Dune: Part Two

“Where Dune: Part Two fails isn’t in its portrayal of a White Savior—it’s how it underwrites the Fremen.”

Title: Dune: Part Two (2024)
Director: Denis Villeneuve 👨🏼🇨🇦
Writers: Screenplay by Denis Villeneuve 👨🏼🇨🇦 and Jon Spaights 👨🏼🇺🇸 based on the book by Frank Herbert 👨🏼🇺🇸

Reviewed by Gavin 👨🏼🇬🇧🌈♿

—MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD—

Technical: 4/5

Director-writer Denis Villeneuve, along with his cast and crew, had a lot to live up to with Dune: Part Two. The first installment of Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel was a rousing critical and financial success, massive in every sense of the word: an IMAX-sized spectacle about destiny and faith charting political machinations across galaxies. And even with a riveting coming-of-age arc and thrilling set pieces, Dune: Part One merely set up this pivotal sequel.

Surprising nobody, this is a technical masterpiece. When viewed in IMAX’s taller aspect ratio, the visuals are simply gorgeous, showing off the beauty and enormity of this severe yet beautiful universe. With monochromatic sequences set on the Harkonnen’s home planet especially standing out, cinema hasn’t felt this epic since the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Expertly staged set-pieces and battles offer genuine thrills and rich, fascinating worldbuilding.

Yet Dune: Part Two drops the ball in other areas, its lack of introspection leaving many viewers cold. Picking up immediately after its predecessor, House Atreides is no more, after the Harkonnen’s massacre on Arrakis, and Paul (Timothée Chalamet) heads deeper into the desert with the Fremen to learn their ways. Staying faithful to Herbert’s book, this isn’t your typical good versus evil story but a stark warning on how faith can be weaponised by colonists. It’s fairly obvious from the start how the narrative will play out but that seems to be by design. Paul’s dark ascension to becoming a prophesied leader unfolds like a car crash in slow motion, impossible to take your eyes away from.

Even with splitting the novel into two lengthy films, it still feels like the filmmakers are taking on more than they can handle. Character motivations change in a flash, important plot points whizz by, and crucially, we don’t get a deeper understanding of Paul’s thoughts and feelings. Having the weight of the universe on your shoulders as a young person being pressured into following a predetermined path should make for an engrossing story, but it’s only explored on a surface level through trite conversations. For all the emotion the film tries to wring out of its audience, I felt nothing for the characters.

Gender: 4/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES, but barely

Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) once again plays a key role in Paul’s development, and her arc is fascinating to watch. She too heads down a dark path, as Jessica becomes an influential religious figure and convinces the fundamentalists among the nomadic group of Fremen that her son is the Lisan-al-Gaib—a messiah who will lead the people to freedom and paradise. Although her goal is to aid Paul in his journey, Jessica’s cunning plans to change the Fremens’ perceptions and force a prophecy into existence make for compelling storylines, particularly with Ferguson’s delightfully unnerving performance. It’s a shame then, that most of Jessica’s work takes place off screen.

The most memorable character in the film, however, is Chani (Zendaya). Unlike in Part One, she finds substantial screen time that drives the narrative. Even when she solely acts as Paul’s love interest at the start, Chani undergoes a satisfying arc, serving as a counterpoint to the film’s examination of messianic worship. She regularly questions the idea of fate as well as Paul’s motives, all while proving herself to be a capable fighter and survivor.

New women introduced to the cast include Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and Lady Margot (Léa Seydoux). The intelligent Princess Irulan plays political games as the Emperor’s daughter, but she doesn’t have much screen time and only discusses matters involving Paul. Similarly, Lady Margot is a devious sister of the Bene Gesserit, a women-only group who control the direction of humanity from the shadows. But Lady Margot’s limited scenes are spent tricking a man into impregnating her for the sisterhood’s breeding programme.

The Bene Gesserit are such an intriguing part of Dune’s lore, and in Dune: Part Two the different members do share scenes that highlight how their own creations and plans have backfired, with disastrous results. Ultimately, though, this is Paul’s story, and the film sidelines the powerful—and far more interesting—sisterhood.

Race: 3/5

Whilst it’s nice to finally have a bigger focus on the Fremen after only supporting parts in the first film, it still doesn’t change the questionable choices made with casting. Zendaya and Javier Bardem, a multiracial American and a Spanish actor, respectively, still occupy the roles of people that are clearly coded as Middle Eastern and North African (MENA), or West Asia and North African (WANA). For example, the Fremen’s language employs Arabic phrases such as “Lisan-al-Gaib” and “Maud’Dib,” making it clear where inspiration lies. Yet MENA actors are simply used to fill the background. We finally see more of the Fremen’s culture—their community spaces and rites of passage—but not enough to truly get an understanding of their people outside of aspects that are tied to the immediate story. This surface-level exploration, along with the fact the director and writers are all white men, lead to an Orientalist interpretation, handwaved as “science fiction” while clearly telegraphing MENA cultures and people.

In fact, Dune: Part Two’s exploration of the “White Savior” had its detractors, with some saying Villeneuve glorifies the concept. Yes, Paul, a white man, is taking on the mantle of the Fremen’s messiah and yes, his mother Jessica appropriates their clothing and culture. But this is all part of the original book’s critique of white saviorism. Where Villeneuve and his writers fail isn’t in their portrayals of this key concept—it’s by underwriting the Fremen. Here they are desert-dwellers with capable fighters, ululating women, and strong believers in destined leaders—and nothing more.

Also worth noting is how all of the key new characters are white. Dune: Part One had a somewhat diverse cast, particularly within House Atreides. But with Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho and Chang Chen’s Dr. Yueh being killed off, this sequel feels white-washed. From Bene Gesserit sisters to Harkonnens, to the Emperor's family, the expanded roster of characters could have been more inclusive. Instead, the film squanders this easy opportunity.

Mediaversity Grade: B- 3.67/5

Dune: Part Two improves upon its predecessor, thanks to a bigger focus on the Fremen, but the representation is still watered down. Furthermore, shallow writing and choppy editing issues prevent this from being a modern classic. If Villeneuve and company finally give MENA actors, and the Fremen culture, the spotlight in the inevitable third film, then it’ll surely stand as the masterful adaptation they’re striving for.

Like Dune: Part Two? Try these other films by Denis Villeneuve.

Grade: BLiMarch 17, 2024