What an unreal cinematic experience! Dune: Part 2 is a masterpiece and instantly an all-time favorite movie of mine. Denis Villeneuve is the best director in the game right now, suring Nolan and Scorsese as my favorite current director. There’s nobody else making movies this epic and groundbreaking nowadays (with the exception of Nolan as Oppenheimer was also breathtaking). Villeneuve sucks you into the breathtaking world of Dune and blows you away. There’s almost no point in watching films anymore because I don’t think anything can top this—that is, not until Dune: Part 3 releases in theaters!

Instead of writing an adjective-laden review praising the technical prowess of the film, I’m going to highlight five of my favorite parts of the film in no particular order. Each one put goosebumps on my goosebumps. 1, The heart-pounding, anxiety-inducing sandworm-riding scene. 2, Everything filmed in black and white on the House of Harkonnen’s planet Giedi Prime, especially the colosseum fight where Austin Butler steals the show as the sociopathic Feyd-Rautha. 3, The chilling sequence where Fremen eliminate Beast Rabban’s Harkonnen squadron one-by-one as they stealthily emerge from a thick dust cloud. 4, The showdown between Paul and Feyd-Rautha, which was shrouded in a veil of sinister silence. 5, The bird’s eye view of Lisan al-Gaib ing through a parting crowd like the motherfucking messiah he is.

Dune: Part 2 not only excels as a sci-fi thriller; Villeneuve expertly sprinkles in elements of drama, romance, horror and humor as well. The comedic moments were especially refreshing and provided a nice break in an otherwise tense film. I particularly loved Javier Bardem as Stilgar and his unwavering belief in Paul fulfilling the prophecy of Lisan al-Gaib. Paul could sneeze and Stilgar would turn to his groupies and be like “OMG he is totally the prophet”. He’s the ultimate hype-man.

Javier Bardem isn’t the only actor whose performance I loved. Every actor and actress gives a remarkable performance. Chalamet crushed it as a conflicted Paul who fears the power he is destined to hold. Zendaya delivers as a strong-willed and brave Chani. Her chemistry with Chalamet was fantastic. Austin Butler terrifies as Feyd-Rautha, who is potentially my favorite movie villain since Heath Ledger’s Joker. Batista is perfect as Beast Rabban, Rebecca Ferguson gives a phenomenal and bone-chilling performance as Jessica, and Josh Brolin (who hit his wife before cancel culture was a thing so now he gets to star in all these successful blockbusters) excels in his role as an Arrakis outsider and old friend of Paul. Florence Pugh also shined in her little screen time, and I cannot wait to see her as Princess Irulan in the next film!

After its highly anticipated release, Christopher Nolan compared Dune: Part 2 to The Empire Strikes Back. I was not around when The Empire Strikes Back came out, but I know it’s widely considered as one of the most important films ever made. It fortified the Star Wars franchise as a household staple that is appreciated by all generations. It’s a surreal feeling knowing that I am potentially witnessing the same unfold with Villeneuve’s Dune universe. Like a Fremen on a sandworm, I’ll be holding on tight for the journey and am eagerly awaiting the next film!