«Dune: Part Two» - Movie Review by Kinoafisha
After watching the movie, you feel like shaking all the sand out of your shoes and diving into the sea.
The world premiere sees the continuation of the art-buster "Dune: Part Two" by Denis Villeneuve, the plot of which is based on the second half of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel. Now, even more sand, the unfamiliar language of the Fremen stylized as Arabic, stoic romance, and heart-rending music by Hans Zimmer. Let's talk about how the sequel became an important bridge before the conclusion of the trilogy.
Since the plot is based on the second half of the novel, almost three full hours on the screen present Duke Paul Atreides, who has joined the Fremen. Some of them see him as the Messiah, eagerly awaited by many of the desert people, while others view him with suspicion. Young Atreides isn't too thrilled about this role but willingly accepts the name Muad'Dib after several challenging trials. Now he must choose his own path and stop all the horrors of the impending war. And also mend his relationship with Chani, a strong and resolute girl of the Fremen people.
"Robo-lady and Willy Wonka fall in love with each other. Then Elvis tries to mess everything up while his bad daddy swims in a puddle. The WWE dude and the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' guy get really mad, while the beauty from 'Midsommar' carefully watches over Willy Wonka after his mommy took some drugs in the sand bath. And Chigurh still doesn't like the guy from 'Dumb and Dumber.' Seriously, who doesn't want to see all this in IMAX???" – describes the movie Josh Brolin, who played Paul's mentor named Gurney Halleck, on his social media.
That could be the end of the review; you could just reread his entire post because you won't find a better analysis. It's all exactly as Brolin described, but we can add that James Bond's favorite woman seduces Elvis, and Denis Villeneuve could have easily directed a remake of the Fatboy Slim music video for the song "Weapon Of Choice." Christopher Walken can dance even in the desert – it's a pity it wasn't included.
What was written above is certainly a humorous representation of the movie, but it's not far from the truth. The thing is, such a cast, consisting of unique and talented individuals who have already conquered the big screens with other roles, greatly distracts from the essence of "Dune" itself. While Denis Villeneuve tenderly and lovingly captures the expanses of the desert, where every curve of the dunes and sand hills is visible, the audience can't wait to see Florence Pugh or Austin Butler again. Where are they? We want to see their characters and what the makeup artists and stylists did to them. By the way, the makeup artists impress with their professionalism for the second time, as the people of House Harkonnen look as disgusting, sinister, and dangerous as possible with each passing second. Every time the narrative shifts to their territory, all the sunshine and colors are replaced by monochrome shots, and an entirely different world appears on the screen, as if it were another movie.
Denis Villeneuve tries to shed all the geopolitical references that are the core of Frank Herbert's novel and simply wants to enjoy the lore of this fantastic universe. The everyday and occult life of the Fremen, the sandworms – the rulers of the desert, the imperial life, and again the bloodthirstiness of House Harkonnen – all of this can be admired while paying attention to meticulously thought-out mise-en-scènes. The Franco-Canadian director is primarily a visionary, so his language consists solely of images, frames, and symbolic props. The internal component of the novel itself is lost behind external beauty, so if you haven't read the literary source, perceiving the second part of "Dune" will be problematic.
The sequel becomes a kind of bridge between the first and last films. The film truly performs a middle function, introducing viewers more to the world than to the most important plot lines. Of course, there is also a romantic subplot between Paul and Chani, which doesn't look so plausible due to the lack of chemistry between Timothy Chalamet and Zendaya, but maybe Denis Villeneuve now spends a lot of time with Christopher Nolan and has forgotten how to shoot love relationships between a woman and a man? The question remains unanswered – as does most of what happens in the film if you haven't read the novel.
In other words, "Dune: Part Two" returns to Frank Herbert's world, polished by Denis Villeneuve. If you liked the first film, you will be satisfied with the sequel. However, after almost three hours of endless desert, you immediately want to take a shower or dive into the sea. Too much sand. But if you're a fan of the original novel, don't be too disappointed. You know, there hasn't been a single successful adaptation of "Dune" yet.
