago and I just bought more tickets for 3/4 because I already know I'll want to see it again. I wouldn't be surprised if I go see it a third time!
It was a good decision. I just saw it last Sunday at an early fan premiere in IMAX, and we're already planning on seeing it again this Saturday. I'm getting these films on DVD -- and I'm a GenZer, so that's saying something. I don't have ANY films on DVD except the ones I will watch again and again forever, and will want to still be able to watch when the power goes out lol
Watched part 1 the other day. Watched part 2 at the cinema today. Unbelievable brilliance. Watching it on the big screen only adds to the experience. Loved it. Can't wait for part 3. Brilliant 👍🏻👍🏻
I saw it yesterday. Seeing is believing and yes it's a modern day masterpiece along the same quality levels seen in Lawrence of Arabia, Apocalypse Now, Ben Hur and 2001 A Space Odyssey
As someone who was anticipating Dune Part One on the back of Blade Runner 2049, Dune Part Two is everything I was hoping for in a Sci - Fi experience from Villenuve. Loved it!
It's weird cause Dune Messiah will most certainly be more cerebral and less action packed unlike the third movie of most trilogies (specially Return of the King).
I wasn't sure if I'd like part 2 due to the mixed tone of the first one and the plot seeming directionless and disjointed, but I've just seen part 2 and I LOVED it! The plot is thankfully much more streamlined than the first and keeps you gripped throughout.
Thank you so much for providing us with regular Dune content in the months leading up to the release of Part 2. I'm seeing it tonight for the first time after hearing all these stellar reviews and I'm beyond stoked
saw it twice yesterday, in a row!! 1st on IMAX and then on isense! and i tell u, it is an IMAX movie! its a must!! soooo damn good! had tears in my eyes all the time and gosebumps all over
i've been saying this as I left the theatre: it is the best adaptation we could have hoped for, a stunning cinematic achievement, a colossal hit for sci-fi stories, and DV's work does the same for Dune and Sci-fi as Peter Jackson's trilogy did for Lord of the rings and fantasy. I hope Messiah comes out, for it has the chance of taking over star wars' OT legacy and fane the flames for the coming generations of writers, directors, and artists.
Just came from re-watching part 1 on the local cinema (had like many others only seen it at home before because of the pandemic…) Can’t wait to go back and watch part 2! Would have liked to see it in an IMAX theatre however…
Oh my gosh, he _pulls_ 👏 _it_ 👏 _off_ 👏, let me tell you. I did not KNOW he could bellow like that. He roars like a terrifying leader. Sitting in that theater... in that moment, I fully believed him.
Amazing film, everything without exception. Three hours, my god, I didn't realize it was that long, it's just so good, you lose track of the time. Brilliant!
It will be a long time before this is topped, especially as a trilogy. And unlike those before it I actually believe in denis’ nailing the 3rd film. One more day and I get to see this beast, have never felt this anxious to get in the theatre.
I’m a huge fan of the book, probably one of the best books I’ve ever read. There were aspects of the book I thought would be too weird to translate, and I thought they did it flawlessly, and they did other things in a creative way that made a lot more sense on screen than on page.
Just got back from watching Part 1 and 2 as a double feature. The spoiler free review is that it works brilliantly as one large movie, but I must stress the importance of watching it in IMAX to get Villeneuve's proper vision. Having seen Part 1 in IMAX and now seeing it again in the cut n shut widescreen format you begin to realize you're missing out on some serious impact in the wide shots. I cannot wait to see Part 2 in IMAX.
I think the argument can be made that this is the absolutely one of the finest sci-fi movies ever made. The balance of action, intrigue, and character development was the best I've ever seen (in any genre). As a long time fan of the books, I realize what a monumental task it is to reduce a dense novel to the big screen, and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job than was done here. It had some interpretive issues, there were some obvious omissions and changes that I found unsettling, like not explaining the Guild, and the actual importance of Spice, but there's ample opportunity to do that in Messiah. Some characters were omitted, some changed, but none egregiously enough to impact the overall experience. The film was almost perfect, and vastly exceeded my expectations.
You know what I'm talking about. Dune 2 and Dune 2000 including Dune 1 for PC have better war scenes than this small knife battles. WTF are those Harkonnen or Sardaukar with out heavy high tech weapon! This movie its trash
The Dune book stories have so many details , side plots and characters that could only be put into a multi season TV series. So these films are great with the main point story line.
