Dune: Part Two – Michael’s Moments
When a science-fiction movie succeeds, it tells a very human story set in a very different world. We get that with Dune: Part Two, an exploration of how much and how little humanity changes over the next twenty millennia. Yes, we’ve fought a major war with AI machines and eliminated any of them that show signs of “intelligence”, and we have moved outward to settle multiple solar systems and have strange, beautiful, and very helpful “non-intelligent” technology. There is something approaching equality of the sexes, as one of the major players in the Dune world is a sort of cabal of women with special mental powers (the Bene Gesserit).
But as the Dune movies make clear, we also have the real human traits that make us so dangerous to the universe and to even our own existence. We thirst for power over others. Some more than others, but everyone, including the Bene Gesserit, has their own version of the future and their dominance in it. And then there is religion— even that far in the future and with all their science, we still have significant power in the belief of the unknowable. So in both worlds of ideology and religion, human conflict remains.
I watched the first movie three years ago and had fleeting thoughts about how it intersected with the then-current situation. Watching this movie now, I can’t help but see even more foreshadowing. The power of fundamentalist sects, the rise of fascist ideology, the cruelty of the ruling class, the greed of the oligarchs (the Houses in Dune), the preciousness of water— all of these things are the same both in our here and now and in the Dune world. I wonder when they weren’t!
This is a terrific sequel with visual and aural technology to deliver the story that explores in depth what was only surveyed in the first film. Part Two takes us into just one world and just a handful of people, but what we see are the same conflicts and pressures between individual dreams and desires and collective needs as we all experience now— especially now! Does the third film give us relief?
Dune: Part Two – Story and Tone:
Denis Villeneuve directed and co-wrote, with Jon Spaihts, Dune: Part Two. The screenplay for both Parts One and Two was adapted from the science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, Dune. The book won both the Nebula and Hugo awards in science fiction and is considered one of the greats in its genre. (The third movie in the trilogy, already in pre-production, is supposedly based on a sequel Herbert wrote, Dune: Messiah. There have been other attempts on both the big and little screens to bring these works to life, but until now, they have pretty much failed.)
Villeneuve’s movies all reflect concerns about the human spirit and attempt to understand different cultures. Perhaps it isn’t too surprising that he sees in science fiction a way to explore human themes by creating alternative realities. And he optimistically looks forward in time, removing humanity from its current existential crises but keeping its basic tendencies, meanings, and values. Tellingly, it is reported that his favorite movie is Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Before his move to science fiction, he gave us Sicario and Prisoners, two terrific movies that build tension while exploring the dimensions of human experience.
In Dune: Part One, Villeneuve introduced us to Herbert’s idea of what we might look like some 22 millennia in the future. We haven’t changed physically, but we have had some hard times with technology. As I understand it, at some point, there was a nearly fatal conflict with AI, which left humanity with a resolution to never develop machine intelligence again. That didn’t prevent technology advances, and the Dune worlds definitely have intriguing and superior technology, but these machines require human direction— they can’t act on their own and, presumably, never will.
So humanity blossoms and moves in multiple directions, and we populate the stars. Great Houses develop, which gain power over their own dominions, and then, inevitably, they fight each other to gain more dominion. And that ultimately leads to an empire and an emperor to reign over the feudalistic houses.
One of these planets, originally known as Dune, was once a green garden of Eden, and its inhabitants were happy. Something happened— I don’t know what— and the planet turned into a vast desert with so very little water that the inhabitants actually drained the bodies of their dead in order to conserve it. The planet evolved giant sandworms who plowed through the sand like fish in water. Like all animals, they excreted waste, and that waste, known as spice, is not only hallucinogenic but also, somehow, becomes the source of power for spacecraft. It is the most valuable resource in the galaxy. Obviously, then, this planet becomes a critical resource, and one the houses fight to control.
That pretty much summarizes the story as it starts to unfold in Dune: Part One. In that movie, Villeneuve lays out this story, and we explore with an almost anthropological eye the various cultures that make up this great story. Part One tells the story of one House, that of Atreides, becoming the sovereign ruler of Arrakis, the new name for the Dune planet. And then the betrayal of that great house and how it is replaced by another. (There are many more details to the story, and the movie effectively lays them out.)
In Part Two, though there is still a significant component of the battle for control between the Houses, the thrust of the movie is to explore some of the individuals involved. Paul Atreides and his mother Jessica find themselves cast out in the middle of the desert sands of Arrakis and must deeply embed themselves in the culture of the original inhabitants of the planet, the Fremen. But the Fremen aren’t a simple group either. Those in the North are fewer but have learned to harness the sandworms and harvest water from unlikely sources to survive. Those in the South are more mysterious and, apparently, more caught up in a fundamentalist set of beliefs and values. In the end, though, can they unite to fight off a common enemy under the direction of a new cult leader? That is where the second movie goes and where it ends.
