AMC StubSchlub Chronicles #32: I Guess We Really Were Dune: Part 2 All Along!

*Disclaimer: I have not read the novels. Yet.*

A highly anticipated sequel that in my opinion fails to elevate itself over the first film. Denis Villeneuve is the modern master of beautifully, slow-burn filmmaking. There are plenty of shots and scenes within the movie that remind you that a seasoned filmmaker is at the helm, making a childhood dream a reality. Unfortunately the characters in "Dune: Part Two", old and new, fail to become anything more than characters who have to be there for the story to move along. Austin Butler's character is like a skinhead edge lord who licks knife blades and kills people for no reason because he is such a bad man. Paul and Chani feel more like star crossed lovers in the first film where Zendaya isn't hardly in it. In "Part Two" the characters are forced together and then ripped apart so fast I felt like I had whiplash. Christopher Walken is also a very... interesting choice for the Emperor. He doesn't have much screen time but he failed to make an impact on me in the role given it's gravitas. Overall I like these movies, they're the closest thing to "LotR" we've gotten since that trilogy finished up 20-some years ago. But it's held back by its visionary director, a man who ittedly isn't a fan of dialogue and fancies himself as a visual artist. The movie looks great but things like characters, relationships, and an even flow of pacing are not the strongest parts of his filmmaking repertoire.