DUNE: PART TWO |
★★☆☆☆
29 February 2024
A movie review of DUNE: PART TWO.
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Director: Denis Villeneuve (SICARIO, ENEMY, POLYTECHNIQUE).
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling, Souheila Yacoub, Léa Seydoux, Christopher Walken.
“This prophecy is how they enslave us!” Chani (Zendaya)
What succeeds in a novel doesn’t necessarily take with a film. When you relish the source books, it is hard for a live action work to live up. None of the DUNE adaptations are anything to write home about. Check out the documentary JODOROWSKY’S DUNE [2013] for what might have been. Like Bruce Lee’s unfinished GAME OF DEATH, it aches the heart not to have director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s pre-STAR WARS [1977] interpretation.
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling, Souheila Yacoub, Léa Seydoux, Christopher Walken.
“This prophecy is how they enslave us!” Chani (Zendaya)
What succeeds in a novel doesn’t necessarily take with a film. When you relish the source books, it is hard for a live action work to live up. None of the DUNE adaptations are anything to write home about. Check out the documentary JODOROWSKY’S DUNE [2013] for what might have been. Like Bruce Lee’s unfinished GAME OF DEATH, it aches the heart not to have director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s pre-STAR WARS [1977] interpretation.
As with author Edgar Rice Burroughs’ JOHN CARTER OF MARS trilogy, the screen realisation of novelist Frank Herbert’s DUNE triptych has suffered from the delay of a monumental translation. Thanks to time and GLADIATOR [2000], ATTACK OF THE CLONES [2002], etc., JOHN CARTER [2012] and DUNE: PART TWO have elements that are too familiar or dated. See for example the latter’s arena scene shot bizarrely in monochrome.
Perhaps the problem of adapting hard sci-fi is the trickiness in creating mass-appeal. And by hard sci-fi, I mean dense with ideas and terminology. Personally, the more inventive and out of the ordinary the better (as long it is coherent).
Mythology in the DUNE novels inspire awe. On film, with limited runtime, context and history are too often abbreviated. Imagination verses visual representation: science fiction lore can seem silly. The “water of life” stuff in DUNE: PART TWO requires the viewer to swallow a lot. All of a sudden Paul changes. No more self-doubt. Reading is more forgiving than watching. A noted example is LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA [2007]. Author Gabriel García Márquez’s prose is poetic and sweeping yet vague, deftly allowing the reader to build the picture. Filmmakers then have a nightmare trying to portray that. The “Desert Tears” moment in DUNE: PART TWO is laughable. The grandfather Harkonnen element is too cursory.
DUNE concerns occupying forces. Initially the story is arguably like DANCES WITH WOLVES [1990], about a foreigner in love with native culture and embracing it. In PART TWO, Chani is brought to the fore. Superseding the thread, of rebellion against imperialism and tyranny, is Paul’s desire for personal revenge. Not justice, vengeance. The best revenge flicks have dire consequences for the protagonist. There is satisfaction but also concomitant pain. We do not witness (yet) the downside for Paul of his wrath - maybe in PART THREE?
Paul’s transformation from innocent ducal heir to rebel to prophet to warrior king is fast and efficient, but is it delineated enough? For me the jury is still out. Timothée Chalamet’s performance was better as Hal in the underrated THE KING [2019]. The thespian who owns DUNE: PART TWO is Zendaya. Chani’s stare slices through characters. She also delivers the odd bazooka missile into the chest of a combatant.
Visually, there is much to transport. In IMAX, the audience is enveloped in the expert cinematography of Greig Fraser. The sound design is sporadically thumping.
“I am Paul Muad’Dib Atriedes, duke of Arrakis!” Paul exclaims to his new subjects. All the leaders in DUNE: PART TWO are Caucasian. Bar the rare main cast member, where are the people of colour driving this movie? There is a white saviour. Paul is better at native stuff than the natives. There is a native prophecy fulfilled by a white person. Similarly in AVATAR [2009], the Na’vi prophecy is fulfilled by a Caucasian guy riding the dragon thing. Here, we have Paul riding a grandfather sandworm to the Freman’s delighted surprise. At least in DUNE: PART TWO it is explained that priestesses instigated the prognostication. But why are the four main Bene Gesserit sisterhood Caucasian? Chani talks about the prophecy keeping her people prisoner, but then it appears to come true (as the later novels confirm - sources should be updated when adapting).
The combat choreography is lacklustre. There is no excuse. Modern action cinema is filled to the gills with talented choreography teams. I seem to vaguely remember from the books that wasn’t Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) developing a new formidable martial art? This franchise needed the RUROUNI KENSHIN or JOHN WICK teams. The climax underwhelms. Director Denis Villeneuve doesn’t seem to have the skill yet to mount large-scale, sustained carnage. Contrast the crescendo to TENET [2020]. Even the one-to-one was better in BLADE RUNNER 2049 - see the Sapper Morton and Luv fights.
This movie saga continually feels like it is waiting to get going.