Rousing and visually stunning, Dune Part 2 has become such a runaway success since its release. The film is expected to cross $500 million globally this weekend, thus making it the highest grossing film of the year so far. Delaying the movie until last year’s strike ended so they can trot out stars Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh across the globe sure does pay off!
But the true achievement of Dune Part 2 lies in its storytelling, which captures the true essence of Frank Herbert’s seminal space opera of a novel. Rotten Tomatoes consensus deemed the movie “visually thrilling and narratively epic” and gave it a 93% score, a marked improvement over Dune (2021)’s 83% score. Not only does it retain the things that were good about the first part – the epic spectacle, the acting, the rich worldbuilding – it also redefines what you think you know about this story and delivers something immensely satisfying in unexpected ways. This feat inevitably draws comparison to another space opera you must be familiar with: Star Wars, in particular the widely-acclaimed The Empire Strikes Back.
It’s such a big deal to be likened to probably one of the best sequels in history, but does the claim hold or will it be laughed at after a few months?
To begin with, Dune and Star Wars are heavily intertwined. Back in the 70’s, George Lucas drew inspirations from Herbert’s 1965 novel to conceive Star Wars. Both being set in desert planets with intergalactic war and mind-controlling wizards is no coincidence, guys. It’s amusing how Dune is now measured by the very thing that was inspired by it, decades later.
But then again, adapting Dune has never been easy. The 1984 David Lynch version faltered and the 2000 millenium-infused miniseries was forgettable. The seed of greatness has always been there, but only when director Denis Villeneuve stepped into the sandy scene did it finally, finally bear fruit.
In hindsight, Villeneuve’s choice to split the book into two parts is a brilliant one. That way, he got to make the first Dune appear like any other Chosen One fantasy narrative. In it, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) is the heir to a fallen great house that gets left to die in the harsh desert of Arrakis. Since he was born, there’s been a prophecy about him being the future messiah to unite the entire universe. Initially reluctant, the family tragedy becomes his “point of no return” toward that path. The message is clear: Paul is the Chosen One, just like Jon Snow and Luke Skywalker. Or so we think.
Once Dune Part 2 rolls along, it becomes clear that though, technically, Paul is the Chosen One, he’s not about to bring peace and harmony into his world. The prophecies that fuels his rise to power are human interventions by a powerful sisterhood called the Bene Gesserit who seeks to rule the world from the shadows. And so, Dune Part 2 reveals the true colors of the so-called heroism: religious belief is manipulated, truth is blurred, lies are carefully conveyed to appear wholesome. It’s one big political move shrouded as a holy war, and that’s what makes Dune Part 2 shocking in a great way.
This radical shift of tone and character motivation would not exist had the book stayed a one-film adaptation. It is this crucial choice that gave audiences the same whiplash they experienced when Empire Strikes Back delivered darker storylines and a bleak ending compared to the fun 1977 predecessor. On top of that, it was executed so masterfully, with top-notch technical aspects and Oscar-worthy performances across the board. It really is damn near flawless.
Still, to put it on par with The Empire Strikes Back is a tough call, for now. Cultural feats like that need to be proven with time. As generations of people watch and experience it, that’s when a work of art’s real influence is revealed. The Empire Strikes Back had 40++ years of enduring cache in pop culture and general conversations. Dune Part 2, excellent as it is, has got to wait. (Although we strongly suspect it might have enough spice to get there).
