Dune Part Two

Plot: In the second installment, Paul (Timothee Chalamet) and Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) take refuge with girlfriend Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen, while the evil Harkonnens (Stellan Skarsgard & Dave Bautista) try to take over the planet. With the help, of Berne Gessert magic, sandworms, and Fremen fighters Paul mounts a surprise attack on the Harkonnens & the Emperor (Chris Walken) leading to the climactic battle. [imdb]    [photos]

Review: An exciting story with an epic scope punctuated with a wonderful booming soundtrack. The action in the second installment owes to the story's set-up in the first movie, which was not as action-filled. 

Timothee Chalamet plays a moody and thoughtful Paul, which is good because otherwise, the movie could have been just a big fight. 

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Chris Walken, Javier Bardem (Stilgar), Josh Brolin (Gerney)

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve

Written by: Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts, Frank Herbert (book)

The Music: Hans Zimmer's booming drums were made for this movie. In the theater I was in, I could physically feel the vibrations from the booming base which magnified the experience. 

The Visuals: Gotta love those ornithopters. Dune has the coolest blowing sand scenes, which could have been a boring. 

Rating:  3.5 stars: Very entertaining. Solid acting

More: I am a fan. I have read five or six of the (very long) novels. [How can the make a movie of  God Emperor of Dune? The hero is unfilmable.]

Even More: While we get a good bit of left-wing liberation politics from Chani, you can't avoid that the movie is a battle between aristocratic elite families who live in luxury.  Meanwhile, the little people live hard lives and die meaningless deaths. 

Yet More: In the Dune universe, there really is shadowy elite (called the Bene Gessert) that pulls the strings and secretly controls the universe. Certainly, American conspiracy theorists have taken note. 

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