“I am Paul Muad'Dib Atreides, duke of Arrakis! Long live the fighters!”

The hype is real with Dune Part Two! I knew everybody would be calling this a masterpiece before it even released because it was kinda a given, but I still make sure to keep my expectations in the middle cause most people like to call a film either the best thing ever or the worst which just gets annoying after awhile. Luckily, the quality was what i had anticipated. I liked the first film alot but I knew wherever Denis would take me with the sequel would be well worth the wait and it was as epic as I was hoping! Truly next level stuff here that people will be talking about for a years to come. I got to see this tonight in IMAX and my goodness….the sound design was fucking insane! Every theater is different and the theater I went to has one of the bigger IMAX screens but I don’t always go there and so I really noticed how incredible the sound was and it made the experience simply sensational. This will go down as one of the best theater experiences I’ve ever had for sure.

Denis Villeneuve is THE MAN. Hes probably my third favorite director and this film only further cemented those feelings I have about it. The scale and spectacle he brings to the big screen is unparalleled and goes so much further than just how stunning the visuals look. The comparisons being made to these films as our generations Lord of the Rings or the OG Star Wars is justified. We are witnessing the making of one of the most groundbreaking fantasy trilogies of all time that I have no doubt will go also go down as one of the all time best! People like me who were not even born yet and didn’t get to experience those with everybody else can’t share those same memories. But it’s looking like we are about to have our own that future generations will look back at with respect and iration. It’s just awesome to see.

Villeneuve is my favorite working director outside of Nolan and the guy who will excite me the most with any film he does and nobody compares. I always know he will deliver and that’s special in today’s age. He expanded this world and its lore in the exact way I had hoped. He doubles down on the importance of its themes with religion, faith, and most importantly, those trying to figure out their path. I love how he instills in these characters the fear of the unknown and how it affects them constantly. It’s what made me specifically love Paul so much more this go around. His visions are filling him with constant worry and blurring the lines between fiction and reality. The evolution of Paul throughout these two films so far has been exciting to say the least and I have no doubt that by the time this trilogy is over, he will have been one of the better lead characters in recent memory.

Timothee Chalamet gives his best performance I’ve seen from him thus far. It’s taken me a minute to fully buy him as this leading man, but after this film he’s grown even more on me and I can’t wait to see where the films takes him in the third as I’ve never read the book. The emotional weight he brought mixed with some of the more serious moments made him even better this time. The cast all around though was nothing short of incredible. I’m not a fan of Zendaya at all(mostly due to how much I despise her as Mary Jane which is horrendous casting) but she was quite good this go around. She’s no longer just Paul’s vision but an actual critical character and I really enjoyed her and Paul’s relationship throughout. It would take me forever to list off the rest of this massive ensemble but they all killed it. Austin Butler was the one I was most looking forward to seeing after his life changing as Elvis and man…. What a force he was. I love how Denis highlighted how he views his opponents. He respects them when they fight well. Plus, the fight scenes with him were sick and his psychotic nature worked for me.

Finally, the action sequences were more of a standout this time and were both choreographed and shot so beautifully. The sandworm sequences had me shaking in my seat they were so awesome! I thought this one would be way more action heavy than its predecessor but Villeneuve found the perfect balance I was looking for. Just enough more to satisfy those who wanted it while not waisting one minute of this precious screentime. I don’t have many complaints I can think of. The only one that comes to mind is the emperor and his daughter whom I found to be underdeveloped. They could’ve been utilized more significantly and it would’ve made the film more satisfying as a whole. The ending also leaves the same effect I felt leaving the first which is that the story is clearly not over and it leaves you scratching for the final chapter. It does end on a much much smarter note though than part 1 which was more satisfying. I went in thinking that this was the finale so I was a little surprised it wasn’t but I know Villeneuve won’t let us down. Go see this in IMAX guys! It’s a must!

"May thy knife chip and shatter."