Dune: Part Two Review: A Spectacular Sequel.

I absolutely adored Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One.
Adapted from Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time, Part One did a fantastic job of setting up this world’s story, characters and themes.
I had been anticipating the sequel ever since I saw the first one in theaters, even waiting through a few delays.
Once I got the chance to see it, I figured there would be no way better than to watch a double feature, with both Parts One and Two played back-to-back.
This resulted in undoubtedly one of the greatest cinematic experiences I have ever had, and it is through watching this double feature that I can confidently say that Part One flows perfectly into its sequel.

Both movies feel at their best when watched together.

Dune: Part 2 sees Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) take shelter with the Fremen of Arrakis after the Atreides family is massacred by their old enemy, the Harkonnens, under the orders of the Emperor (Christopher Walken).
From there, the film follows Paul’s journey to get revenge upon the Harkonnens and help the Fremen, while also attempting to avoid the messiah role being crafted for him.
After watching the first movie, some fans of the book were concerned that Villeneuve was not leaning into the theme of not trusting charismatic leaders, which was Herbert’s key message when writing Dune.
This second film, however, should dispel any doubts about that.
Timothée Chalamet does an excellent job of showing Paul’s gradual transition into becoming the Lisan al Gaib, culminating in a confrontation scene which left the audience I saw the film with in stunned silence.

Chalamet nails his performance as Paul Atreides at his most tyrannical.

Everyone else in this film does a fantastic job as well.
Rebecca Ferguson is unexpectedly terrifying in her manipulation as Jessica.
Austin Butler is also terrifying but for very different reasons as Feyd-Rautha.
Then there is Javier Bardem who somehow works as both the comedic relief of the film and a chilling representation of radicalization.
Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård Florence Pugh, and Dave Bautista all do great, as well.
The most surprising character in the film, for me though, was Chani, played by Zendaya.
She has so much more agency than her book counterpart, and the way her ideas differ from Stilgar’s helps make the Fremen feel much more realistic as a culture.
This also makes her movie-only conflict with Paul interesting, and I look forward to seeing how this is followed up on in the inevitable adaptation of Dune: Messiah.

I much prefer movie Chani to book Chani.

So, the characters and the themes they portray are all excellent, but what about the visuals and soundtrack?
Well, if you saw the first movie then you definitely had no doubt that they were going to be just as amazing.
Watching this movie on Xtremescreen was a sight to behold, and I would not be surprised if Greg Fraser received at least an Oscar nomination for his cinematography.
The same goes for Hans Zimmer, whose score is just as epic as it was in the first film.
These visuals, supported by excellent CGI, along with the score, made for a jaw dropping experience.

*Part Two* is full of stunning shots like this.

As you have read, I have been heaping praise upon this movie from the moment the review started but do I have any criticisms?
Well, yes but those issues really only come down to things from the book that were not included.
For example, one of my favorite characters in the novel had their role greatly reduced and this was disappointing to see.
However, at the same time, I do acknowledge that this character would have been difficult to adapt completely.
Besides Part Two clearly sets up their importance in the future of the story.
Not only this, but I cannot deny that if I had never read the book then this would not have been an issue for me.

Although I was sad to see a certain character’s role reduced, I liked how their importance was foreshadowed.

Other than a few, biased, book reader issues, Dune: Part Two is just as much a masterpiece for me, as the first.
It and Part One are the greatest science fiction movies in years.
If you still can, I would highly recommend watching them as double feature, like I did.
Watching these movies on the big screen was a cinematic experience I will remember for years to come.
Whenever I decide to rewatch these films, it will definitely be back-to-back.
Let the sequels continue to flow.

Wonka Review: Charming, Family Fun.

Willa Wonka is an iconic character who has appeared in a few films over the decades, some beloved, some less so.
With a lot of prequels coming out these days to unnecessarily explain things we did not need answers to, it is understandable to hear about Wonka and get a feeling of dread.
This feeling lessened for me, though, when I learned Paul King was directing.
He directed the two Paddington films and those were both charming films.
In fact, that is the perfect word to describe Wonka: Charming.

King was probably the best person to direct this film, as he clearly understood the wonder of the original.

The film follows the younger Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) as he sets out to begin his chocolate making career, only to meet adversity at every turn.
He quickly finds himself in debt to a pair of swindlers, his attempts to sell chocolate are sabotaged by the Chocolate Cartel, and his chocolate is consistently be stolen by an Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant) out to be repaid.
With help from a young girl named Noodle (Calah Lane), Wonka sets out to use his chocolate making skills to create a life for himself and his newfound friends.
What follows is, as said, a charming film with solid musical numbers and a lot of good laughs.
In particular, I found the physical humor of the corrupt chief of police (Keegan-Michael Key) to get the best laughs.

