Phenomenal stuff. I'll probably calm down tomorrow but right now my heart's beating like crazy and my brain's screaming it's a bloody masterpiece. This is one of the few movies that I didn't try to control my expectations beforehand and it still surpassed them in many ways.
"Power over spice is power over all"- that kinda turned out to be a lie at the end. As The movie starts, I felt an immediate sense of tension through its score. It's a cinematic experience; I can't imagine feeling the same lying at home in bed, watching in headphones. The resonating vibrations as the sounds reverberate through the theater created an epic atmosphere.
When Part One came out people said it was "game of thrones in space", I wasn't really taken by that as much, especially since people said the same about Apple TV's Foundation series. So I just enjoyed the movie as Dune and bore no comparisons. After watching part two however I see it; the world building, the politics, the epic grandeur of it all.
However, the first half of Dune Part Two is pretty grounded and calm, delving into the lives of the Fremen. It almost feels like two distinct movies, the first half intricately setting the stage for the climactic third act and reinforcing character connections established in Dune Part One. Unlike the Part One's focus on lore, this movie is more devotion-driven, also resembling a political narrative, especially knowing of the hidden puppeteers behind the empire. The result appears to be an intricate web of schemes involving the empire, the witch-advisor women(can't spell their names lol), and the Baron's family. Despite the emperor's pulling the strings, the Baron's family still felt like main antagonist to me.
The second half of the movie is where we see the epic scale of dune. The movies not quick paced but you couldn't tell, I was absolutely immersed in it.
I absolutely loved the kind "The mahdi is too humble to say he is the mahdi." Theatre burst out in laughter. It felt weird, I wasn't expecting any humour. It's funnier than I expected. More lively than the first Dune movie. I'd already seen the Usul-worm-riding scene from the Dune Part One reopening bonus content. I was still just as excited and it didn't spoil a thing.
The visual brilliance, as expected was stunning, elevating every aspect. The authenticity of the scenes made it feel as if characters were immersed in the environment, rather than merely placed against a green screen. I loved the portrayal of time passing through Paul's changing eyes; the longer he stays the bluer his eyes get. Despite how lively it is, the plot, while progressing at a measured pace, remains engaging, drawing attention away from its deliberate slowness. It has much more action, the battles were absolutely epic, I feel like they could have been longer but they still captivated me.
Jessica disappears for a while, but just when I thought that, she showed up. Other than Paul and Zendeya, the rest of the cast doesn't really get as much screen time as you'd think. I loved the baby/embryo/featus scenes. Batista with no mask in the desert while his whole team's suited up was badass. I love him in darker roles, although I think some moments felt overly animated. But it gave an effective contrast to Austin Butler though, I couldn't wait to see what his character was like. Very fierce, intimidating and psycho. The girl shivering with the plate in her hands before the gladiator games made me chuckle. Butler did also sound like the baron at times.
Dune: Part Two stands steady on its own, it felt complete compared to the more introductory feel of Part One. Despite this, I still felt like it lays groundwork for Dune: Part Three/Messiah, leaving a sense of setup. The movie, while feeling like a precursor, still manages to provide a more conclusive ending. I also think you should watch Part One first, if that has to be said; and the prospect of a back-to-back viewing sounds like a fun afternoon.
One thing I can complain about is Stilger. I have mixed feelings. In Part One, Javier was fierce and was my favorite character, in this movie though he's depicted as a religious fanatic for the most part. It was done well, but I still miss the Stilgar who walked up to Duke Leto Atreides with no disregard. This felt like a different person, still fierce, just different.
Loved Austin butler though, I wasn't sure what to expect as I tried my best to avoid trailers and teasers apart from the Dune part one bonus content. That short lady in charge of extracting 'the water of life' had some insane calves on her, I'm extremely jealous.
While I was initially not convinced about Timothée Chalamet as the lead, he truly owns the role in the sequel, displayed acting facets I'd not seen before from him. The movie essentially unfolds as Paul Atreides' coming-of-age story, with Zendaya delivering an amazing performance. The first act, focusing on their love story, adds depth to the events at the movie's end. Zendaya's portrayal transcends the typical love story, I hope her role extends into Dune: Messiah, and hopefully adds further complexity to her character.
We see Paul undergo some transformations. From being the son of royalty to experiencing love, the narrative takes a surprising turn when he assumes authority in the third act. Although I liked it, it felt a bit rushed. But, I found solace/logic with the "water of life" spiritual poison, where drinking it resulted in a profound shift in your personality. The contrast between the before and after versions of Paul, as well as Jessica, is striking so it kinda made sense to me.
