Dune: Part 2 – More action, just as much sand
Chris Foy
Dune: Part 2 is a box office hit, racking in £285m so far
Following on from Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction classic ‘Dune’, part 2 offers a thrilling follow-up which more than delivers. Taking place straight after the events of part 1, part 2 wastes no time picking things up right where they left off. With a handful of new A-list stars added to the cast to add to the gravitas of the film.
The special effects are as top notch as ever, conveying the ships and stillsuits in impressive detail, making you feel as if you are on the very dunes of Arrakis along with the main cast. The visual aspects along with the stellar music and sound design, does an excellent job at immersing you into the story and the characters.
Austin Butler takes on the role of Feyd-Rautha, the imposing new villain for this chapter of the story. Accompanying Christopher Walken as the emperor, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan and Anya-Taylor Johnson as Alia Atreides as the star-studded newcomers. Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya return as Paul and Chani respectively, building skilfully on their performances from the first part.
One of the aspects the film excels best at is consistency, it almost feels as if you never stopped watching part 1 at all. Just took a rather extended mid-show break. With the returning actors performances building naturally on what was shown in part 1. The soundtrack sounding like an evolved and improved iteration of itself, and helping the changing atmosphere of the film.
With the script for part 3 having been announced to already be underway, it couldn't be a better time to be a fan of Dune. Part 2 is well worth a watch, and even a re-watch if you're able to, providing a quality cinema blockbuster experience in a time when blockbusters are becoming increasingly stale.