Mark Kermode reviews Dune: Part Two - Kermode and Mayo's Take

Summary

The script discusses the Dune film franchise, praising Denis Villeneuve's ability to adapt the complex source material into a clear and compelling story in Dune: Part One. It analyzes themes of religion, prophecy, and the consequences of messianic figures like Paul Atreides. Visually spectacular with memorable scenes, it sets up the tragic arc to come in Dune: Part Two. While most performances are strong, a quibble is made about Christopher Walken seeming out of place. Overall an impressive adaptation, it captures the essence of Dune while engaging all the senses.

Takeaways

• 😊 Deni Vov's Dune part 1 had great clarity in storytelling which continues in part 2 despite increased complexity
• 👍 Seeing Dune part 1 is essential before watching part 2
• 🌟 Visual splendor in Dune part 2 never obscures the importance of the story
• 🔥 The worm riding sequences are breathtaking
• 🤔 The story explores complex themes like the messaging of religion being poisoned by dogma
• 😮‍💨 Timothy Chalamat's Paul Atreides has a reluctant messiah element like in Monty Python's Life of Brian
• 🎼 The music apparently uses electric guitars to mimic bagpipes
• 🤩 Zendaya and Austin Butler give strong lead performances
• 😕 Christopher Walken feels out of place, playing himself rather than the character
• 👍🏻 Overall an impressive, transportive cinematic experience

Q & A

What are the key themes explored in the Dune series?

The Dune series explores complex philosophical themes like prophecy, religion, politics, ecology, and the consequences of messianic figures and religious movements.

How does the visual spectacle in the Dune films serve the storytelling?

The visual effects create an immersive otherworldly experience but never obscure the storytelling, which remains clear and character-driven.

What techniques did cinematographer Greig Fraser use to achieve the visual look of Dune?

He shot digitally on IMAX-approved cameras, then transferred to 35mm film and back again, blending modern crispness with nostalgic film texture.

How does Zendaya's performance contribute to the success of the new Dune film?

As Chani, Zendaya anchors the emotional drama and carries the weight of this complex story impressively.

Why does the Christopher Walken casting feel jarring?

Walken seems to just be playing his familiar persona rather than inhabiting the character fully within the world of Dune.

What story is set up for the planned Dune sequel?

The sequel will explore the tragic, messianic arc of Paul Atreides as his movement turns toxic and war breaks out over the interpretations of his teachings.

How does the documentary Jodorowsky's Dune relate to the newer films?

It shows the endless difficulties in adapting Dune, making Denis Villeneuve's coherent vision even more impressive.

What key events lead to the darker plot turn in the second half of Dune?

After becoming the leader of the Fremen people, Paul loses his father, sets off a violent rebellion, and fulfills a dangerous prophecy.

How important is it to see the first Dune film before the sequel?

Seeing the first film is essential, as the sequel will pick up threads without recap or explanation for new viewers.

What format does the speaker recommend for the optimal viewing experience of Dune?

The speaker insists that to fully appreciate the scale and visuals, Dune should be watched in the biggest, most immersive format possible.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Overview of Dune Part 1 and what to expect in Part 2

Paragraph 1 provides an overview and commentary on Dune Part 1. It discusses the complex source material, the previous challenging attempts to adapt it to film, and how well the recent version directed by Denis Villeneuve succeeded. It also covers expectations for Part 2, predicting it will go darker and more complex, while highlighting Villeneuve's skill at maintaining clarity of storytelling through complex plots.

05:02

🎞️ Visual splendor and themes in Dune Part 2

Paragraph 2 analyzes the visual achievements of Dune Part 2 and how the spectacle does not override the important themes and ideas. It praises the cinematography and editing techniques used to blend film and digital formats for both a nostalgic and crisp look. It also draws comparisons to other acclaimed sci-fi films that balance visuals with substantive exploration of high-concept themes.

10:04

🎭 Cast performances in Dune - hits and misses

Paragraph 3 evaluates the cast performances in Dune Part 2. It offers high praise for Zendaya's central role and the surprise of Austin Butler's casting. It critiques Christopher Walken's performance as jarringly out of sync, despite being an acclaimed actor. It also notes Florence Pugh and Walken feel underutilized, despite strong individual performances.