When I was a teen in the 80's, I could not fathom Frank Herbert's mind. Neither him nor Carl Jung could I fully grasp back then. When I saw David Lynch's Dune in 85, I thought it was alright, but that it was a compromise (which is why David Lynch wanted his name stricken off the credits). It was only during the pandemic that I revisited both Herbert & Jung. I feel that this Dune does justice to Frank Herbert's Dune in a way the one in 85 could not deliver. My ONLY hope at this point is that Villeneuve will push the ante even further and not hold back at all in the making of Dune Messiah. After that, I wont need to go see a movie in the big screen ever again! On a side note, if you see this Dune in any format other than IMAX, you would be cheating yourself!
I believe I have never felt like this after watching a movie. The emotions I had during and after Dune 2 were so intense I can't describe it... I'm definetly going in the theater for a 2nd time
Years ago I attempted to read the book, but honestly, I couldn't really get into it, (maybe I was too young.) So when part one came out at the movies I was like "Yeah....I'll give it a go, and I liked it, and now after I've seen part two, what can I say it's bloody brilliant. Its got me in, I hope they make a part 3.
incredible movie. I just wish they went more into the Spacing Guild and the Bene Gesserit, since they are so important to the DUNE world and future. But it's impossible to put that much of a book on the big screen. I see where he is keeping it based on Paul and his family.
What are your thoughts on how Messiah will be adapted and if audiences will like it? It’s a different book from the first with it not being war/action and more focused on deception, plotting, politics, etc. Will it land with audiences? I fear it might disappoint those who haven’t read the book. Denise said he’s almost done with the script, and is worried about how the remaining books will be adapted because the books get very weird and it will get very hard to adapt into a script.
I too felt convinced that Dune was grand and overwhelmingly complex to the point of being "un-filmable" when I read the first book in 1977. Another sci-fi epic, "Time Enough for Love" by Robert Heinlein, I consider to be similar in scale. Maybe in the future someone will take on the challenge.
An excellent film. The only thing I just can't seem to get past is their portrayal of Chani. Right on the other hand I think Jessica was amazing and she was changed a little bit as well. The only real problem i have with this movie is that it didn't go on for another hour or two right? I would have like to have seen more characters, but I get it. All and all it's a wonderful movie, especially for this day and time.
I know I am in the minority, and I can see why people would like Part 2 more, but personally I think Dune 1 is actually better. Although, I have only seen Part 2 once so far-maybe I will change my mind after repeat viewings.
Personally I agree. But I think it’s because I loved the careful character set up, world-building, and coming of age story that the first did so well. I enjoyed part two but it didn’t leave me completely blown me away with the world like the first did. But that’s also probably because it’s a sequel and I’ve already had my moment of seeing everything for the first time.
I just saw it a couple days ago in IMAX (early fan premiere), and I have been RAVING ever since that it belongs on the same shelf as LOTR. And, controversially, it replaces Star Wars as my favorite sci-fi film. I still love Star Wars, but Star Wars is just great entertainment, with a pretty simple hero's journey story. Dune is FAR more complex, dense, intellectual, profound, and convoluted, and addresses real human issues WAY more, like religion, class structure, gender roles in culture, politics, suffering, and the human condition. The channel _Pilgrims Pass_ calls Dune "Star Wars for adults"... and I agree. No hate to Star Wars at all. This is just different, and deeper. That's why I love it more. I know all the hardcore Star Wars purist fans will come for me... but I don't care. It's a matter of preference, and I personally far prefer the denser, more profound stories. And Villeneuve did that _brilliantly._ Also, the acting in Star Wars just doesn't hold a _candle_ to the acting I saw in Dune Part 2, I'm sorry. Each actor was STUNN. ING.
I agree with all of this although, for me, the main omission from the book(s) is the de-emphasis of the Mentats. Piter de Vries was downplayed in his role in the first movie and Thufir Hawat is entirely omitted from Part 2 (along with the sub-plot of his rivalry and distrust of Jessica Atreides. The movie places more emphasis on the antihero themes than the original book does, although this is in line with Dune Messiah as per Herbert's wider story arc. It is the best science fiction movie of its type we have seen for years and on a par with The Two Towers and Empire Strikes Back in my view for expanding the setting and scope. It is clearly the second part of a trilogy (which again makes it distinct from the original book) and can't really be appreciated without watching Part 1 and (hopefully) Part 3 as a whole story.
