Film Journal 2024: Dune Part 2

Film Journal 2024: Dune Part 2
Directed by Denis Villeneuve

I’m not sure it says much to state Dune Part Two is a very good, and even exceptional film. Much more relevant to call it an event. The science fiction nature of the story might not be your thing, and you may have certain thoughts and opinions regarding how the film matches up with the book, but it is nevertheless the sort of thing that has the power to captivate the cultural conversation in one way or another, even if you never see it.

And certainly, for those who do see it, the cinematic spectacle is undeniable, from the visuals to the scope to the scale. Its impressive from start to finish.

I know the film has been compared many times over to Lord of the Rings. For me personally, my love and appreciation for the story doesn’t exist on that level, however I can say that the last time I encountered a story this big would probably be the epic finish to the LOTR trilogy. If its not quite reaching to that level for me, I can imagine it would for fans of the book and the science fiction genre.

I’m sure there are things to nitpick here or there, but they would be inconsequential to the experience at best, and a distraction at worst. It’s worth noting how seamlessly Part 2 flows in tandem with Part 1 as a singular arc. If Part 1 felt incomplete, this retroactively makes it that much better. At the same time, the transformation that occurs with the films central characters sets Part Two apart, allowing it carry much of the films climatic push. Thematically too, the film adds layers to the messianic motif, even establishing it as a timely message about the nature of holy wars. There is much to say here, as I noted in my review of the first film, about how Jesus occupies the messianic role in contrast to Dune’s enigmatic “savior”. In Part 2 it places such questions straight within the reality of the kind of motifs that surround Jesus, particularly when it comes to the realities of enslavement and power or rule.

If hope is to be found, it is to be found in the unexpected places that resist the allure of retaliation and Empire, not within it. What becomes even more apparent in Dune Part 2 is a world caught in such perpetuating cycles and needing a promise that can break it.