I don’t love director Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction oeuvre because, unlike, say, Steven Spielberg’s, Villeneuve’s movies are more intellectual and symbolic than emotional adventures of wonder.  Since Sicario (2015), the writer-director has worked exclusively in the sci-fi domain — Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and now the two Dune stories — and their successes have made him legendary in the genre.  And while I really didn’t care for the first two, which I found both too deliberate (slow) and too weird (weird), even I will admit that these two Dune adaptations are visually, aurally and dramatically spectacular.  He is definitely the person to bring the Dune saga to cinematic life; I hope he sticks with it for a long time to come.

Denis Villeneuve’s film begins after the mighty House of Atreides has been destroyed on Arrakis, the only planet where the invaluable Spice exists.  But Paul Atreides (Timotheé Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) have survived and are learning the ways of the Fremen in the harsh desert.  The Fremen have a prophecy of an Outsider arriving to lead them to Paradise, and Paul fits the bill.  He organizes the desert people and the big Sandworms of the planet to battle the mighty House of Harkonnen, who have deposed his own family.  And along the way he falls in love with Chani (Zendaya), who returns his feelings but isn’t sure that she should fully trust him.

Both of Villeneuve’s movies (which total more than five hours together) tell much of Frank Herbert’s gigantic space opera, yet there is much more to tell.  And some important characters have already been eliminated, and changes made, to help streamline and sharpen the epic storyline.  What this director does really well is what David Lean did really well in his large-scale epic adventures (The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, etc.).  He surrounds a compelling yet enigmatic story with sumptuous visuals of exotic locations, dazzling action sequences, booming musical scores and the best actors he could hire.  The quiet parts of Dune, Part Two are very good; the big loud parts are even better.

And like Lean’s adventures of old, it is the supporting cast that carries much of the dramatic load.  Javier Bardem (as Stilgar), Josh Brolin (as Gurney Halleck), Austin Butler (as Feyd-Rautha), Stellan Skarsgård (as Baron Harkonnen), Florence Pugh (as the Baron’s daughter) and Charlotte Rampling (as the Reverend Mother) are all superb in their roles, leaving Mr. Chalamet and Ms. Zendaya to be a bit more mysterious and confounding.  This is tremendous filmmaking on a grand scale, alien enough to be different and new and often bizarre, but familiar enough to be relevant and even thrilling.  Yet like the earlier works, this Villeneuve has a coldness at its center that I cannot ignore and cannot really warm up to.  I recently saw the first Dune again, but mainly to prepare myself for this one.  These are not films that I want to watch repeatedly, as well made as they are.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  31 March 2024.