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Sorry, let me start again.

Dune: Part Two is a stunning cinematic achievement.

Visually, it's unbelievable. With all of the poor quality visual effects we get nowadays, it was wonderful to see CGI that was 100% convincing. The cinematography is breathtaking, grand, epic, and emotional. Denis Villeneuve has been quoted as saying he dislikes dialogue, and would prefer to tell a story visually. With a story like Dune, dialogue is a necessity due to the complicated lore of the different worlds, and the writing does a great job communicating the worldbuilding and character without getting too confusing. While Villeneuve can't use visuals to effectively communicate the lore of the story, he can use them to convey the emotions. Wide shots are used to showcase the grand scale emotions. These include the vast beauty of Arrakis, the far-reaching destructive power of explosions, and the tragedy of individuals falling under the influence of oppressors that turn them into controlled collectives. We also get plenty of tight close ups on faces that allow us to feel the emotions of individual characters rather than just emotions on a grand scale. Whether it's rage, fear, conflict, love, hope, hopelessness, or heartbreak, we don't miss a nuance of any of the fantastic performances.

I watched this in IMAX, and that was the perfect showcase for how incredible the sound design is. Every thud, pound, slice, gunshot, scream and explosion has so much weight that it can be felt. Pairing this with the visuals makes for a completely immersive experience. Hans Zimmer's score is, once again, absolutely gorgeous, and filled with so much powerful emotion.

Dune: Part Two expands on the themes of the original, with the most captivating to me being the deconstruction of the Chosen One trope. Our "white savior" is no savior. He's a tool for exploitation and control by those in power who take advantage of faith. It's good to have hope and faith, but it can be misplaced, and therefore manipulated. Religious beliefs getting exploited to form narratives of a Chosen One who has come to liberate you. "Signs" being manufactured to further cement that faith until the belief is rock solid, as is the control. Paul Atreides is no Jesus Christ, and is instead more like the antichrist. A lot of stories look at faith as a positive thing, but this film looks at its dark side, and it's incredibly compelling.

This film is just as much of a tragic character study as it is a massive sci-fi epic. We follow Paul Atreides as he's torn between revenge for his old family and helping his new one (the Fremen). Does he follow what his mother wants, and exploit the Fremen for power and revenge, or does he follow what Chani (the woman he loves) wants, which is to help liberate her people? He doesn't even seem to fully know what he wants. He just knows that he doesn't want his dreams to become a reality. But his life has been predetermined by the Bene Gesserit, who plan to use him for their benefit, and perhaps he was doomed since the day he was born. Watching Paul fall under the influence of power and ambition until he no longer resembles the man that we've been following is absolutely tragic to witness, and it is amplified by Chani's heartbreak. She wants to see the good in him, but can't help but notice the red flags. She loves the man that he is, but not the man that he's turning into. Can she trust him? And can she continue helping him if she doesn't? Can she even do anything as the lone voice of reason in a sea of misplaced faith? All she can really do is watch, but her face says it all. Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet give the performances of their careers as their nuanced and complicated characters.

Denis Villeneuve is a genius, and this was an amazing experience.