I think watching this movie at home won't do it justice, it's clearly made for the big screens if you can. It's pretty epic and I think it'll remain memorable as one of 2024's best movies, despite only being February. I absolutely loved it.
"Power over spice is power over all"- that kinda turned out to be a lie at the end. As The movie starts, I felt an immediate sense of tension through its score. It's a cinematic experience; I can't imagine feeling the same lying at home in bed, watching in headphones. The resonating vibrations as the sounds reverberate through the theater created an epic atmosphere.
When Part One came out people said it was "game of thrones in space", I wasn't really taken by that as much, especially since people said the same about Apple TV's Foundation series. So I just enjoyed the movie as Dune and bore no comparisons. After watching part two however I see it; the world building, the politics, the epic grandeur of it all.
However, the first half of Dune Part Two is pretty grounded and calm, delving into the lives of the Fremen. It almost feels like two distinct movies, the first half intricately setting the stage for the climactic third act and reinforcing character connections established in Dune Part One. Unlike the Part One's focus on lore, this movie is more devotion-driven, also resembling a political narrative, especially knowing of the hidden puppeteers behind the empire. The result appears to be an intricate web of schemes involving the empire, the witch-advisor women(can't spell their names lol), and the Baron's family. Despite the emperor's pulling the strings, the Baron's family still felt like main antagonist to me.
The second half of the movie is where we see the epic scale of dune. The movies not quick paced but you couldn't tell, I was absolutely immersed in it.
I absolutely loved the kind "The mahdi is too humble to say he is the mahdi." Theatre burst out in laughter. It felt weird, I wasn't expecting any humour. It's funnier than I expected. More lively than the first Dune movie. I'd already seen the Usul-worm-riding scene from the Dune Part One reopening bonus content. I was still just as excited and it didn't spoil a thing.
The visual brilliance, as expected was stunning, elevating every aspect. The authenticity of the scenes made it feel as if characters were immersed in the environment, rather than merely placed against a green screen. I loved the portrayal of time passing through Paul's changing eyes; the longer he stays the bluer his eyes get. Despite how lively it is, the plot, while progressing at a measured pace, remains engaging, drawing attention away from its deliberate slowness. It has much more action, the battles were absolutely epic, I feel like they could have been longer but they still captivated me.
Jessica disappears for a while, but just when I thought that, she showed up. Other than Paul and Zendeya, the rest of the cast doesn't really get as much screen time as you'd think. I loved the baby/embryo/featus scenes. Batista with no mask in the desert while his whole team's suited up was badass. I love him in darker roles, although I think some moments felt overly animated. But it gave an effective contrast to Austin Butler though, I couldn't wait to see what his character was like. Very fierce, intimidating and psycho. The girl shivering with the plate in her hands before the gladiator games made me chuckle. Butler did also sound like the baron at times.
Dune: Part Two stands steady on its own, it felt complete compared to the more introductory feel of Part One. Despite this, I still felt like it lays groundwork for Dune: Part Three/Messiah, leaving a sense of setup. The movie, while feeling like a precursor, still manages to provide a more conclusive ending. I also think you should watch Part One first, if that has to be said; and the prospect of a back-to-back viewing sounds like a fun afternoon.
One thing I can complain about is Stilger. I have mixed feelings. In Part One, Javier was fierce and was my favorite character, in this movie though he's depicted as a religious fanatic for the most part. It was done well, but I still miss the Stilgar who walked up to Duke Leto Atreides with no disregard. This felt like a different person, still fierce, just different.
Loved Austin butler though, I wasn't sure what to expect as I tried my best to avoid trailers and teasers apart from the Dune part one bonus content. That short lady in charge of extracting 'the water of life' had some insane calves on her, I'm extremely jealous.
While I was initially not convinced about Timothée Chalamet as the lead, he truly owns the role in the sequel, displayed acting facets I'd not seen before from him. The movie essentially unfolds as Paul Atreides' coming-of-age story, with Zendaya delivering an amazing performance. The first act, focusing on their love story, adds depth to the events at the movie's end. Zendaya's portrayal transcends the typical love story, I hope her role extends into Dune: Messiah, and hopefully adds further complexity to her character.
We see Paul undergo some transformations. From being the son of royalty to experiencing love, the narrative takes a surprising turn when he assumes authority in the third act. Although I liked it, it felt a bit rushed. But, I found solace/logic with the "water of life" spiritual poison, where drinking it resulted in a profound shift in your personality. The contrast between the before and after versions of Paul, as well as Jessica, is striking so it kinda made sense to me.
I think watching this movie at home won't do it justice, it's clearly made for the big screens if you can. It's pretty epic and I think it'll remain memorable as one of 2024's best movies, despite only being February. I absolutely loved it.