Deepanjana Pal
Mostly follows Herbert’s recipe — there are only a few deliberate and significant changes — to serve us a dish that is grand, lavish and made with the finest ingredients, but is just a little bland.
Especially when it’s being brought to life by a director as gifted as Villeneuve. there are strands of Dune: Part Two that are fascinating. Villeneuve conjures as he realises Herbert’s imaginings onto the big screen.
Ferguson is magnificent as the manic and determined Reverend Mother, especially when she has whispered conversations with the foetus whose ancestral memories are sparked into being after Jessica drinks the magical (and poisonous) Water of Life.
Zendaya as the proud and stubbornly rational Chani is also a joy to watch in a role that has been considerably expanded by Villeneuve’s screenplay. The way she grapples with her love for Paul and the politics she believes in, makes Chani all the more charismatic.
In visual terms, the imagery of Dune: Part Two is often stunning, but it doesn’t feel as impactful as what cinematographer Greig Fraser and the special effects team were able to achieve in the first film.
Considering Villeneuve’s love for complex and unnerving subjects, it’s ironic that Dune: Part Two feels like a straightforward story about a hero coming into his own, rather than a saga of entangled ambitions and thwarted stratagems.