In 1977 i was 12, Star Wars blew me away, LOTR blew me away but not as much as Star Wars did when I was 12, today my 19 year old son ask what was Dune 2 like, is it worth watching, I said to him, you know how I have always said I never expected a film to top Star Wars on blowing me away, well finally a film did, Dune 2 is a masterpiece, effects 10/10, actors 10/10, adaptation from the books 9.8/10, I am a fan off the books. There has too be a Dune 3, he just cannot leave it where Dune 2 ends. You know when a movie good when 3 hours felt like 30 minutes.
I hope they'd rather somehow combine Messiah and Children of Dune for the next movie. Messiah is a long epilogue, and besides a few key moments it doesn't seem like enough there to make a full engaging film.
I haven’t seen it yet. Just the trailers and stills. One glaring thing that I already love to hate is the shot of the atomic explosion. The tracers in the air above we have all seen in historical footage of actual Abomb tests were always deliberately fired from rockets so the invisible shockwave could be seen and photographed. It’s not apart of the explosion of the weapon at all and yet here we see tracer lines. I’m sad that someone in graphics didn’t do the homework apparently.
The first installment absolutely blew me away, and turned me into a Dune fan. The second one left me heartbroken. I didn't like it, basically at all. I don't understand what all the hype is about, or what people actually like about it. The Sardaukar were presented as a joke, and barely feature. The major scenes were spoiled in the trailers and generally underwhelming. The pacing I thought was horrible, and I found myself bored out of my mind spending so much time with the Fremen: so much of the film was set on the same planet, in the same environments, with the same people, in the same costumes, exploring the same themes by talking about the same subjects. For all the time we spend with them, and for all the insights we do get into their society, I still feel like I have only a surface-level understanding of the Fremen, and I was never really sold on the depth or reality of their culture in the same way I was when it came to the Sardaukar, the Atreides, or the Harkonnens. The range of phenotypes for the Fremen, and the accents, I thought were heavily immersion-breaking. I don't think Zendaya was a good casting choice for Chani at all. Many parts of the movie I found confusing and seriously lacked fleshing-out, which definitely could have been remedied in ways that would be neither stilted nor awkward. There were definitely things to like about the film, and I plan to see it at least one more time, to see if further viewings change my impression, but I didn't actually enjoy probably 75-80% of my experience on opening night.
Yes, agreed it's the best sci-fi film in years. I,MHO maybe the best since 1976 Star Wars. My ONE criticism is what they did to Chani's character, changing her from his partner/soulmate/love to a critical mate. I understand why Denis changed the storyline ot Fremen having 2 differing factions, some supporting the "messiah" & some skeptics, but Chani was his always supportive person; always. Her "power" was in being his trusted soundboard as well as soulamte love. Also, why did Denis eliminate the birth (& aftermath of) of Leto II? Fierce fighters can also be Mothers, after all. in their political system she understood why he had to marry Irulan & accepted her position as the primary "wife". Audiences ar smart & would've also understood it.
And there’s for sure going to be the third because in the first movie Paul already saw them on paradise and chani is with him in a dress, as said in this movie she’ll come to see
I think a "once in a generation" film deserves at least a 9.6 out of 10, harsh. About to watch it this weekend but I am going to say 10 out of 10 will be my rating. Been waiting for this since I first watched the final scene of the first one, way back the day HBO Max launched it.
I watched part one again when they did the re-release and I still loved it, but part 2 makes it look quaint by comparison!! Denis Villeneuve's Empire Strikes Back!
I’m watching it next week. Can’t wait, almost finished reading the book. As well as Dune I am massive nerd of Star Wars and LOTR, I said for a long time I wanted something that was similar to The Original Star Wars Trilogy and LOTR trilogy in terms of epic scale, well written story and rich universe. I may have that with Dune. Dune part 1 was the first film I watched in IMAX. My fav cinematic experience so far, booked next Saturday in 70MM IMAX can’t wait. The Dune films are my Star Wars/LOTR’s in terms of that Cinematic Experience that was similar to when those films come out. Of topic Cortex was wondering if you were gong to do a review on Shogun show?
Im going to be aiming to watch shogun in a week or two and might possibly do a video. Ive heard great things about it and those trailers were phenomenal!
One nitpick for me about Part 2 is at the beginning where Jessica and Paul fight off the Harkonnen, Paul has his back to a Harkonnen and Jessica has to save him. Maybe this was in the book. I can't remember since I read it back in like 1992, but this felt off to me. At this point, Paul had been trained by some of the best warriors in the empire and he had seen some combat himself, so why would he be so sloppy in a combat situation? This just didn't make sense to me. I don't see Paul as a dullard, so how did he forget his training?