The characters in Dune are humans – they look like us, they seem to have similar emotions and thoughts, problems, and issues. So, as in any science fiction story, the different worlds accentuate the similarities. Villeneuve sets a tone in these films of respect and care for human values. We may have left our planet, but we have not left our species.
Dune: Part Two – Storytellers
It is the actors who tell us their story through their actions, dialog, thoughts, and feelings. We are dependent on them for much of what we think and feel in response to a motion picture. Here is the main character list, the actor portraying them, and some thoughts on their role in this movie:
Paul Atreides (Timothy Chalamet) is the central character in both movies. In the first one, Paul is really just coming into his adulthood, and Chalamet plays him with a certain tentativeness and uncertainty. You would expect that of a young man forced to move to a desolate desert planet and then witness the massacre of most of his family as part of a plot between the great Houses of the galaxy. In Part Two, Chalamet gains more understanding of both himself and his destiny. Paul becomes a commanding young man who rises to almost mystical powers and shows increasing potential. Paul is a young hero moving forward in difficult times.
Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is Paul’s mother. She is also a member of the mythical Bene Gesserit, a group of women who exert significant influence over the people and events in their lives because they have almost ESP powers, including telepathic ability. Jessica attempts to influence her son, not always successfully, in a seeming plot to become the ruler of the planet Arrakis and, eventually, Emperor of the galaxy. She is intentionally enigmatic, and we are never quite sure of her intentions nor really which goodness for whom she is working. She also happens to be pregnant with Paul’s sister, whom she talks to. Ferguson’s portrayal is one of the highlights of the movie, and while she perfectly plays the role of the mystic, she looks too young to be Paul’s mother, and that miscasting is distracting.
Chani (Zendaya) is a Fremen, one of the natives of Arrakis. On a planet where water is the most precious resource and is conserved even from dead bodies, the residents don’t have much time or energy for elaborate politics. So in this world, women and men are coequals. She is little seen in the first movie and then more as an apparition, but in Part Two, she becomes a companion and then lover of Paul. Zendaya has come a long way from her days as a Disney child star and is now coming into her own as a competent and notable actor. Her exotic look works well in the desert environment; however, her relationship with Chalamet, while friendly enough, never really demonstrates sexual or romantic chemistry.
Stilgar (Javier Bardem) is another Fremen. He is something of a leader among the group of Fremen— from the northern half of the planet— who believe in the prophecy that a born leader will come to them and will lead them to Paradise. He is convinced that Paul is that leader and seeks to convince Paul and the rest of the Fremen that he is indeed that person. In doing so, he becomes something of a guide and a father figure to the young man. Bardem’s portrayal is at times almost comical, and he brings a certain rich feeling to his adoration of Paul as the prophesied leader.
Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) is Paul’s main antagonist and provides the resolution that concludes this movie and provides the setup for the third in the trilogy. From the Harkonnen home world, Butler is bald, without eyebrows, with black teeth, and cast in a sickening white skin. He exudes evil and has no problem killing those around him. It is hard to believe that the sensitive icon Butler played in Elvis could become the brooding menace he is in this film. A great performance.
If that isn’t enough, other cast members include Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, and Charlotte Rampling. Their roles aren’t huge, but they contribute to an all-star cast with good performances. But having said all that, this movie is not most importantly about the characters. It is a story about the complex interplay between personal and social lives. And so the focus is more on the shifting power dynamics between the groups involved rather than the personal stories of individual people.
Dune: Part Two – Cinematic Arts
Like the first film, Dune: Part Two won the Visual Effects Oscar. Indeed, the work in this movie is CGI- and VFX-centered. In the first film, we are introduced to the sandworms, and they are fascinating creatures who swim through the desert sands on Arrakis as if they were fish in water. But in this film, we get a new perspective on these creatures and some fabulous new effects with sandworm riding. Paul and his Fremen friends use the sandworms to move vast distances by hitching rides on their backs. The effects were realized on a set 90 by 24 feet using a combination of CGI and practical effects. And, of course, the spice mining machines were never actually built but were created through CGI. Importantly, all of these effects weren’t gimmicks or displayed as evidence of technical prowess. Rather, they exist to tell the story, and that makes them an integral part of the film, not an add-on. I haven’t seen the four other competitors, but this one definitely meets one of my most important criteria in a movie in regard to visual effects.
Both of the Dune films were nominated in Cinematography, and the first one won the Oscar. The challenges of filming in a desert environment are understandably intense, but I suspect one of the reasons it was nominated this time had to do with the filming on the Harkonnen home planet (Giedi Prime). That planet orbits what they call a “black sun”. We don’t really understand what black sunlight looks like or how it behaves, but the visual effect in the movie is to render everything in an unusual black and white. Cinematographer Greig Fraser’s answer was to film it using an infrared camera, rendering strange shades of grey.