Key’s chocolate addicted policeman provides quite a few chuckles visually.

As for the rest of the cast, Chalamet does a great job as this younger version of Willy Wonka, showing off the character’s optimism and chocolate-making genius.
Lane also brings a lot of charm as Noodle, as do the actors playing the trio in the Chocolate Cartel.
They are catoonishly evil but I do not mean that as a criticism.
Their over-the-top performances perfectly suit the wacky world they live in, and contrasts Wonka’s own wacky goodness nicely.

The villains are over the top but the good kind.

All of this results in a fun film for the family, which can be enjoyed by adults just as much as kids.
The performances are good, the musical numbers are entertaining, and there are a lot of good laughs to be had.
I honestly would not mind seeing another film following this take on Willy Wonka.

Dune Review: A Cinematic Epic. One Which Has to be Experienced in Theaters.

For quite a few years, friends were telling me that I should read Frank Herbert’s Dune, calling it one of the best science fiction stories of all time, and one that inspired generations of stories from that genre, like Star Wars, for instance.
However, for whatever reason, I did not take my friends’ advice and read Dune.
Then, I saw the trailers for Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 adaptation of the novel.
These trailers blew me away and Villeneuve is one of my favourite directors working today, so, knowing how dedicated he was to making Dune, I finally sat down and read the book.
I could not put it down.
The novel enthralled me from start to finish and, ever since finishing it I have been eagerly anticipating the film’s release to theaters, and was finally able to see it yesterday.
Did it disappoint?
Absolutely not.
Dune is not just an incredible adaptation but I already think it’s one of the best movies I have ever seen, even though I only first saw it yesterday.

*Dune* is a masterful, cinematic experience.

The film tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a young noble born to Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) and his Bene Gesserit concubine Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson).
Duke Leto is the ruler of the planet Caladan, however, the Pardishah Emperor mysteriously decides to order the Atreides family to take stewardship of the desert planet Arrakis, the only planet in the universe where the substance known as Spice can be found.
Spice not only has various benefits to the user but is also the reason interstellar travel is possible, so it is the most valuable resource in the universe.
You would think this would put the Atreides in an excellent position but, in taking over Spice production on Arrakis, they are taking over the position of the previous rulers of Arrakis, their rival family of the Harkonnens, lead by the cruel Baron Vladamir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård).
With the threat of the Harkonnens and even the Emperor’s displeasure hanging over their heads, the Atreides seek an alliance with the native Fremen, among them Stilgar (Javier Bardem).
However, at the same time as this is happening, Paul is having strange dreams, many of which feature a woman named Chani (Zendaya), and these dreams may point to a brutal future for not just Paul’s future but also the future of the entire universe.

Paul’s dreams hold a lot of meaning to them.

Yes, this is the story’s basic opening hook and it is a lot to take in.
Thankfully, Villeneuve presents this information to the viewer perfectly, with only a few things being left out, like the explanation of Mentat powers.
Helping this presentation of information is the incredible acting, cinematography and score.
Speaking of the acting, every single member of the cast brings their A-game, whether their roles in the story are small or major.
I already spoke of most of the characters, but two who I especially enjoyed are Paul’s mentors Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) and Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa).
In fact, I would say that I actually liked the movie’s interpretation of Duncan more than the first novel.
The movie shows the friendship between him and Paul a lot better, making later scenes where the two share screen time much more impactful.

Rewatching the trailers after finishing the book got me excited for more Paul and Duncan interactions, and the movie did not disappoint.

As for the cinematography, it is absolutely beautiful and Greg Fraser did an amazing job.
I had a massive grin on my face almost the entire way through the film because of how gorgeous almost every single shot looked.
What made this grin even wider was Han Zimmer’s brilliant score, his best one to date, in my opinion.

The cinematography and score often combined to create stunning scenes, like this shot of the villanous Baron Harkonnen.

Pair this excellent acting, cinematography and score with Villeneuve’s direction, and you have a masterful adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel that needs to be seen in theaters.
Seriously, I am so glad I decided to watch this for the first time at the movies instead of on HBO Max.
It just provides an experience for this film that cannot possibly be matched on the smaller screen.
I just wish that the studios had realised what they had and agreed with Villeneuve’s wish to film the sequel at the same time, so both parts could be released closer together.
Well, at least we are getting a sequel, with hopefully more on the way, since I have also read the sequel novel Dune: Messiah and loved that as well.
I cannot wait to read the rest of Dune novels now that I have finally finished The Wheel of Time books, and it would be great to see those get future adaptations as well, given how excellent Villeneuve’s Dune was.
In regards to the future of Dune as a movie franchise, I only have one thing to say.
Let the sequels flow.