Keywords

💡Dune

Dune is the title of the classic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, as well as the recent films adapted from the book. It's a complex saga about politics, religion, ecology and more on the desert planet Arrakis. The narrator praises the Dune films for visually realizing this world while retaining the thematic depth of the novels.

💡storytelling

The narrator argues a key strength of the Dune films is their clear storytelling amidst the complexity of the plot, allowing big ideas to shine through the spectacle. They compare this ability in director Denis Villeneuve's other films Arrival and Blade Runner 2049.

💡prophecy

A core theme in Dune is how prophecies and messianic beliefs can be co-opted to serve power structures and justify violence. The narrator relates this to real world religious fundamentalism and the potential dangers of dogma overriding values.

💡Muad'Dib

This is the Fremen name and prophetic identity taken on by Paul Atreides in Dune. He becomes a revolutionary leader of the Fremen people, who see him as a foretold messiah. The story explores how this status is a "tragic idea", according to the films' director.

💡ecology

The ecosystem of the desert planet Arrakis, with its giant sandworms, is a key part of Dune. The narrator praises how the recent films have used modern CG technology to visually realize this alien ecology so vividly.

💡IMAX/visuals

The narrator repeatedly praises the visual splendor of the new Dune films, achieved partially through IMAX cameras and special digital/film processes. But they argue these visuals support the themes rather than distract from them.

💡spice

The spice melange is a mind-enhancing drug produced on Arrakis that's highly valued across space, driving political conflict in the story. The films visually depict its mind-altering effects during navigator spaceship scenes.

💡Star Wars comparison

The narrator suggests Dune has potential to become an epic sci-fi trilogy on par with the original three Star Wars films. There are also superficial story similarities between Luke Skywalker and Paul Atreides as hero figures.

💡sequels/adaptation

The narrator expresses enthusiasm that Dune Messiah continues the book adaptations. They praise the epic sci-fi world-building and themes having potential for continuation while acknowledging plot complexities.

💡worm riding

The narrator excitedly describes how the visual effects successfully depict the Fremen practice of riding the giant sandworms on Arrakis, an iconic concept from the novels finally vividly brought to life.

Highlights

Dune part one works well, but part two is darker, more complex, and complicated

See Dune part one before part two, the recap won't explain anything

David Lynch's Dune had visual splendor but was thematically empty with no through line

Denis Villeneuve kept complex themes and storytelling clarity, like in Arrival and Blade Runner 2049

The sandworms in Dune are breathtaking to see visualized on screen

The spectacle in Dune never obscures the fact the story and ideas are most important

Dune was filmed to look realistic, not nostalgic or too crisp digitally

Dune part 3 with Timothée Chalamet could be like Monty Python's Life of Brian satirizing religion

Austin Butler as Feyd is impressive, didn't recognize him as Elvis initially

Zendaya is terrific as Chani, the emotional center of Dune

Christopher Walken stands out by just playing himself, didn't fit the world

Florence Pugh feels underused, but great in her limited role

Dune should be seen in the biggest, most immersive format possible

The music of bagpipes is actually electric guitar per the composer

Dune has potential to have a holy trinity legacy like the original Star Wars films