The first film won the Oscar for film editing, but Joe Walker wasn’t even nominated this time. Possibly, that reflects the differences in the story between the two films. The first was painting in broad brush strokes with samples of different worlds and different cultures. Editing all the film down to a viewable time limit would have been a real challenge. In this one, though, we have a more focused story concentrating on Paul, Chani, Jessica, and the Fremen’s battle with the Harkonnens as they try to restore their world. The power of the story determines the editing. Still, Walker’s ability to switch back and forth between different settings, and two different events occurring at the same time, is well done. And he still manages to keep the film under three hours!
Dune: Part Two – World Building
Much of the desert scenes were filmed in actual deserts in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Namibia. Sets depicting the Fremen home town employ desert colors and seem likely made out of compacted sand. The images of the Harkonnen home world reflect a Techno-Brutalist style in sync with their cultural values. Every setting is designed not to entertain so much as to intrigue the viewer and draw them into these worlds. Dune: Part Two received a deserved Production Design nomination.
But this film did not receive a nomination for Costume Design, unlike the first film. In the first film, we were being introduced to all the various cultures and lifestyles, and so the costumes were new and, as I wrote in the first review, the designs “fit with each of the cultures they were trying to portray and then super modernized them for maximum effect.” Take Arabic dress and imagine what it would look like thousands of years in the future but still have to perform the job of protection from desert heat and sand. In this film, we’ve already had that introduction, and so it would have been disconcerting to have new designs. Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken!
Surprisingly, though, Dune II did not receive a nomination for the prosthetic makeup applied to Stellan Skarsgård for his role as the Baron Harkonnen. Cursed because of his behavior, he lives with a body encased in fat and must spend most of his time in a pool of water or being transported and kept alive by strange floating machines. It took eight hours to apply this fat suit and two hours to take it off, and Skarsgård endured that every day he had scenes, which weren’t few. The makeup applied to him and his nephew, Fayd-Rautha (a white, hairless Austin Butler), was chilling, reflecting Harkonnen brutality.
Dune: Part Two – Sound & Music
What kind of music would people living 22,000 years in the future listen to? Of course, no one has the faintest idea, but Hans Zimmer composed the soundtrack for this movie and won the Oscar for the original Dune soundtrack. His interpretation came after spending a week immersing himself in the sounds of a Utah desert. He created new instruments and incorporated electronically generated music he imagined in a haunting, surreal, and unusually beautiful score. His music gives scenes a slightly edgy sense befitting an environment where everything is just a little off.
The Sound team won the Oscars for both movies, but the sound design is different in each film. In the first Dune, the intent was to highlight the various worlds, or houses, and so the languages and the generated sound fields were mostly teasers illustrating the variety and differences between the various cultures. In Part Two, though, we do a deep dive into the world of the Fremen and life on Arrakis, a desert planet. Whether it is the sound of massive sandworms “swimming” through oceans of sand, or the heavy pounding of the spice mining machines, or the soft whispers between Paul and Chani, the aural design is intended to bring us deeply into this strange and different world. Whereas the first movie was more about breadth and variety, this one is about intimacy and intensity. The creativity in sound design is outstanding and well worth the Oscar.
Dune: Part Two – What Others Think
Oscar Buzz – Dune II received five Oscar nominations and won two of them (Visual Effects and Sound). The first Dune (21) received ten nominations (including almost every minor category that was possible) and won six of them. Both movies were nominated for Best Picture. The first Dune was also nominated for Adapted Screenplay and Original Score, but this time around, the script and the score were considered too similar to the first to qualify for second nominations. Science fiction movies, until recently, haven’t received many nominations for Best Picture.
Audience Sentiment – Dune II earned $714 million at worldwide box offices, ranking sixth, a testimony to its popularity. Audience comments include “The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Epic of our generation”, “A masterpiece, a pillar of sci-fi/fantasy”, and “the PEAK of filmmaking!!” Clearly, if you wanted to see this movie in the first place, you loved it. Although it ranks second in our audience ratings, it took second place only to an international movie, I’m Still Here, whose ratings were based on a much smaller audience.
Critical Reviews – Critics were a little less favorably inclined, ranking it in the middle third of our general interest films. Still, the reviews express positive sentiments. Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert) called it “a robust piece of filmmaking, a reminder that this kind of broad-scale blockbuster can be done with artistry and flair,” and later on, “ Critics have to come up with a new synonym for massive.” James Berardinelli (ReelViews) compared the (soon-to-be-completed Dune trilogy) to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, a recognized masterpiece. And even the stuffy New York Times’ Manohla Dargis gave it a Critics Pick and said “it’s a surprisingly nimble moonshot, even with all its bloom and doom brutality.”
