Dune: Part Two elevates Frank Herbert’s classic story, drawing striking parallels to modern political and environmental issues.
When thinking of words to describe Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, the one that overwhelmingly comes to mind is “epic.” This may seem a bit obvious, yet the experience that Villeneuve was able to cultivate is one that can’t often be replicated. Building on the groundwork Frank Herbert laid in the 1960s novel, Villeneuve makes it something larger than life. Not only is this story entertaining, it also interweaves a discussion of decades-old issues our society has been facing.
When Dune: Part Two began its rollout in theaters, I had yet to see the first film; despite being a sci-fi enthusiast; I remained skeptical, as some of my peers had called it “boring” and “dense.” After a lively explanation from a friend who was persuading me to watch Dune, I finally did. I was hooked and baffled by anyone who had described this world to me as “boring.” I fell in love with the universe Frank Herbert had created and with the lore and culture of Arrakis.
Once I settled down into the theater to watch Part Two, I was transported amazed and didn’t want it to end (that’s saying a lot considering its 2h 46m runtime). I’m somewhat of a romantic when it comes to the movies and the unique experience the theater can provide. There’s something about having a shared experience with the strangers around you while watching a film that will someday be known as one of the greats. Memories of seeing films, such as The Hunger Games, Avengers: Endgame, and now Dune: Part Two in theaters, are the kind I hold dear.
As a certified Villeneuve fan (Arrival is one of my all-time favorites) I had no doubt that he would nail the visuals. The view through this film is breathtaking. The contrast between Arrakis and Giedi Prime, our two main locales, is stark, yet they are each beautiful in their own way. On Arrakis, we get the warmth of deserts and the setting sun: extremely wide shots of the terrain and close-ups of what little wildlife exists on the desert planet. On Giedi Prime, however, is where we get my favorite scene in the film. All outdoor scenes on Giedi Prime are shown in unique, contrasty black and white (the sun on this planet is black, and gives no regular light to refract and create color), and the Harkonnen arena scene manages to achieve an alien quality distinct from other scenes. The greyscale possesses an incredible starkness, making the Harkonnen appear even more bestial and brutal than they do elsewhere in the film.
The arena scene, in brilliant fashion, was shot using infrared in order to get this otherworldly feel. The large arena, packed with crowds of hairless on-lookers, the arena guards dressed in strange jester-like uniforms, and the inky black fireworks overhead, all combine to create a specific kind of discomfort. Add to this Austin Butler’s predatory depiction of the Harkonnen, Feyd-Rautha, and the scene becomes the awe-inspiring gem it is.
Butler’s Feyd-Rautha was one of the standouts in performance. I absolutely love it when an actor can realize a good villain, and Butler definitely takes the cake. Rebecca Ferguson also shines in her return to her role as Lady Jessica. I was in love with Ferguson’s performance in the first film and delighted to see her character grow more complex in the second film. Her portrayal of Jessica, and her slow descent into Bene Gesserit madness, transfixed me. Jessica starts off the series as a somewhat cold, yet loving, mother to Paul Atriedes.
Though she is merely the Duke’s concubine, she plays an important respected role in the Atreides family.
In Part Two, the Atreides household has fallen, and Jessica begins to embrace her Bene Gesserit training in full. We witness her journey to becoming Reverend Mother to the Fremen and the consequences that have come along with that. She spends the film pushing Paul towards bringing a holy war to Arrakis, even trying to convince him his unborn sister agrees this is the necessary path that he must take. Paul ultimately decides to accept his fate as the Kwisatz Haderach (male Bene Gesserit) and as the savior of the Fremen because of Jessica’s insistence.
Zendaya’s character, Chani, intrigued me in the first film and I was looking forward to seeing how her character would develop in Part Two. Although I enjoyed watching her develop her relationship with Paul, ultimately her character fell flat for me. I hoped to learn more about her, but she was merely reduced to Paul’s love interest. Even with Chani as the sole voice of resistance, this still disappointed me, to see another female character treated as a plot device for the male protagonist. Female characters written by men have a habit of being one-dimensional, and Chani is no exception. During their climactic fight scene, Feyd-Rautha catches Paul locking eyes with Chani and asks, “She’s your pet?” Unfortunately, this line is quite fitting—Paul’s pet is the extent to which Chani’s role plays out in the story. She teaches him to sandwalk and fit in as a Fremen, only to be cast aside for Princess Irulan.
(Or is she?)
