Dune: Part Two
Release Date: 29th February 2024 - Australia
Production Companies
Villeneuve Films
Legendary Entertainment (present)
Distribution
Universal Pictures Australia
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: M
Runtime: 165 minutes
Budget: $190,000,000
Box Office Gross: $714,444,358 (Worldwide)
Plot Summary
Seeking retribution
against the conspirators
Paul Atreides joins forces
with Chani and the
Fremen. Forced to choose
between the love of his
life and the fate of the
known universe, he must
try to prevent a horrific
future that only he can
foresee.
Cast
Timothée Chalamet -
Zendaya - Chani
Rebecca Ferguson - Lady Jessica Atreides
Javier Bardem - Stilgar
Josh Brolin - Gurney Halleck
Austin Butler - Feyd-Rautha
Florence Pugh - Princess Irulan
Dave Bautista - Beast
Rabban Harkonnen
Christopher Walken -
Emperor
Charlotte Rampling -
Reverend Mother Mohiam
Souhelia Yacoub - Shishakil
Roger Yuan - Lanville
Babs Olusanmokun - Jamis
Alison Halstead - Maker
Keeper
Giusi Merli - Reverend
Mother Ramallo
Kait Tenison - Bene
Gesserit Sister
Akiko Hitomi - Bene Gesserit Sister
Imola Gáspár - Watermaster
Alison Adnet - Young Fremen Patrol
Hamza Baissa - Young Fremen Patrol
Hassan Najib - Young Fremen Patrol
Jasper Ryan-Cater - Young
Fremen Patrol
Omar Elbooz - Young
Fremen Patrol
Abdelkarim Hussein Seli
Mohamed Hassanin - Young
Fremen Patrol
Joseph Beddelem - Fedaykin Leader
Xavier Alba Royo - Fedaykin
Rachid Abbad - Fedaykin
Affif Ben Badra - Fedaykin
Botond Bota - Fedaykin
Abdelaziz Boumane - Fedaykin
Abdellah Echahbi - Fedaykin
Zouhair Elakkari - Fedaykin
Noureddine Hajoujou - Fedaykin
Mohamed Mouraoui - Fedaykin
Adil Achraf Sayd - Fedaykin
Hamza Sayd - Fedaykin
Hopi Grace - Fremen Nun
Havin Fathi - Fremen Nun
Kincsö Pethö - Fremen Nun
Cat Simmons - Young Nun
Burt Caesar - Devotee
Remi Fadare - Devotee
Amer El-Erwadi - Huge Fighter
Tedroy Newell - Fremen Onlooker
Oxa Hazel - Fremen Onlooker
Hajiyeva Pakiza - Fremen Onlooker
Leon Herbert - Oldest Elder
Sima Rostami - Female Elder
Yvonne Campbell - Elder
Joseph Charles - Elder
Vic Zander - Elder
Dylan Baldwin - Harkonnen
Translator
Wounded Woman
Nicola Brome - Wounded Fremen
Kathy Owen - Wounded Fremen
How Novelli - Fundamentalist Fighter
Moe Bar-El - Fundamentalist Fighter
Serhat Metin - Fundamentalist Fighter
Amra Mallassi - Fundamentalist Fighter
Adam Phillip Bloom - Fundamentalist Fighter
Luis Alkmim - Sentinel Leader
Jordan Long - Smuggler Driver
Omar A.K. - Wounded Smuggler
Zdenek Dvoracek - Arena
Gladiator
Anton Valensi - Harkonnen Commander
Lex Daniel - Harkonnen Commander
Dominic McHale - Harkonnen Commander
Paul Boyle - Harkonnen Commander
Niall White - Ornithopter Military Pilot
Tony Cook - Harkonnen Scanner Operator
Gabor Szeman - Harkonnen
Officer
Jonathan Gunning - Game
Supervisor
Alan Mehdizadeh - Weapon
Master
Rex Adams - Harpy
Molly Mcowan - Harpy
Ana Cilas - Harpy
Kajsa Mohammar - Feyd-Reutha's Attendant
Sara Bacsfalvi - Feyd-Reutha's Attendant
Zsófia Kocsis - Feyd-Reutha's Attendant
Matthew Sim - Spice Steward
Steve Wall - Bashar
Italo Amerighi - Imperial Council
Cecile Sinclair - Imperial Council
Tracy Coogan - Imperial Servant
Zoe Kata Kaska - Baby Jessica
Jimmy Walker - Baron Proxy
Rand Faris - Female Fremen Fighter
Fouad Humaidan - Male Fremen Fighter
Manaf Irani - Male Fremen Fighter
Dora Kápolnai-Schwab - Baron Servant
Joelle - Baron Servant
Anya Taylor-Joy - Alia Atreides
(Cameo) (Uncredited)
Crew
Based on the Novel - Frank Herbert
Screenplay/Executive
Producer - Jon Spaihts
Script Supervisor - Jessica Clothier
Special Consultant - Kevin J. Anderson
Executive Producers - Joshua Grode, John Harrison, Herbert W. Gains, Brian & Kim Herbert, Bryon Merritt, Richard P. Rubinstein and Thomas Tull
Producers - Cale Boyter,
Patrick McCormack and Mary Parent
Producer/Second Unit Director - Tanya Lapointe
Co-Producers - Toby Hefferman
Co-Producer/Visual Effects
Producer - Brice Parker
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Jessica Derhammer
Production Designer - Patrice Vermette
Concept/Storyboard Artist - Sam Hudecki
Concept Artists - Kamen Anev,
Paul Chadession, Ed Natividad,
Peter Popken, Kris Turvey and George Hull
Concept Artist/Visual Effects Art Director:
Rodeo FX - Deak Ferrand
Supervising Art Director - Tom Brown
Chief Set Decorator - Shane Vieau
Property Master - Doug Harlocker
Costume Designer - Jacqueline West
Makeup Department Head/Makeup,
Hair & Prosthetics Designer -
Donald Mowat
Director of Photography - Greig Fraser
Unit Production Manager - James Grant
Supervising Location Manager - Duncan Broadfoot
Supervising Stunt Coordinator - Lee Morrison
Co-Stunt Coordinator - Henry Kingi Jr.
