New in the cinema – “Dune: Part Two” is even hotter and more complex than hoped – culture

The first part was already visually striking. Now Denis Villeneuve proves how well he understood the complex novel.

Frank Herbert’s “Dune” about the desert planet Arrakis is rightly considered a milestone in science fiction literature. For a long time, the socially critical gem was considered unfilmable until Denis Villeneuve taught the world otherwise in 2021. The French-Canadian director achieved the feat by dividing Herbert’s fat tome into somewhat cinematic portions.

The 2 hour and 35 minute long first part only tells the first half of the first of a total of six “Dune” novels: how the blue-blood Paul Atreides gains a foothold on the resource-rich but dust-dry planet Arrakis after the death of his father.

“Dune: Part Two” seamlessly continues the plot peppered with ecological and power-critical references. But in a way that allows even attentive newcomers to get excited: Only now are we really getting to know the sand-grain-fine cosmos and its nature-loving native inhabitants.

“These 2 hours and 46 minutes are primarily about the integration of Paul and his mother Jessica into the tribal culture of the Fremen,” Villeneuve emphasizes.

Fascinating ethnography of a fictional people

In fact, “Dune: Part Two” takes a pleasing amount of time to introduce the audience to the habits and customs of the desert people. Witnessing how constant water shortages, huge sandworms and local differences in mentality shape everyday life is simply breathtaking.

Parallel to the detailed description of this world, Villeneuve continues the plot that organically grew out of it: Paul (Timothée Chalamet) falls in love with the native Chani (Zendaya) on the dunes, with whom he pursues a common goal: to free the planet from the exploitative Harkonnen. At the same time, Paul is haunted by prophetic nightmares in which he, as the religiously revered initiator of a “holy war,” sends thousands upon thousands to their deaths.

For once Chalamet is not just charming

In “Dune: Part Two” an important aspect of Frank Herbert’s vision that has not yet played a central role in the cinema finally becomes visible: Paul’s moral ambivalence. Neither Villeneuve’s first part nor David Lynch’s unsuccessful film adaptation take into account the fact that Herbert did not want to tell a classic heroic story with his bestseller series.

Legend:

More ambivalently drawn than in the first part: “Desert Mouse” Paul “Muad’Dib” Atreides (Timothée Chalamet).

Warner Bros.

Above all, anyone who has read Herbert’s “Dune Messiah” knows: Paul is anything but a pure figure of light like Luke Skywalker. Instead – to stay with the “Star Wars” example for a moment – ​​he also has features of Darth Vader. “I was touched by how well Timothée managed to portray Paul’s development,” says Villeneuve, referring to Chalamet’s performance in the second part: “From an innocent boy to a leader who certainly has dark sides.”

Swiss accents in the desert sand

It’s not just Chalamet’s game that’s remarkable. The cast is full of top-class actors. Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Rebecca Ferguson and Souheila Yacoub shine in the supporting roles.

Legend:

As part of the star-studded cast at the world premiere in London: the Swiss Souheila Yacoub (31).

Warner Bros.

Souheila Yacoub? The 31-year-old from Geneva is the big unknown in Villeneuve’s prominent cast. Cast as Chani’s best friend Shishakli, the natural talent, which film critics had already noticed positively in Gaspar Noé’s “Climax” (2018), overshadows many a star.

Cinema release: February 29, 2024