Paul Atreides, one of the many epithets: Lisan al-Gaib, Maud’dib, Kwisatz Haterach, and Messiah, is brought to life by Timothee Chalamet. Although I like Chalamet in films such as Call Me By Your Name and Little Women, I have never really subscribed to the hysterics surrounding him. Still, after I saw Paul in the first Dune I was convinced that he’s one of the greatest actors of our generation. He really is the perfect Paul, both physically and emotionally, just as Herbert described in the novel. Paul’s character undergoes a dramatic transformation in the second film and Chalamet’s monologues towards the end of the film, underscoring this, gave me chills. Chalamet depicted the shift from meek and humble to confident and power-mongering to perfection, and the final battle between Paul and Feyd-Rautha is sure to be one of my favorite cinematic moments of the year.
Maybe the thing that amazed me most about this story is how ahead of its time Dune was when it was first published eighty years ago, in 1965. I challenge you to watch Dune and not walk away with some understanding of the politics Frank Herbert hinted at. In the most basic terms, Dune is a story about wealthy and noble houses that have taken turns colonizing a desert planet for control of its most valuable export. The way I and many others see it, this is clearly an allegorical representation of the Euro-American forces that wreak havoc in the Middle East, as they control and extract its oil. It is worth noting that one of the reasons spice is so precious is because it is essential in aiding interstellar travel, a glaring resemblance to the role oil plays in our current society.
In an interview from the 1980s, Herbert explains that he saw water on Arrakis as a metaphor for oil, clean air, and water itself. He sought to articulate the challenges he saw our world beginning to face in the 60s. In the novel and the film, we see how precious and sacred Fremen hold water, due to its scarcity. They steward the precious substance, taking stringent care of their environment. Meanwhile, the ruling families of the empire fight over spice, as people in ours would fight over natural resources.
Dune can be interpreted many different ways, and I think that was perhaps Herbert’s intention. I feel the story is more relevant now than it was when it was written. The challenges Herbert was beginning to notice in the 1960s have only intensified in the 21st century. Having grown up in a post-9/11 world, I recognize the similarities to our current conflict in the Middle East as unignorable. Arrakis being a desert planet is a big part of this, but it is also obvious that both Fremen and Bene Gesserit culture, clothing, and terminology are heavily influenced by Abrahimic and Middle Eastern cultures. The Bene Gesserit, for example, represent the role of religion in the empire, and are most likened to Evangelical Christianity with its messianic focus.
In this scenario, the galactic empire is a metaphor for America. The Atreides are known as one of the more righteous noble houses and the Duke is seen as a fair ruler. I see this as an analogy to the belief (of some Westerners) that America is a great power that can do no wrong, as it brings democracy and freedom. By the time the Atreides take control of Arrakis, the Fremen, stand-ins for Palestinians and the like, are exhausted and angry after centuries of cycling through different oppressors. They express that they have love and respect for the desert, while their oppressors only seek to exploit it, and them, for spice, through any means necessary.
While the Atreides strategy is to befriend the Fremen and learn their ways, the Harkonnen barely acknowledge the Fremen as human and see them as an inconvenience to be exterminated in order to get to what they need: spice. The House Harkonnen represents corporate exploitation, warmongering, and racism towards the Fremen. We see clips of Baron Harkonnen spitting vitriol to his lackeys about the Fremen and they are referred to as “rats.” I think these two sides of the imperialist coin can be seen as American propaganda vs. the horrors that have actually taken place on Middle Eastern soil. The Atreides represent what American nationalists would have us believe: that America is lending a helping hand. The Harkonnen represent reality: wars have been fought and many lives lost in the name of harvesting oil.
Given the compelling story and intense cultural implications, it’s hard for me to believe that Dune is only now getting the hype it deserves. A story, at its core, that is something so incredible, and Villeneuve made it even easier to fall in love with. It makes me so happy that Villeneuve was able to create something this beautiful and buzz-worthy because now Dune is more accessible to a broader audience (not just to film bros and old-school sci-fi nerds). Although Dune has been around for decades, I think Villeneuve has made this franchise into something that could give even George Lucas a run for his money. Some people may be growing tired of the Arrakis hype by this point, still, my love for Dune knows no bounds.
When I think about the fact that I was living a life without Dune, only a few months ago, it’s hard to believe that a sci-fi nerd like me went a quarter of a century without knowing anything about this iconic story. A story, at its core, that is something so incredible, and Villeneuve made it even easier to fall in love with. It makes me so happy that Villeneuve was able to create something this beautiful and buzz-worthy because now Dune is more accessible to a broader audience (not just to film bros and old-school sci-fi nerds). Some people may be growing tired of the Arrakis hype by this point, still, my love for Dune knows no bounds.▮