Dune: Part Two (2024) (CA/US) = “Power over spice is power over all.”   Three years ago, director Denis Villeneuve reintroduced the world of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterpiece to the general public with his first Dune adaptation. While that movie was critically praised across the board, many had issues with the film’s anticlimactic ending. This was because it only adapted the first half of the book, and this sequel picks up like nothing ever happened. Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) now finds himself living among the native Fremen of Arrakis, where he soon falls in love with a woman named Chani (played by Zendaya). He is also the prophesied messiah of the Fremen people, their Lisan al-Gaib, and must reckon with the fact that taking up this mantle means the inevitable slaughter of billions of lives will be on his hands. He is forced to confront the evil house Harkonnan, and their champion Feyd-Rautha (played by Austin Butler, in his first major role since his portrayal of Elvis) to regain control of Arakkis and the valuable spice melange that it provides. The scale of the film is simply immense, with the multiple sandworms in particular taking my breath away on several occasions. The rest of the cast also gives great performances, with Rebecca Furgeson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, and Stellan Skarsgård all delivering standout moments. While I may have a few minor issues with the film, that does not take away from the monumental achievement that the filmmakers have pulled off, and this will almost certainly be in the running for Best Picture next year. Highly recommended. 9/10.

–Dune: Part Two is currently playing in theaters.