'Dune: Part Two' picks up where the first left off in expectedly chaotic style. And it works
Now where were we?
Those were the words Jon Stewart used to kick off his return to “The Daily Show” after a long absence. It was funny in part just because it’s funny, but also because of the enormous amount of world-changing events that occured in his absence, so he wasn’t really just picking up where he left off.
For “Dune: Part Two,” however, the question couldn’t be more apt. The first film, released in 2021, was a masterful achievement that ended practically in the middle of a sentence — an ending all the more abrupt considering director Denis Villeneuve had not yet secured a sequel.
Which is where we find ourselves again this time. At least in “Part 2” there is some resolution, though the way the movie ends, you know there is more to come. Probably. Once again, the next film is dependent upon how well this one does at the box office.
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Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya return for 'Dune: Part 2'
The first film made a lot of money, which is a good thing because otherwise we would have been left forever with Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya just hanging out there in the dunes of Arrakis, on the run from their enemies.
Which is where we pick things up in the sequel, which plays in part as an extension of the first film (since that’s what it is), but also as a deeper exploration of the journey of Paul Atreides (Chalamet) to find himself, and to find out what he is to everyone else. To Stilgar, a Freman leader (Javier Bardem returns in the role), he is nothing less than the Lisan al-Gaib, the messiah whose arrival prophecies have foretold.
Chani (Zendaya) isn’t so sure (for that matter, neither is Paul). She believes the Fremen should be led to paradise by one of their own, not an outsider, messiah or no. She’s also distrustful of Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), a member of the all-women order of mystics that has been doing all that foretelling. The Fremen take Paul and Lady Jessica in, and Paul learns their ways, insisting that he only wants to fight beside them, despite Stilgar raving to anyone who will listen, and to anyone who won’t, that Paul is the real deal.
Meanwhile the Emperor of the Universe — it’s a big title, but Christopher Walken is the man for the job — is scheming, Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsg?rd) is trying to keep Spice production going by whatever means necessary, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) is positively foaming at the mouth looking for someone to kill and figures Paul is as good a candidate as any and Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), the emperor’s daughter, is recording it all in her diary.
If all this sounds like so much big-name mumbo-jumbo, like you missed something, well, if you didn’t see the first movie, you did. Some of the story can be hard to follow even if you did see the first film; occasional short leaps in time don’t help.
Denis Villeneuve makes the movie work
But it’s OK, because Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Sicario”) may be the best director working when it comes to putting an audience in challenging, even audacious settings and making them feel as if they belong there.
“Dune: Part 2” makes sense in a kind of cosmic way, even when the nuts and bolts can be mystifying. Villeneuve trusts his audience, but his audience also has to trust him. This relationship gives his films an immersive feel, as we slip into the world he creates. You just have to kind of go with it.
Butler is outstanding as the bald face of pure evil; he employs facial tics that make him look unhinged. I think Ferguson is the underrated secret ingredient in both films. Bardem becomes less interesting the more fervent Stilgar becomes. But it falls to Chalamet and Zendaya to carry the emotional burden of the film. Both of their characters are transformed in different ways as their relationship evolves, and each actor makes the transformations credible — which makes the stakes and the consequences all the more intense.
It shouldn’t work, honestly. There’s too much going on in too many directions at the same time. But Villeneuve brings it all together somehow. We’re more than five hours in between the two films (this one is 2 hours and 46 minutes), and while the lack of a sequel wouldn’t be as infuriating as it was last time around, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m ready for more.
'Dune: Part 2' premiere: See photos of Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler
'Dune: Part Two' 4 stars
Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★
Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★
Director: Denis Villeneuve.
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler.
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material and brief strong language.
How to watch: In theaters Friday, March 1.
Reach Goodykoontz at [email protected]. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Dune: Part Two' review: Finally a bit of closure from a frenetic epic