Spectacular. 

Given the frequent comparisons, there was something of an expectation that Part Two would follow in the footsteps of The Two Towers, namely that it would be a direct continuation of the previous movie that, for all intents and purposes, feels like the same thing but more. From the first minute, Villeneuve buries that idea and never looks back. This is a version of Dune that feels two years more advanced than Part One, both narratively and artistically. The first shot of Arrakis does away with the bleak greys of the first movie, bathing the screen in an electric orange that declares that no, this isn’t one movie split in two. Denis has had some ideas since 2021, and with a third movie still all but certain, he’ll be damned if he’s not going to utilise them all here. 

Where Part One was more of a direct adaptation, Part Two plays a bit more fast and loose with the source material. The core moments are all there – it’s very much the same story – but from the beginning it’s clear that this is Villeneuve’s Dune first, Herbert’s second. The changes are a little distracting on a first watch, but they’re generally for the better. Changing the catalyst for Paul’s transformation into the Kwisatz Haderach simply makes more sense here than in the book, for example, and once I’d taken the time to get over that need for total accuracy, Villeneuve’s vision really came through. 

And it’s unbelievable. 

This is the gold standard for adaptation, and for blockbuster cinema. The themes that Herbert wove into his novel so finely that he had to write a second one to clear things up are so prevalent here it’s impossible to imagine how they could have been misunderstood. Paul’s pivot from a boy fearful of his influence to a leader of unspeakable violence would easily be the standout of the whole film if it weren’t for everything else. It likely helped that I caught this in IMAX, but the sound is just something else. Every other movie emulating this scale can only dream of feeling this visceral – the balance between an atomic detonation and a slit throat is so perfect that both feel equally impactful without losing their grounding. Where Part One felt somewhat clinical at times, still stunning but restricted by the conventions of a safe blockbuster, Part Two fully lets loose. The gladiator battle is an easy, and worthy, indicator of Villeneuve’s vision, but in truth there isn’t a scene across the entire three hours that doesn’t bleed style. 

A second watch is essential, not least because it’ll alleviate any hangups I have with being a little off from the novel, but this really might be one for the ages. It’s a better movie for breaking away from the established narrative – never enough to be unrecognisable, just enough to make the world’s most unadaptable novel a cinematic masterpiece. 

I still can’t believe he actually did it.