Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the blu-ray I reviewed in this blog post. The opinions I share are my own
This Part Two is a literal second chapter, it picks up right where Part One left off, and despite this universe having an Emperor (Christopher Walken), what I gleaned from this installment is that it seems the real power lies with that female sisterhood, with all their superhuman powers, the Bene Gesserit. I say this because in this chapter it’s revealed the Emperor used House Harkonnen to wipe out House Atreides as they took charge of Arrakis (aka Dune). And, who put they idea in his head, the Bene Gesserit, for all that matters to them is getting this being, their Kwisatz Haderach, into existence, so it can take charge as Emperor. Of course, they’d have full sway over it, therefore making the Bene Gesserit the real and obvious power in this universe, but Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) was not what they were expecting as a Kwisatz Haderach, and therefore have no power over him.
So, what has he and his Bene Gesserit mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), been up to since their House and family were wiped out in Part One—well, let’s see, Part One ended with them joining with the Fremen, the indigenous people of Arrakis, the people who don’t want any House to control the spice of the planet, they want to bring this desert planet back to a kind of watery freedom, and they believe Paul is their messiah, and he manages to prove that rather well in this chapter. The Fremen’s have a Reverend Mother who’s dying, and they recruit Jessica to replace her and she goes about converting anyone who doubts Paul is their messiah into true believers.
But, Paul has had dreams of a terrible future, if he becomes their messiah; a holy war will ignite, pitting their Dune planet against all the Houses, so as he slowly falls deeper in love with Fremen Chani (Zendaya) he has trouble fully committing to their vision of him, wanting to help, but not lead, but after he drinks the Water Of Life (a serum derived from a young sandworm) his clairvoyance goes off the charts and he sees many things, like a way for the Fremen to win their planet back, and the fact his mother is daughter of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), something she didn’t know herself until she drank the Water Of Life earlier in the film.
All of this is very much leading somewhere as we get a final act of the Fremen, with Paul fully on board as their messiah leading them in a mini-war against the Harkonnen, and by God they prevail. But not before he has to duel Vladimir’s youngest nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler). This character I remember well from David Lynch’s 1984 movie, because it was played by Sting. This Feyd-Rautha is far more creepy looking, and for more psychopathic; he tests his blade by killing two of his female servants right after it’s handed to him, slicing the throat of one and stabbing the other, then tells the dude who handed it to him, the point needs to be sharper. Excellent performance by Butler, and a great combat scene between he and Chalamet. As I expected, Part Two ends on a cliffhanger, as that holy war he feared is on the verge of happening now, since he and the Fremen have control of Dune, and the rest of the Houses refuse to acknowledge him as any kind of leader, so they come with warships . . . our final scene is one of heartbreak as Paul kind of betrays Chani, and she refuses to acknowledge his new position as well, and takes off on a sandworm, essentially getting the hell out of dodge.
Hans Zimmer returns to score this chapter, and, again, he delivers a very haunting, creepy and sinister soundtrack, even when it’s played over any scene with Paul, because we just don’t know how corrupted by power he may become. Effects, practical and computer, were also spot on!
Loved this movie, and can’t wait for Part Three, though as I understand it, it may be some time before that gets made. Meanwhile, a new series airing on Max this fall, Dune: Prophecy, centering on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, and a prequel to Dune: Part One (2021), will have to keep us satisfied until that final chapter is made.
Warner Home Entertainment releases Dune: Part Two (2024) in several, separate formats: 4K Ultra HD, 4k Ultra HD steelbook, DVD, blu-ray, 2-Film Collection (with Dune: Part One) 4K Ultra HD and a 2-Film Collection (with Dune: Part One) blu-ray. All of which you can buy now on Amazon!
Video/Audio/Subtitles: 2160p 2.39:1 Ultra High Definition Widescreen—English Dolby Atmos, 7.1 English Dolby TrueHD, 5.1 English Dolby Digital, 5.1 French Dolby Digital, 5.1 Spanish Dolby Digital, Audio Descriptive—English SDH, French, Spanish Subs
Extras Included . . .
- Chakobsa Training (4:51)
- Creating The Fremen World (11:41)
- Finding The Worlds Of Dune (6:24)
- Buzz Around The New “Thopter” (3:51)
- Worm-Riding (9:23)
- Becoming Feyd (7:33)
- A New Set Of Threads (7:40)
- Deeper Into The Desert: The Sounds Of The Dune (12:59)
PHYSICAL MEDIA LIVES AT . . . 