‘Dune: Part Two’ stunning blend of story, visuals

It is one thing that novelist Frank Herbert wrote a complicated tale of a mind-twisting drug known as Spice and a reluctant messiah that played out against an action-filled backdrop with Dune. Books can take all the time needed to explore both.

Turning the 1965 novel into a feature film has been the challenge. Director/co-writer Denis Villeneuve has shown with “Dune: Part Two” that an action film can also dive deep into political, religious and personal relationships. The tendency is to keep these apart, but the collision of such dynamic opposite cinematic forces makes for a fully rounded production.

It has been 29 months since the first part was released and a quick refresher course would not be a bad idea as there is little explanatory dialogue to open the second film. It picks up only moments after the first film ended.

Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), the son of an aristocratic family and once heir to the planet of Arrakis, has seen his people wiped out. The bloated Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) has betrayed Artreides and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), leaving them in the desert to die. Atreides joins forces with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen to seek revenge against those who destroyed his family.

The fact Stilgar (Javier Bardem), leader of the Fremen tribe at Sietch Tabr, believes that Atreides is the chosen one adds to the conflict between a very human desire for revenge and the possibility of divine intervention.

The search to avenge the deaths sparks action sequences that range from the monolithic to the minor. The best hope of stopping Atreides is the psychopathic Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). He is introduced in a stunning gladiatorial setting that is so gigantic, looking at it might cause a nosebleed. It is the kind of scene created with IMAX in mind.

Villenueve gracefully slides between the action sequences into more cerebral moments where all the big topic elements of Herbert’s novel are explored. Greed, political corruption, faith, the lack of faith, love and hate are all addressed against the simmering hot sands.

One of the truly amazing parts of “Dune: Part Two” is that while most of the film unfolds against a stark desert backdrop, there is a majestic beauty to almost every scene. Cinematographer Creig Fraser turns rolling dunes of sand into a mesmerizing vision and not the monotonous repetition for which the world can be portrayed.

It would have been easy for a film this grand in design and execution to overshadow the actors. Just as he found the balance of story and visuals, Villenueve gives his players room for big moments – such as the call to arms by Atreides – or small ones such as the relationship between Atreides and Chani.

It is a film loaded with acting talent from the ruggedness of Josh Brolin to the sliminess of Skarsgård. Florence Pugh’s role as Princess Irulan is limited but there is more to come from her.

The most surprising performance comes from Butler. He has thrown off any remnants of his role as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in “Elvis” to play a character devoid of all humanity. He gets across the violent craziness of the character with a single glance.

At the heart of the acting performances is how much maturity Chalamet shows in playing Atreides. He has gone from an insecure young man to a political and spiritual force who can raise an army with only a few words. Only moments exist between the two parts of the film but how much Chalamet’s character changes makes it feel like a lifetime has passed.

His most personal scenes are with Zendaya as their relationship grows. The film embraces that connection but never lets it distract from all the larger themes that fill the production.

Villenueve established his credentials for being able to handle complicated stories and big action moments with the first “Dune” film. He solidifies those credentials by making both a film that will take your breath away with its visual spectacle and make you think because of the brilliant examination of storylines connected to the heart, mind and soul.

The gap between the first and second films was massive. Because Villenueve gave “Part Two” an open end, the framework is set for a “Part Three.” It just needs to come quicker.

“Dune: Part Two” is stunning to look at, has memorable action scenes and a bevy of great performances. It loses a few points for setting up that the audience will have to pay to see at least one more film.

Movie review

Dune: Part Two

Grade: B

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bandem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler

Director: Denis Villenueve

Rated: PG-13 for language, violence, action sequences

Running time: 166 minutes.

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