Dune: Part Two delivers on massive ambition and finely detailed vision

Movies executed on the sprawling, daunting scale of Dune: Part Two don’t come along every day, writes Leigh Paatsch.

Director: Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

Director: Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Rebecca Ferguson.

Rating: ****1/2

Size does matter … and does mean something

With the much-anticipated arrival of Dune: Part Two, the big screen just got that much bigger.

There is no other way of putting it. This blockbuster hybrid of science fiction, military epic and psychedelic fantasy is huuuuuuge.

Movies executed on this sprawling, daunting scale don’t come along every day. Furthermore, movies this large rarely deliver such a massively ambitious, yet finely detailed vision as what we encounter in Dune: Part Two.

Timothee Chalamet is the former great Atreides hope, Paul, in Dune: Part Two.

Cinematically, your key reference points here are reassuringly familiar: Lawrence of Arabia, the original Star Wars trilogy, the collected works of director Christopher Nolan and Peter Jackson, and even some trace elements of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

However, when it comes to embodying the words, actions and renegade creativity of the Frank Herbert novel from which this ever-expanding saga was adapted, Dune: Part Two is all original, all the time.

Before we proceed to addressing the basic storyline(s) of this super-sized sequel, a quick side note before you re-enter the Dune-iverse this time around.

It might be worth your while revisiting the first movie (or at least reading its Wikipedia summary) before grappling with Part Two.

Timothee Chalamet and Josh Brolin in Dune: Part Two. A refresher course on all the tribal alliances, interplanetary rivalries, political intrigues and personal traits will definitely enhance your enjoyment and understanding

A refresher course on all the tribal alliances, interplanetary rivalries, political intrigues and personal traits will definitely enhance your enjoyment and understanding of what is set to happen here.

Those with a vivid recall of all that has transpired so far in the Spice Wars will be pleased to learn that Part Two picks up relatively shortly after where Part One left off.

What little remains of the once-mighty Atreides clan can be found scurrying for cover on the dry, dusty and dangerous landscape of Arrakis.

While the villainous Harkonnens have already unleashed a fleet of giant Spice harvesters to secure their dominance in the region, the two most prominent survivors of the decimation of the Atreides people must work out where they fit in within this strange new world.

Both the former great Atreides hope Paul (played by Timothee Chalamet) and his ancient mystic of a mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) agree that their only way forward is to join the covert anti-Harkonnen resistance mounted by the desert Fremen tribe.

Timothee Chalamet’s Paul must prove himself in different ways for different reasons.

The assimilation of mother and son into the ways of the Fremen will have broad and far-reaching implications for the future of several interlinked kingdoms in this corner of space.

Jessica proves her worth to the Fremen by surviving the consumption of a deathly liquid known as the Water of Life. Pregnant with Paul’s future little sister – who quite strangely also has a role to play in proceedings here – Jessica goes on to assume a position of great spiritual influence within the Fremen world.

As for Paul, he must prove himself in different ways for different reasons. As the charismatic Fremen spearhead Stilgar (Javier Bardem) will so often remind us throughout Part Two, Paul could well be the ‘Lisan al-Gaib’: the warrior prophet his people have been awaiting for generations.

While Paul is reluctant to acknowledge this declaration of his true destiny, he is more than willing to help the Fremen in their guerrilla quest to topple the evil Emperor Shaddam (Christopher Walken) and his loathsomely loyal Harkonnen henchmen ‘The Baron’ (Stellan Skarsgard) and ‘The Beast’ (Dave Bautista).

Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya’s characters have increasingly romantic side trips.

All of the long and winding storytelling roads mapped out here – which also include a few increasingly romantic side trips for Paul and his Fremen sweetheart Chani (Zendaya) – converge at an epic confrontation which ends Part Two on a thunderously gripping note (and all but justifies the making of a Part Three).

In the interests of keeping everything spoiler-free, let’s just say that the sudden arrival of an all-new supervillain within the Harkonnen ranks – a chillingly ruthless streak of psychosis named Feyd-Rautha (an astonishing Austin Butler of Elvis fame) – demands a strategic reaction from Paul that may not be to everyone’s liking.

Timothee Chalamet and Austin Butler in Dune: Part Two.

Visually, Dune: Part Two is next-level spectacular when compared to the excellent benchmarks set by its predecessor. See it on the biggest screen you can. You won’t be sorry.

Dramatically, there are moments where the complexities of the Dune narrative can get a little hazy, and sometimes even difficult to decipher.

The best way through these brief phases is to focus on the vivid intensity of Chalamet’s performance, the skilfully calibrated power of which can often sort out any temporary confusion in seconds flat.

Dune: Part Two is in cinemas now

AMERICAN FICTION (M)

Rating:***1/2

Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in American Fiction. Picture: Claire Folger/Orion

While this striking satire of contemporary American culture might have missed out on a cinema release here, it did land an impressive collection of Academy Award nominations, including a well-earned Best Picture nod, and an equally deserving shot at Best Actor for its leading man, Jeffrey Wright.

Sterling K. Brown, Jeffrey Wright and Erika Alexander in American Fiction. Picture: Claire Folger/Orion

He stars here as Monk, a black author whose brilliant new book is all but ignored for reasons with little to do about its quality. As it becomes increasingly evident to Monk, writers of colour only have a shot at making the bestsellers list if they stick to certain themes that merely reinforce racial stereotypes. The mere mentions of poverty, crime and sex are what move copies of a book. Great writing on its own does not. While this movie takes a little time to settle into the wry, sly groove it has in mind for viewers, once it nails it, the going remains good throughout. Wright, always a compelling and intelligent presence, is the glue that holds it all together. Co-stars Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown.