The amount of buzz that Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part II” (03.01.24) is getting has reached fever pitch. Even before anyone had seen it, and there are still only very few who have, the presumption — amongst the fanboys — was that this would be a great film.
The narrative that’s being constructed, way ahead of the film’s March 1 release, is that 2021’s “Dune” was just a set up for the action-packed “Dune: Part Two.” So, now you have, even those who weren’t particularly taken by the first one, being very excited to catch this sequel.
Christopher Nolan threw glowing praise at “Dune: Part II,” comparing it to “The Empire Strike Back.” And you’re going to be seeing a lot of comparisons to that film.
However, the social media embargo has lifted on “Dune: Part Two,” and I’m seeing some mixed takes. Don’t get me wrong, most of the reactions (as you’ll see below) are uniformly gushing and glowing towards Villeneuve’s film, but there are cracks in the dam — a contingent of people who still believe that ‘Dune’ is one long, big bore.
So, there are a lot of reactions to gather from X. The review embargo is set for next Wednesday — you can expect my review to arrive that day as well.
Villeneuve keeps saying that “Dune: Part Two” should not be seen as a sequel “It’s important—it’s not a sequel, it’s a second part. There’s a difference,” Villeneuve told Vanity Fair earlier this year.
What else is different about ‘Part Two?’ Villeneuve says it’s more of an action movie, one that he finds to be “much better” than 2021’s “Dune.” If the first one built up the worlds and characters of Frank Herbert’s much beloved sci-fi novel, then this second one is supposed to be the massive delivery. What we’ll be getting is Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), after his father’s death, with revenge on his mind and the intense battle brewing with the invading Harkonnen.
The cast for the 166-minute sequel is a stunning batch of talent — Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Javier Bardem, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Anya Taylor-Joy and Stephen McKinley Henderson.