Phew. Dune 2 is certainly a great god damn spectacle, particularly in IMAX. Some of the best non-Oppenheimer explosions in recent memory, more astonishing set designs and most importantly plenty of strange, cool ass flying contraptions. I had a very good time, but something still felt a little off as compared to 1. No longer having the need to introduce this world and more specifically these characters DV just....kind of doesn't bother developing them any further. Without the uncertainty going into the first one as to just how he was going to adapt this material to screen it feels a little on rails.

That's not entirely fair since of course this a story primarily about prophecies and how they sustain themselves. The inevitability of it all is baked in on purpose. But it still robs the movie of much tension despite Zendaya's best efforts scowling every time the prophecy is mentioned. I found I was waiting for the next setpiece in a way I didn't with Part 1.

Luckily, those are found in abundance. This might be his best-paced movie, it flies by pretty fast, flitting from knife fights to worms to large scale battle scenes quickly and with ease. Never got bored, even if I felt I knew what was coming next. A grander spectacle but maybe a lesser movie than the first.