I saw it Sunday… it was great, of course, but I wish the _Dune_ story had been split into three parts, rather than just two 👍 _-Part 1_ ending with Paul choosing the name ‘Muad’Dib…’ so the story is about the death of Paul Atreides, and the birth of Paul Muad’Dib. _-Part 2_ exploring Paul and Jessica becoming part of the Fremen, and expanding the Harkonnens and Corrinos and Bene Gesserit, and ending with Paul drinking the Water of Life, and marching into that Fremen temple place and finally claiming the mantle of ‘Lisan Al-Gaib.’ _-Part 3_ would just be all-out war, with Paul going full Order 66 on the Harkonnens and such, ending with the birth of Emperor Paul, or whatever he’s called there 🤷🏻♂️ _-Messiah…_ less action, more of an epilogue, hopefully giving Paul some measure of redemption. nitpicks: - they did a “General Hux” on Stilgar and made him the comic relief for the first half. - the pacing and tone of the first act seemed a little odd, can’t remember why exactly 🤷🏻♂️ - I wanted more detail, like about all the Fremen sci-go tech and such… and more ornithopters. - the wispy fireworks on Geidi Prime looked bad. - Emperor Shaddam’s mobile palace and throne room did not at all resemble Carlo Scarpa’s Brion Tomb, where he lived on Kaitain… it was probably my least favorite bit of architecture in either movie. - I didn’t mind the way they handled Alia, but it did condense the timeline a whole lot, which is weird… maybe she could’ve been born, or even a small child in the final montage of the Holy War starting? - where the F was Thufir?! - the final act felt rushed… hence my wish for three parts. - why did the Fedaykin armor in Paul’s vision in _Part 1_ look so different? and why was Chani so chill about it then, but not now? - the final scene should’ve been longer, with more shots of people standing around with pensive looks on their faces… - and generally, I wish there were more visions. those were a huge part of the first movie, so where did they go? 🤔
@@DarkoFitCoach - Denis* you didn’t think the final act felt rushed? wouldn’t it have been better to give the story more time, and give us more of the ancillary characters, like the Bene Gesserit and the Corrinos?
@@1984-i1w - so in Paul’s big vision of the Holy War in _Part 1,_ Chani was like “hey Paul, come look at this war on the other side of this dune… isn’t it lovely?” sooo… I wish Chani had something to do with Paul finally choosing to drink the Water of Life, like he has to do that to save her in some way… like Anakin turning to the Dark Side as a way to save Padmé… to make a silly comparison 🤷🏻♂️
@@Sam_T2000it felt far less rushed than the final act of the book imo, the book FLYS through its 3rd act and really offers no resolution, I know that is the idea, but it’s personally for me, done much better in the film.
@@thatllputmarzipaninyourpie3117 - maybe they have parachutes or something that pull them up in the air a bit, and then they just let the worm squiggle off into the sand 🤷🏻♂️
@@Sam_T2000Apparently Denis Villenueve has very clear ideas as to how it should work, but said in an interview that it may have to wait till Dune Messiah.
I don’t know anything about Dune. I never read the books or seen the original Dune movie. While I liked part 1 it wasn’t anything special and I really had no interest in part 2 until I started hearing the reviews. So I not only decided to see it opening weekend but I also decided to see it in IMAX which I rarely ever do. I was glad that I did. While I’m not ready to crown it as the greatest SC-FI film ever made. I will say that it’s a very good movie and way better than part 1. Visually it’s stunning and for a 3 hour long movie I was never bored or looking at my phone to check the time. Overall I enjoyed it and definitely would recommend it to anyone that is into that type of movie BUT I don’t think it’s the greatest movie I ever seen or the greatest theater experience I ever had BUT that doesn’t mean that the film can’t be that for others. I can see if you are a Dune fan how you would be in love with this movie.
Great review. I saw Dune 2 tonight and it blew my mind. The novels are my among my all time favourite books and I never expected to see an adaptation that would equal them. This mighty film exceeded my high expectations after Part 1 in every way. Masterpiece is a word that get flung around all too often. This time it sticks. Bravo Denis Villeneuve.
بالراحه بس علي نفسك انا قدام حاله مرضيه نفسيه صعبه اووووي انت بتتعاطي حاجه فرق بين نبل الاخلاق وبين اللي انت فيه دا كبير الحمد لله انك لاقيت الحب الحقيقي نحمد ربنا ايه اللي انت بتعمله دا وايه كم الكره اللي مالي قلبك وعقلك ربنا معاك