Transcripts

your blood comes from Dukes

and great

houses we don't have that

here

here we're equal men and women alike

what we do we do for the benefit of all

I'd very much like to be equal to

you maybe I'll show you the

way

June part two I remember at the end of

June part one you which you really

really like you love very much you said

well they've left a lot of work I said

they have a mountain to climb because um

if you know the story of June and it was

lovely hearing you know about them

talking about you know him saying I read

it as a teenager it's my favorite book

and then you know then he sidles up and

goes have you ever read June and it's

not a casual question it's just like oh

did you see that um that thing on if Den

never ask you that kind of question you

know it means you know here we go yeah

and and as I was saying before um

obviously the history of June there is a

very good documentary called hov's June

which is all about how the hovsky June

which was going to be 14 hours long in

Star Salvador Dary as a robot for as I

understand or a robot of Salvador Dary

in order to make it work um never got

made and then of course David Lynch made

uh his version which doesn't make any

sense and then exist in two different

any whatever so the idea that the first

dune worked as well as it did was great

but the story the first half of the

story is kind of you know it's just it's

got fairly clear lines you know somebody

coming and it was very interesting that

Denny vov said in that interview like

Timothy

shalamay be between the two films but

you know kind of comes of age which of

course is the story of but the second

half is a lot darker it's a lot more

complex it's a lot more complicated and

it's interesting that that's probably

where the wheels come off in the in the

David Lynch version so

firstly you do have to have seen seen

Dune part one there's no excuse for not

seeing Dune part one it's widely

available on streaming services on

Netflix just watching if you're going to

see Dune part two c June part one and I

know that in that interview den and have

said well we had to make it so there was

kind of like a recap at the beginning

for anyone who hadn't seen the first one

that recap isn't going to explain

anything at all it's not a long scroll

like in Star Wars no it's one of those

things like if you remember previously

on Twin Peaks which seemed to be there

specifically to confuse the audience

even if you understood what was going on

once you seen the previously on Twin

Peaks you thought I've got no idea um

Lynch's version had a visual splendor

but it was in the end thematically empty

it was a film of very memorable

interludes but it didn't have a a

through line and what voves June proved

was that you can do this um but it's

very very complicated to keep these

there is there is so many things going

on particularly in the second part it

takes a real storytelling clarity now

part one had a real Clarity to it I

think what is really impressive about

part two is that despite how complex and

you know like a miasma the plot becomes

Deni vov who as he demonstrated in rival

I think one of the reasons that you love

a rival so much and it's the same reason

I do is the storytelling is so clear

it's a really interesting story about

how you view time you know whether you

view time as linear or cyclical and it's

how temporality affects your view of

fate

and um and of life and death which

sounds like it's completely and yet when

you watch a rival it's it's a really

beautiful story and I think the same is

true of Blade run

2049 2049 I'm so sorry Blade Runner 2049

which I think Martin cessi enjoyed as

well so the thing with this is like you

said it is beautiful but like both

arrival and blade run 2049 the the

visual Beauty never obscures what's

going on underneath sci-fi is a genre in

which ideas and wonderment coincide and

sometimes science fiction on screen can

just to come to spectacle I remember

Stephen King saying that there are

various levels of horror and I think

it's like you know Terror horror gross

out you know so it's like you you aim

for one but and in science fiction it's

like ideas are at the top and at the

bottom it's well a planet blowing up you

know so if nothing else works I'll give

you a planet or I'll give you a monster

or something like that this has RAV ing

Dunes I somebody people were talking

about they say yeah they filmed on

location what in space no on location in

sand dunes um the worms are

breathtaking I mean the idea of the

worms is so hard to visualize when you

read the books you fine but the worms

are absolutely breathtaking if you've

seen the trailers you you know there's

that that shot of them coming to you

know just coming out of the thing they

are breathtaking and the worm riding is

breathtaking as well you actually think

that you are watching somebody riding a

worm riding a giant worm which is you

know this has gladiatorial fights to the

death but none of that spectacle ever

obscures the fact that the story is

what's

important um Greg Fraser who shot Dune

and Batman and creator has talked about

this technique that he uses which is

that you the whole thing shot on IMAX

but it's you shoot digital you shoot on

IMX approved digital cameras and then

you transfer to 35 mil and then back and

people say well why and I read an

interview with him and he saidwell when

we were doing the tests film looked too

nostalgic and digital looked too crisp

so using this process gives us the best

of both worlds and okay it's up to

