directed by Denis Villeneuve
We’ve waited for this part almost as long as Fremen waited for their Lisan al Gaib. Inside joke for nerds have been shared, I can peacefully begin my post. In case you don’t remember my text about the first part, I shared there that I hadn’t read the book so I went to see the first film without any clue what I was about to experience. Right after leaving the cinema, I grabbed my phone and ordered the first book, because I honestly had fun and wanted to know whether the book’s equally engaging. Back then I promised myself I’d read the first book before seeing the second film. And now… do you think I’ve succeeded? I hope you believe in my at least a little because yes, I finished those 700 something pages and the following day I was sitting in a comfy red cinema chair excited to see this never-ending desert with worms on a big screen. But getting back to the plot – as you might be guessing, this is the continuation of what we could see in the first part. I definitely recommend you to see them both in the correct order, because you may not understand certain relations in the second part without knowing the book or the first film. Whatever I write next might be considered a SPOILER (the charm of sequels), so just feel informed. House of Atreides have been destroyed and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is hiding in the desert with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), her son. They are living with Fremen, probably only people who know desert and its specifics, and who were expecting someone from “Outer World” to come and save them. Some Fremen believe that Paul is their long awaited prophet, but some others want to banish both strangers. Luckily, the leader of the group, Stilgar (Javier Bardem), is supporting Paul and offers him different kinds of trials, which may clarify whether Paul is their actual messiah or not. In the meantime, Baron Vladimir of House Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) is continuously destroying everything he wants and in this part we get to know his heir (also called “na-Baron” – don’t you just love those names?), Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), who’s equally creepy as his uncle. We generally get introduced to many more figures in this part, but it’s best if you see them yourselves in the film. Is it worth seeing this film in the cinema? Yes, absolutely, and if they make another part – I’ll also want to see it on a big screen. Such productions are meant to be seen in cinemas, because there are those elements which may not amaze you that much if you see them on a small screen, such as the desert. You may think “meh, just a lot of sand”, but if you see it on a big screen and be exposed to the soundtrack (by marvellous Hans Zimmer), you may then feel how overwhelming it is. I’m still amazed by the actors and my heart is stolen by Rebecca Ferguson – all chapeaux bas to this talented woman. Also, some people complain about Chani and how annoying she is in this part and that she’s acting like a spoilt child. Personally, I disagree with this opinion and I see Chani as a much more logical character than she is in the book (yes, I’m complaining about the book, sorry to all the fans). In the film, she’s concerned about her people, Fremen, and she wants to be extra cautious, even though she has feelings for Paul – that’s very mature if you ask me. Then, she’s pissed off when she sees Paul making strange decisions – here, I also have an explanation. At some point, when it was almost clear that Paul is the awaited prophet, the relation between those two got weaker and Chani felt like she’s losing him as a trustworthy partner. So she focused on herself and her tribe. And I believe Zendaya performed it just as it was supposed to be, so no hate, just love, my dear! Before I finish, you probably expect me to say what I liked more – the book or the film? Well, definitely the film. It was a nice experience to read the book, but I’m not going to read next parts. This story is very complex and it’s tiring for me to follow all the weird names and relations between characters. The film is much clearer and thanks to it I understood the book better, so I’m team Denis Villeneuve and big screen. And I can’t wait to see next parts, so let’s cross fingers nothing else disturbs the crew. And Javier Bardem screaming “Lisan al Gaib” is this year’s icon for sure.
My rating: 7/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 