This movie was very well made. Props to Villeneuve!
As with Part 1 there’s so much story from the book to try to pack into a 2:45-ish runtime. A lot of very important story elements just can’t really get fleshed out due to the time constraints. In Part 1 that aspect sort of loomed large in my awareness. But that said, the movie also held my interest. But again, I was very conscious of how fast it moved and how little character and plot development we were able to get simply in order to squeeze so much into 2:48. It’s the case with Part 2 as well, but with Part 2 obviously the action dominates attention so powerfully that one doesn’t really feel it as much.
A comparison can be made here between what Peter Jackson accomplished with LotR in that respect. Jackson’s LotR remains at the peak for that. I mean, think of just how vividly Jackson brings Tolkien’s incredibly vast and detailed Middle Earth universe to life with the choices he makes, i.e., what parts of the story he emphasizes. This Dune franchise isn’t nearly as impressive to me in that way. But it still does a quite respectable job in its own right.
As for performances Anthony Bardem shone most brightly for me. He’s fantastically good.
I have to say that while Zendaya did not give a bad performance, in my own perception I’m still strongly aware that it’s Zendaya playing a role. It is what it is, and for me not a dealbreaker for enjoying the film. But perhaps having used another actress in that role would eliminate such a problem.
Timothy Chalamet is of course a gifted actor. He gives a fine performance in both films. But he simply does not match my mental image in the back of my head of Paul Atreides from the book. It’s hard for me to get past internally. This is most definitely a “me” problem, lol. But unfortunately it creates a kind of psychological barrier to my unconscious buy-in, my willing suspension of disbelief. I just feel like he is miscast.
In most movies I’ve seen by Denis Villenueve there’s a certain emotional coldness and detachment. Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 are examples of this. I was therefore pleased to see some relatable, earthy emotions expressed in this film.
For me this franchise isn’t the second coming. It’s definitely not on the level of Star Wars or LotR. I’m not gushing over it. I’m not even sure yet if it’s something I’ll eventually feel a pull to rewatch. But it’s a very solid and respectable effort to realize a story and mythos that has thus far been surprisingly hard to realize on the silver screen.
Dune 2 didn’t wow me. But it held my interest. And I care about what happens to the characters, and about the story itself.
