Poprageous Recommends - Dune Part Two - Movie Review - A Denis Villeneuve Masterpiece?

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Given how the craft of moviemaking has developed over the decades (and will probably continue to do so, if the impending downfall of our culture can somehow be averted), it is no wonder that one might consider Dune superior to much older works like the Star Wars OT or the LotR trilogy in that respect. Also, given that each generation is imprinted upon by its respective, current occurrences, it is also no wonder that someone who wasn't around for the SW OT and a child or young adolescent for LotR is likely to be comparatively indifferent to those by comparison. Just like the SW OT was probably cheesy child's play to someone who grew up with Citizen Kane, John Wayne westerns or the "sandal epics" of the 1950s and 60s.

All that being said, I strongly feel that any phenomenon should be recognized and appreciated in its own context, rather than comparing things made under completely different circumstances in completely different sociocultural contexts. It's like comparing a car from the 1950s to a current one or a traditional village society to a "post-modern" urban one. Things can only evolve by building on what came before, the proverbial standing on the shoulders of giants that younger people usually lack the perspective and experience to appreciate, even before the glorified, malignantly destructive iconoclasm that is "progressive" "deconstructivism".

As a Gen-X'er born in 1970 nothing will ever hold a candle to the SW OT for me, with the LotR trilogy coming in hot as a close second, and Villenneuve's Dune impressing me as close-to-perfection regarding the "show, don't tell" approach, the world-building, cinematography, casting, acting, score, and visual effects. However, for me, only the older actors come even remotely close to the charisma and screen presence of those back then. Timothy and Zendaya can act their asses off all they want but they're still little more than pouting teenagers to me, always one missing WIFI signal strength bar away from the next tantrum. Which is, probably, as it should be 🙂 End of rant.

10/10

I think lotr is still better overall, but Dune 2 was great

My favourite film of all time. Just beats Mulholland Drive by David Lynch and Kaufman’s Synecdoche New York

How can this guy manage to mispronounce so many names in such a small amount of time

Am I the only one whose enjoyment of the film was ruined by the overhype? The movie is excellent, but it's not a masterpiece; it's very flawed in my opinion. Pacing is off, the movie doesn't truly climax, too much happen in too little time. Take the final battle; no set up, no raising of stakes beforehand, no build-up. They spend 30sec on exposition of the plan, then boom, they go in unencumbered. It should've been two films so certain subplots and characters should've been explored more. This movie should've been the "Two Towers" and the last battle should've been the 3rd film. If you know the story, you know Dune Messiah "next book" is a totally different animal that could be its own trilogy.

i will say the theater experience was great, one scene that sticks out to me is the riding of the sandworm. The audio made me feel like i was there!

What a fantastic take and deconstruction of the film. I see this series as a masterpiece and am chompin’ at the bit for the next entry.

Did anyone else feel that Christopher Walken was not the best choice? I love his work but I felt it could have been cast with a stronger actor. Give me your thoughts.

Dune Part Two is a "Must Watch" theater film that is easily one of the best cinematic experiences in a very long time. For me, it was the best theater experience I've ever had to date. Denis Villeneuve nailed it on every level.