“Dune: Part Two”: The halfway point for one of sci-fi’s greatest trilogies

Director Denis Villeneuve’s second act in his massive three-part “Dune” trilogy was released worldwide on March 1. Being a fan of Villeneuve’s past work (including the first “Dune” movie) and a fan of sci-fi in general, “Dune: Part Two” is one of my most highly anticipated movies of the year. So when I was offered the chance to see it early, I jumped at it. In my spoiler-free review, I’ll go over some of the things you can look forward to seeing in the movie. Spoilers for “Dune: Part One” ahead.

“Dune” picks up right where the first movie left off. The Emperor and the Harkonnen have betrayed House Atreides and destroyed their entire family on Arrakis, or so they thought. Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) and his mother (played by Rebecca Ferguson) have escaped into the desert and are taken in by a Fremen group led by Stilgar (played by Javier Bardem) and Chani (played by Zendaya). All of this is given in a quick and concise recap by a new character in the story, Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh).

Throughout the first half of the movie, Paul and his mother must learn the ways of the Fremen to survive in the desert and earn their trust, all while attacking Harkonnen spice harvesters and fending off Sardaukar scouts sent out to find and kill them. When Beast Rabban (played by Dave Bautista) can’t get spice production back on track, Baron Harkonnen (played by Stellan Skarsgård) turns to his ruthless and cold-blooded nephew, Feyd-Rautha (played by Austin Butler), to bring order to Arrakis. With the Harkonnen’s drawing closer and his visions growing stronger, warning him of an imminent holy war, Paul must decide on who he will become and how he’ll shape the Imperium forever.

My favorite element of Denis Villeneuve’s movies is the cinematography and the set design. Ever since I watched “Blade Runner 2049,” I knew that he had an amazing understanding and ability to create beautiful dystopian sci-fi worlds. He flexed that ability with the first “Dune” movie, and with “Dune: Part Two,” that strength of his is on steroids. He’s able to make a desert — which should be visually boring —exciting, and that’s good because we spend most of the film’s runtime in the desert. And scenes that aren’t in the desert look even better. The striking monochromatic look of the Harkonnen planet is a standout. The costume designs are fantastic as well, from the Fremen’s still suits to the Harkonnen’s battle armor. One of my favorite costumes was Princess Irulan’s, as it made her look like a cool medieval princess from space — which I guess she technically is.

The action takes a leap forward as well. With all the setup and world-building done in the first movie, there’s so much more time to fill with great action scenes; and great they are. Villeneuve’s sense of scale really adds to the scenes when the Fremen soldiers are crawling under massive spice harvesters as they’re shot at by ornithopters in the sky. The striking and brutal action in this film takes place on such a large scale, reminding you that you are watching a grand medieval space opera every second.

The performances in this movie are the best we’ve seen so far from the entire cast. Paul’s transformation from just a duke’s son to a fearsome leader is played fantastically by Timothée Chalamet. He becomes so powerful and intimidating by the end of the movie, and it’s really not a side of Chalamet that I’ve seen before in other films.  Zendaya is better in this movie than in the first one, solely because she has more scenes where she’s not just appearing in a vision or a dream. Javier Bardem’s performance is surprisingly comedic. From his appearances in the first movie, I didn’t expect him to be the funniest and one of my favorite characters in this film. He’s singlehandedly made me want to run down the street yelling “Lisan al-Gaib” just for fun. Rebecca Ferguson continues to play a shady mother who schemes and plans the events of the story with her Benne Gesserit sisters. Newcomers like Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken play their parts well, but I look forward to seeing more of them in the third installment. Austin Butler’s sadistic and animalistic performance is a standout for me as well. He makes any scene he’s in feel more uneasy and tense. The casting is truly off the charts.

“Dune: Part Two” is peak science fiction, and while I haven’t read the books it’s based on, I have a good feeling that it’s doing the source material justice. The action and visuals are some of the best we’ve seen in the genre. The story is enthralling and the performances are from a group of actors at the top of their games. “Dune 2” is a roller coaster ride you won’t want to miss.