Definitely Denis Villeneuve’s Dune rather than a straight adaptation.  And that’s ok because it’s clear that he really gets the book and has a major ion for it. If you didn’t like Part 1 you are not going to like this.

I do feel for every part he gets so right, there are other things that are still lacking.  Across the two films I don’t feel there has been sufficient explanation as to why spice is so important? It’s supposed to be the most important substance in the known universe but all it’s power is barely mentioned. I can see a newcomer watching this thinking..these battles make about as much sense as Mumm-ra and the Thundercats fighting over a barely populated Thundera.

It may be because it lacks the political aspects of the book but I can see why a multimillion picture wouldn’t want to go down this route. Who wants to see Episode 1 type scenes constantly talking about CHOAM trade routes and council manoeuvring.  But perhaps therein lies the problem.  Although highly influential I don’t think Dune was ever meant to be treated as a popcorn blockbuster. There are parts Villeneuve vastly improves upon. The reluctant prophet aspect is more to the fore and the Jessica/Paul dynamic is much better played with Rebecca Ferguson relishing as a Lady Macbeth. 

The pacing feels a bit off with the first hour dragging and the second half steamrolling way too fast. The water of life rituals happen in a blink of an eye and characters appear, disappear and move across Arrakis so quickly it’s hard to keep track. I actually think there might have been several scenes cut to trim down the runtime. I’m hoping he has also filmed extra scenes and at some point we are going to get a remix of both parts with earlier introduction to the key players.  Bringing in the Emperor and Irulan late never seemed right. 

There’s also quite a few deviations towards the end that I’m not entirely sure I agree with and think it may be fairly difficult to tie this back to Dune Messiah.  Although I suspect a love triangle rather than a concubine is far more palatable to modern audiences. I’m intrigued to know how Villeneuve will handle it- it’s clear this film is so desperate for part three I’m surprised the Eastenders theme didn’t play at the end.  To be fair the novel didn’t really have full closure either.

However for all my moaning this is definitely enjoyable and there’s no denying the love for the material. There are images and spectacle in this which are like a work of art.  Action scenes are brilliantly shot with the duel at the end definitely a stand out. I just wish Maud’Dib had seen a possible future where Villeneuve had been given $300m by HBO to do a 10 part series.

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