Dune: Part Two (2024) — A Generational Picture
I remember the first time I watched Dune (2021), I remember going home from the theater thinking about how captivated I was by the film. It was the moment I realized how crucial the cinematic experience was, to go to the biggest screen you can find in your town and just be in another world for 2 to 3 hours is a privilege I am forever grateful to have. But again, I remember writing my review for Dune (2021) and seeing how enamored I was by the technical achievements of the film but truthfully, the various themes of the film flew right past my head. As I sit here writing this review for Dune: Part Two (2024), more than 3 years later, I reflect upon my writing, my love for films, and myself as I once again venture into a beautiful and cruel world penned by Frank Herbert and visually realized by Denis Villeneuve.
Dune: Part Two (2024) is genuinely one of the best films I have ever experienced in my life. So much so in fact, that I cannot stop thinking about it after days of watching it. The only thing that satiated my mind from the film was to indulge in a rewatch. The main reason for this is because of how alluring the world of Dune is. The setting, the characters, the intricate ‘plans within plans’ motif, the ecological aspect of it, and of course it’s parallel with our world. This parallel is exacerbated with the story it’s telling through the critique of messianic figures and propaganda disguising itself as divine prophecies.
Compared to the first installment, Dune: Part Two (2024) is so much more in every aspect. If Dune (2021) was contemplative and served to set the stage for the beginning of something grand, Dune: Part Two (2024) is that opera fully realized with all the actors and actresses giving it their all to tell a story that has been itching to be told in the silver screen since the 60s. The story of House Atreides, succeeded by Paul after their massacre in Arrakis, is one of tragedy and caution that has moved me to my core. Paul Atreides is a complicated character, just like all of us. He doubts himself; he says something yet does the exact opposite, he’s overtly eager to avenge his father yet he’s proud to slowly learn the ways of the Fremen in hopes to become one of them.
In the early acts of the film, we are shown a young man that is trying to find his place in the universe and has refrained from the blatant theological manipulation that the Bene Gesserit has implanted in Arrakis. But after drinking the holy poison, we gradually see less and less of his vision, as he becomes more of Kwisatz Haderach and less of Paul Muad’Dib Usul. I realized that not only has Paul freed himself from the chains of The Bene Gesserit and The Emperor, but he has also freed himself from the audience. We cannot see what Paul has seen, hence why he is no longer our protagonist anymore.
Once he has gone through this transformation, not only does Paul change but the way they framed him also changed. The darkness surrounds him more and the way he goes in and out of a scene is more akin to a menacing villain than a shining hero. There’s this one line that Leto, Paul’s father, said that is important in understanding what kind of character Paul is.
“A great man doesn’t seek to lead. He’s called to it, and he answers.”
And Paul, throughout the second half of the film, keeps on seeking some sort of way to lead The Fremen. Although hesitant at first, he decided that becoming Lisan Al-Gaib is the only way to harness the “desert power” that his father have been murmuring about even before arriving in Arrakis. He consciously decided to become a messiah that is not born out of divine intervention and good faith but handmade out of spite, vengeance, hatred, and the theological manipulation of the oppressed. And when you believe in absurdities, you will be able to commit atrocities.
If Dune (2021) was not clear enough on what sort of message it’s trying to convey, Dune: Part Two (2024) blatantly shows the rise of fascism in its most unadulterated form. Manipulating the faith of oppressed indigenous people so that they will be easier to control, culturally appropriating their ways of living, and finally leading them into a holy war that, the film itself has warned us, will result in billions of casualties.
“You underestimate the power of faith.”
All in all, Dune: Part Two (2024), is one of the best films of this generation, and although I only covered a small slice of the overarching themes and stories brought by this film, the technical aspects are miles more experimental and grander than the first installment. Greg Fraser really spread his wings here because even in the first 15 minutes of the film, both your eyes and ears will be buckling up for one of the best experiences of your life. Please, if you are able, see Dune: Part Two (2024) on the biggest screen with the most excellent sound system you can find in your city. To say this film changed my life, is an understatement of the highest degree.