Fight/Stunt Coordinator - Roger Yuan
Aerial Coordinator - Cliff Fleming
Special Effects Supervisor - Gerd Nefzer
Visual Effects Supervisor - Paul Lambert
Visual Effects Supervisors: DNEG -
Michael Grobe, Stephen James and
Rhys Salcombe
Visual Effects Producers: DNEG -
Jennifer Fairweather and Jose Maria de la Puente
Visual Effects Producer: Rodeo FX - Wassila Lmouaci
Senior Animation Supervisor: DNEG - Robyn Luckham
Animation Supervisors: DNEG - Nick Symons
and Eric Bates
Visualisation Supervisor: The Third Floor -
Nicholas Markel
Visualisation Supervisor: Digital Domain -
Scott Meadows
Film Editor - Joe Walker
Supervising Sound Editor - Richard King
Sound Designer - Dave Whitehead
Additional Sound Design - Michael Babcock,
Lee Gilmore and Randy Torres
Re-Recording Mixers - Ron Bartlett
and Doug Hemphill
Music/Synth Programming - Hans Zimmer
Composers: Additional Music - David Fleming,
Steve Mazzaro, Steven Doar and
Andrew Kawczynski
Music Supervisors - Peter Afterman,
Deric Berberabe and Alison Litton
Score Mixer - Alan Meyerson
Review
DUNE: PART TWO was the ultimate continuation of the glorious sci-fi epic that Dune fans have clamorously waited for in the last three years. It was supposed to premiere in 2023, but due to a Hollywood strike involving the writers and actors, the studio delayed it and changed its release date to 2024. We haven't seen a cinematic event we witnessed as epic, majestic and impactful since Lord of the Rings!
Many critics hailed PART TWO as a triumph and a landmark science-fiction film that will go down in history as one of the best sequels. Some even compared it to The Empire Strikes Back and The Dark Knight, which were sequels much better than their predecessors and highly regarded by audiences. Even filmmaker Christopher Nolan (who directed the latter) likened this movie to the former, which may be true, considering they're both timeless masterpieces and milestones of the science fiction genre. It's also compared to another highly regarded sequel, The Two Towers, with both movies being large in scale with huge spectacles, character-driven plots and battle scenes.
While Part One was only the beginning, PART TWO continues to strengthen the narrative direction with more full-scale action. Like the previous movie, it is also a visual delight in every sense of the word. It excels in sound and sight, engineering and spectacle. None of this would be possible if it weren't for Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, who saw fit to bring Dune into the big screen when no one else would (unless some of you prefer David Lynch's 1984 film). However, some long-time readers of the book weren't happy with the changes made in the second instalment as it did happen in its predecessor. Then again, a few deviations are necessary to improve the storyline. It re-introduced a few characters, such as Feyd-Rautha, The Emperor, Princess Irulan, etc, who were absent in the first instalment. There was a lot of territory to cover in the sequel, and Villeneuve doesn't shy away from finding the right balance between drama, breathtaking visuals and character development.
Once again, Timothée Chalamet is as excellent in his career-defining role as Paul Atriedes. He gets it right this time by lending his gravitas to the character, making him more determined and aware of what he has to do. He has a natural chemistry with Zendaya, who is just as fabulous as her co-star and also shines in her performance as Chani. I am glad she has more screen time in her role in the sequel than in its predecessor, which relegated her to Paul's visions. Her character is still the same love interest, but her personality is much different than in the books and previous adaptations. The ensemble cast is terrific, with returning players like Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem and new additions like Florence Pugh and Austin Butler. Butler is the highlight as he steals the show as the Baron's hairless, pale-skinned and psychopathic nephew Feyd-Rautha. He possesses a killer instinct and a unique dialect to the role, with the same rock star swagger he brought into Elvis and doesn't wear the same winged codpiece as Sting wore in the 1984 film version of Dune.
On the technical side of things, Greig Fraser's lavish camerawork enhances the vision of the desert world of Arrakis with sweeping shots that are a clear homage to Lawrence of Arabia. Once again, Hans Zimmer proves what he does best in creating an ominous, epic score with a layer of ambience and rich texture. He does this to expand upon the original, which he previously composed in 2021. Some of my favourite moments in the film include Paul's first ride on a sandworm, the monochromatic gladiator fight and the final climactic battle.
If this sequel has taught me anything, PART: TWO is a towering work of art that fulfils the first film's promise while adding expanses of layers and depth. It established the franchise as famous as Lord of the Rings and ushered in Denis Villeneuve as one of the finest directors of our time. Its ending leaves the door open for a third part of the movie, which would be the adaptation of Frank Herbert's sequel to the original novel, Dune Messiah and leaves fans waiting for more. If you're new to Dune, you start with Part One. It will give you the context and understanding you need to know and enjoy the second part. I highly recommend seeing PART TWO in the cinema, preferably in IMAX, once you've seen both movies.
Star rating: (9/10) Excellent Movie