cinematographers to tell me whether you

know whether there's an easy way of

doing this but what I know is that the

end result looks really really

breathtaking um I think when you were

talking about the space Jesus which is

what child three refers to child one

child one I beg you pardon space Jesus

space Jesus which it does sound as

though part three is definitely going to

be space Jesus but it's also and I don't

mean this as a as a mocking thing I mean

it genuinely it is Monty Python and the

Holy Grail because one not Monty Pyon

Monty Python's Life of Brian because one

of the things that's fascinating about

it is that as the you know Denny V was

saying you know the Dogma becoming you

know bigger than the message and then

the message is turns into Warfare if you

remember the sequence in Life of Brian

when the crowd Chase Brian and one of

his shoes falls off and and John CLE

here has left us a sign it is a shoe and

then somebody else no no he's left us

the God we must follow the God and and

it and suddenly all these kind of this

plethora of ideas come and he's and he's

doing all the time I'm not the Messiah

and there is a kind of I'm not the

Messiah element to the Paul trades

character which is then sort of

overwhelmed by what we are told is

predestined fi and there's a lot of very

complicated philosophical stuff here

about the idea of Prophecy and

prophecies being stories and prophecies

being stories that are used to control

people and actually in the context of

something we were talking about earlier

on about any kind of um you know

religious fundamentalism and the way in

which those ideas can be poisonous this

is a really kind of deep dark dive

descent into all of those things with

giant space worms

ornithopters um you know gladiatorial

battles there's one shootout sequence

which is really properly uh nail biting

stuff also in terms of the music I was

told recently apparently the bag pipes

in that first film they're not bag pipes

AR they well you see a bag pipe on

screen but apparently hmer did it with

electric guitar much like big country

did when they were in a big country but

anyway so brilliant to hear that part

three is happening which is June Messiah

which space Jesus as your calling is and

I think that this does have the

potential to be like a tripti like like

the first three Star Wars movies which

people kind of take as as a sort of you

know the Holy Trinity of the Star Wars

stuff um I really like the because what

happened with the next book is that

Herbert was saying it's about the

consequences of what happens and you

know uh Den vov talking about you know

it's it's it's a tragic idea the

Messianic tragic idea and we are sort of

I think we're definitely set up for that

but I I'm just so impressed that he's

managed to keep all those really quite

complicated themes going whilst having

all this extraordinary visual spectacle

whilst having moments when you're just

looking at it and thinking

I've been transported to another world

and I would say see it in the biggest

format you can did you did you feel that

Christopher wlin and Florence Pew were

kind of so here is my here is my okay my

PS I think the performances are are very

good I think Zen is terrific I think

she's really she actually is the kind of

the center of the drama and it's a this

is a big weight to carry because this is

a very very complicated film I think

she's really really

great and Austin Butler I didn't Austin

Butler is Sting I didn't recognize

Austin Butler initially it was like oh

wow it's Elvis think you're not supposed

to know could be anybody but that's

great however and also you know I'm not

the biggest fan of Timothy shalamay but

I I spent the whole movie not thinking

of him as Timothy shalamay thinking of

him as as as Paula trades my one quibble

would be Christopher Walkin plays

Christopher Walkin and there I mean you

do expect him at one point to tell

Timothy shalamay that he's got the watch

that his father put up his

jaxi because it's he's doing Christopher

Walkin even the Christopher Walkin hair

in space is Christopher Walken hair and

it I think chrisop walk's great I think

he's really really good but but there

was something weird about that role I

never thought that that was anything

other than Christopher Walkin wearing a

costume and I I have this feeling that

if you said to Christopher walk so

Christopher tell us about the background

to this story he wouldn't have known

anything other than what he was said now

I'm may be wrong I may be wrong but what

but on screen I think it is the one

jarring note that he appears to have

been parachuted in from outside and of

course it's a you know why not cast

Christopher Walken he's great in

everything I think he isn't great in

this and your other point was that you

think that inevitably because he and

Florence Pew are you know are are

connected they come they come together

that it feels as though they're

underused yeah you go through the whole

of the first film thinking okay Stelling

scars he's clearly the bad guy and then

you get to Jun you go oh well he's not

the main bad guy cuz there's another bad

guy yes although I think the difference

would be that I think that Florence Pew

is great for the amount that she is used

and I think that Christopher

Walkin

isn't I just think he's I think he's not

very good in it I and that is a minor

quibble in the worms the sand the

politics the religion the the everything

else the music the whole experience my

one quibble is Christopher Walken talken

very good I like

that