If you’re into conspiracy theories, it’s not that hard to believe that Hollywood has been releasing absolute garbage here movies over the last several years to make movies like ‘Dune’ look like ‘Casablanca’ by comparison.

When Dune Part 1 was released in movie theaters in 2021, it came out of a time when audiences were desperate to get out of their homes let alone look for a quality film. It’s like people going to watch Zoolander after 9/11, in the face of tragedy, the most mediocre film can be a great relief.

Dune is a cinematic epic in the sense that the film is more of an experience than a storytelling adventure that most American audiences are used to. While many were calling the first Dune film one of the best epics in cinematic history.

I found the movie to be a boring dry two-and-a-half-hour commercial for a movie that we wouldn’t see for almost 3 years. A big-name cast full of heavy hitters, a cinematic score led by the legendary Hans Zimmer, and a marketing machine pushing the film as “too big for the small screen.”

All the tools in the Arsenal of Warner Bros yet the film replaced visuals and sounds for emotional connection, especially for two-and-a-half-hour films. Well, several months of delays due to the writers and actors strike and we finally get to see if Dune Part 2 was a worthy test for our patience or if Dune Part 1 was just a massive waste of everyone’s time.

Dune Part 2 begins shortly after the events of the first movie. The Story drops us back after the fall of House Atreides. Paul Atreides is feared to be still alive and thus a threat to Emperor Shaddam IV and the Padishah Emperor. 

Meanwhile, Paul is struggling to accept that he is the Mahdi that has been long prospering as Chani and the Fremen people refuse to believe that their leader could come from their ranks. As Paul continues to find his path, his mother Lady Jessica is committed to making sure that her son fulfills the prophecy even if she has to do it herself.

War is on the brink and all sides gather for the battle that will be the beginning of a Holy war. While I can safely say that Dune Part 2 trumps the first film, there are flaws that still exist from the first.

Much like the source material that this film is based on Dune is a movie that mixes several religious elements into one Melting Pot. Audiences who are paying close attention will see parallels to Islam, Catholicism, and Buddhism that are hammered away early on in the film.

The more agnostic members of the audience will probably have a lot of these references go over their heads as they attract themselves more to the visual elements of the story. Dune Part 2 takes the route of turning up the action which improves the overall pacing of the movie compared to its predecessor.

Denis Villeneuve once again decides to flex his muscles when it comes to being a visual storyteller and improves on his first movie by making the story a lot easier to follow for the uninitiated. Dune once again presents one of the most impressive cast lists you will see in a feature film. 

Heavyweights such as Christopher Walken and Josh Brolin Are back with new faces such as Florence Pugh and Austin Butler along with the core nucleus of Timothy Charlemagne and  Zendaya.  One of the biggest flaws of the Dune movies is the fact that due to its long-winded progression and story set up the film feels like it will be far more easily digestible if it was broken down into a series rather than a series of films. 

With that said you can’t knock a lot of the technical aspects of this movie that are becoming the bread and butter for this universe.  Like most of Dennis’s movies, the film is visually stunning in that the visual effects look far more impressive than we see with films that have a slightly higher production budget. 

The costume design and the stunt choreography also deserve praise in a film that is certainly a win from a technical standpoint. When it comes down to it there are things to like about Dune Part 2 however there are still flaws to the movie which brings us back to the biggest issue with Denis Villeneuve’s filmography.

Villeneuve creates movies that are impressive to look at but not as enjoyable to watch. Dune Part 2 might not meet the expectations of the hype surrounding the film but it’s a better effort than what you’re going to see coming out of Hollywood this year.

2.5/5

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