Dune: Part 2 is a triumphant and visionary science fiction film. This production builds on what worked well in its predecessor, firmly establishing that it is built not only from a love of the original, but also from a deep understanding of the tragedy at the heart of Herbert’s work. Masu. This is a story about a boy who becomes a hero and wins. It’s the story of why that story is a tragedy.
It’s not just sci-fi battles and explosions, but it depicts a world far removed from our own, down to the smallest detail, with gorgeous moving visuals. The sound of air rattling through tubes in the sand, the rhythmic dance of walking across the dunes, the gaping mouth of a black-toothed enemy, the glint of spices being blown onto the ground, the crystal clarity of hidden water, the smooth fall. sound. Sand running through your fingers. There’s a mesmerizing fullness to the images, offering a glimpse into the real world, where textures, smells, and tastes resonate rather than the empty glitter of sci-fi visuals.
And it embraces the sheer weirdness of the world. It’s not quite as acidic and trippy as Lynch’s films, but it still enjoys the weirdness. For example, when ink bubble fireworks burst like celebratory squids over a stadium of alabaster hordes stomping and shaking like a rally of albino Nazis. The balloon drops a metal monster the size of an apartment building into the desert, and sandworms erupt from the sea of sand like Cthulhu’s fingers.
Despite its strangeness, it feels more grounded than its predecessor, with more fully realized characters.Chani in particular is given far more character and complexity than exists in her novels, where she tends to be a motivator or plot device, but not necessarily an important one. there is no Man. The truth is, that’s true of many of the characters. For all his great talent, Herbert was also a product of the science fiction era, writing at a time when character was secondary to plot. Villeneuve deserves a lot of credit for bringing out the emotions of his characters without sacrificing the idea, making their passions and dreams as important as the moves on the chessboard of power.
Eliciting this emotion leads to the film’s greatest success: capturing the sadness at the heart of the story. It sometimes reminds me of Paul’s conversation with his father in the first film, where he expresses his doubts about wanting anything to do with power. When I first saw it, it read like a cliche of a reluctant protagonist. Yes, yes, you just want a simple life, but we know you can be a hero because the story says you should.
But what makes this story so powerful is what many have seen between the lines of Herbert’s novels for decades: that the hero’s journey is not a glory, but a trap. about it. But it’s not as simple as simply claiming that heroes are evil or that fighting evil makes them evil. No, it insists on the sadness that victory always destroys what you are fighting to save. The only way to defeat the Empire is to become an Empire, and the only way to save the Fremen way of life is to unleash the Empire. “Lead them to paradise,” Chalamet says in a moment of triumph, responding to a cry of elation accompanied by infinite sadness.
But that being said, the movie feels rushed despite its nearly three-hour running time. There is no actual passage of time, and despite the rapid cataloging of events, only about half a year has passed. We can’t pretend otherwise because of our biological clock, which starts early in the movie. Readers of the book will know that the timing was forced by Arya’s decision not to appear in this film. This is probably a good editorial decision, but it locks the story into a constrained timeline.
As with the previous book, I can’t for the life of me understand how someone who hasn’t read this book can understand even half of what’s going on. Not just in the hidden long-term meanings of easter eggs and events, but also on the fundamental level of understanding the basics of what’s happening from moment to moment. The best thing I can say to people who enjoyed the first movie but haven’t read the book is to trust that the plot makes sense if you look up the answers after the fact. And to tell you to read the book already.
I’ll go see it Dune: Part 2 On a huge screen. That’s why we make science fiction movies.
