Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two is a worthy sequel to the first movie. In scope and spirit, it captures the space opera with the cinematic necessity to have a short plot to hold the interests of the viewer. It is a must-watch. Whatever feelings were generated while watching the first movie were not only reexperienced, but also appropriately heightened. The hype was real.

I saw it at Jio Plaza Bandra. The entire travel expense there was less than the ticket cost and way cheaper than going to Palladium. Mumbai public transport is next level. It was a 9:30 AM show. Total attendance: 4.

I think the greatest contribution of this movie to the cinematic experience is the painstaking paintings that are the frames. The visualization of every set piece captured by the camera is breathtaking. Vast. Expansive. Makes you feel the magnitude of every action, which is indeed galaxy-spanning in its effects. You can feel this alien world. The colours used, and the lighting of it all. I do not know how it can be both constrained yet kaleidoscopic. All of them are poster and wallpaper material. The entire atmosphere of Arrakis, Giedi Prime is right in the theatre. This is what I want to feel when I go to watch a movie. I saw it almost a month after release and was lucky to catch it in iMax. I am glad. The fighting pit scene was a masterful handicraft. Loved the look of it. This is cinema, isn’t it Mr. Scorsese?

The music is peerless. And though we know the end essentially: he will take up the role of Mahdi and lead the fedaykin to victory, the entire process, and how he’ll fulfil the prophecy, when, how, and if he will use the atomics, and an unexpected twist in the middle – it was good writing. Loved the way he uses his power against the old Reverend Mother and she cries “Abomination!”

I liked Timberly Chameleon’s acting for the first time, I think. His usual demeanour fits the role of a sadboi turned angyprophet. Zendaya looks well. That’s it. That’s what she does. Just looks. Or stares. At her bf, the people, the enemies, bf’s mother. Perhaps she wanted a challenger role. But I liked Rebecca Ferguson’s acting the best. Especially the creepytalks with her daughter. You can feel her politicking. Though I would have liked more of that with all the factions and Landsraat and Great Houses dishing out backstabbing deals, than just the Bene Gesserit. And less of the Monty Python sketch of “He denies he is the prophet; so he is the prophet”. Even a glimpse of the universal jihad yet to come would have been nice.

Yes, the jihad. I have read the book. Of course it is better, and the second part has taken many creative liberties, with multiple differences from the text. But the movie holds onto itself well, and even I had to refresh my memory. I hope the movie pushes people to read the book. Read it. It is worth it. And the sequels are even weirder. The word used in the book is ‘jihad’, and not ‘holy war’. It is more than given that there are Arabic and Persian influences on the Fremen. Fedaykin is from fedayeen, essentially guerrilla warriors in the Middle East. They should have kept it.

Till then, let us hope for a third movie for the further exploits of Paul Muad’Dib Usul Atreides, Duke of House Atreides, Padishah Emperor, Mentat Emperor, Abu Dhur, Umma Regent, the Kwisatz Haderach who is the Lisan al-Gaib, the Mahdi, the Preacher, Fil Haquiqa, Supreme Dreamer.

Rating: 3 Beards/5