Movie critic Bruce Miller says "Dune: Part Two" plops you in the middle of the action and never slows up. This sequel is beautifully photographed and powerfully scored.
If you only have time to watch one-half of “Dune,” make it the second half.
The sequel tells a complete story and doesn’t really need the first half to understand.
Sure, there are more subtitles than a foreign language film and enough sand to make the folks in “Mad Max” a bit jealous, but this is grand storytelling on an understandable scale that doesn’t look down on its audience.
Director Denis Villeneuve, in fact, makes you feel like it’s time to jump on board, ride the wave and enjoy what hundreds of craftsmen have wrought. It’s a stunning, gorgeous film that pulls you in (far better than the first film) and makes you wonder who’s betraying who.
Clearly, our sympathies are with Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), the son of a duke who’s expected to lead his people and others out of the line of fire and into a place of freedom. He’s abetted by members of the Fremen tribe, Chani (Zendaya), and Stilgar (Javier Bardem), who want him to be more than he really is. Stilgar is all-in on the concept; Chani has her doubts.
Chalamet and Zendaya play the relationship for all its worth and become a team of sorts that doesn’t appear to have cracks. Then, another group – House Harkonnen – turns up and looks to hail from a professional wrestling world. Their savior is a creepy fighter named Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler, in a great performance) who isn’t afraid to take on anyone.
Key to Paul’s intermittent success, however, is his ability to harness sandworms and ride them to glory. Think: Charlton Heston in “Ben-Hur” and you’ll get the picture.
Much of “Dune: Part Two,” in fact, resembles old swords-and-sorcerers’ films. Massive crowds cheer on questionable behavior while individuals play out the skullduggery. If anything, it’s a look at cult behavior and how it can manifest.
Most of the characters are very superficial (and understandable), but Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) manages to intrigue throughout. She’s the product of others' choices, a climber who wouldn’t mind crafting her own legacy.
Villeneuve conjures memories of “Lawrence of Arabia” more than once and gets some gorgeous visuals just holding on untouched sand dunes. When he introduces those worms, the action heats up and Chalamet gets to ride to glory.
“Part Two,” however, hardly seems like the end of this franchise. There’s a questionable move at the end and enough Frank Herbert story to launch a “Star Wars”-level empire. More “Dune”? We’re in, particularly if Zendaya gets the kind of trajectory this suggests.
Movies in a minute with film critic Bruce Miller
Movies in a Minute: "Saturday Night"
Movies in a Minute: "Joker: Folie `a Deux"
Movies in a Minute: "Megalopolis"
Movies in a Minute: "Transformers One"
Movies in a Minute: "Speak No Evil"
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Movies in a Minute "Alien: Romulus"
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Movies in a Minute: "Deadpool & Wolverine"
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Movies in a Minute "Despicable Me 4"
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Movies in a Minute: "Thelma"
Movies in a Minute: "Inside Out 2"
Movies in a Minute "Bad Boys: Ride or Die"
Movies in a Minute: "Jim Henson Idea Man”
Movies in a Minute: "Summer Camp"
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Movies in a Minute: "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"
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Movies in a Minute: "Snack Shack"
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Movies in a Minute "Dune: Part Two"
Movies in a Minute: "Drive-Away Dolls"
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Movies in a Minute: Best Actress nominee Sandra Huller
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Movies in a Minute: "May December"
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Movies in a Minute: "The Holdovers"
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Movies in a Minute "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour"
Movies in a Minute: "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Movies in a Minute: "The Exorcist: Believer"
Movies in a Minute: "Fair Play"
 Bruce Miller is editor of the Sioux City Journal.Â