Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two (2024)
This movie had so many expectations, because the first one (Dune: Part One) was a very pretty prequel. In the rare instance of a movie depending on the sequel, this sequel lived up to the hype. And through four years of the 2020s, this is already one of the best. Has the competition been that great? No. If this came out, say, 15 years ago, this would’ve been a solid movie. But we have been starved for even a decent movie the past 10 years, and this one delivered as one of the better ones of the past decade.
A lot of famous actors were in this, including more from the previous one. Most were very good to great in this. Timothée Chalamet was amazing, as he took a leap from boy to man in this sequel, and most people, including me, didn’t see that coming. The knock here for acting was Zendaya, who felt lackluster in an average performance.
Now, for the story, this was essentially based off of the second half of the book Dune by Frank Herbert. So the issue isn’t with the story itself, but rather the adaption of the book. Now in my opinion, the movies combined are better than the book. The story for this movie specifically was a lot more action packed, and had to deliver on this since the first one set up this one. The pacing actually felt a little too fast in the second half of the movie, even though it was almost three hours long.
Another great cinematic masterpiece from Hans Zimmer, who built on from the first one, as expected from a veteran composer. The battle scene especially hit hard in the theater. The only small thing was hilariously, in the movie, Chani (Zendaya) slaps Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and immediately afterwards epic music begins. This might not be a top five for Zimmer, but a great work overall.
For this, you have to watch the first one to get what’s going on in order to remember what this one is about. Dune: Part Two picks up right after where Dune: Part One left off. This is kind of a rare case when this happens, but despite this, both movies together provide something you could rewatch about three years after you first see it.