Dune Part Two Review: Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet-starrer is epic science fiction laced with political allegory

Dune: Part Two is streaming now on JioCinema.

“Power over spice, is power over all”, says a distorted alien voice in the opening sequence of the year’s biggest blockbuster—Dune: Part Two starring Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet. The line sets the tone for what’s about to come—the battle to bring down the tyrannical rulers of Planet Arrakis who, after the destruction of House Atreides, have seized control over the spice production.

The rulers (Harkonnen) sit in their ivory towers at Arrakeen. They are used as placeholders for fascist rulers who oppress those with a lack of resources while the Fremen (quite literally ‘free men’) are rebels who want to overthrow the regime.

Dune: Part Two has massive sand explosions, buzzing sandworms, mythical creatures and rich characters brought to life by director Denis Villeneuve. Frank Herbert's 1965 novel foreshadowed the fate of the world with unerring accuracy. The means of production are not in the control of Fremen (hello, Karl Marx?), those with power and access to resources have taken over the world. The Holy Way must happen to bring down the totalitarian regime.

Dune: Part Two: Plot

Timothee Chalamet plays Paul Atredies (later known as ‘Usul’ or ‘Muad’Dib’). The Fremen who run into Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) speculate if Paul is indeed the prophesied ‘Messiah’ who will free them from the tyranny of the oppressive Harkonnens. The Fremen are quickly divided into two groups—believers and non-believers. The believers try to turn the non-believers using intimidation and fear (institutionalized religion, anyone?)

The commentary on how religion (at the fear of quoting Marx again) is the ‘opium of masses’ is nearly perfect. Keeping a bunch of thirsty Fremen away from gallons of water so they can use it when they get their ‘Green Paradise’ seems very similar Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) prophesying the Messiah who will free everyone from their misery. Eventually, the prophecy does come true—Paul, on drinking the Water of Life, sees his sister Alia (who is in Jessica’s womb). And so, the Holy War begins.

Dune: Part Two: Writing And Direction

What I absolutely loved about Dune: Part Two is just how right it gets the terminology (take notes, Brahmastra). The spirits who possess those walking in the desert are called Jinns (reference to Islam), the Reverend Mother who gives birth to Lisan-al-Gaib is an obvious reference to Jesus and Mary. This near-perfect marriage of religion and modernity is elevated with rich characters and screenplay.

In one scene, the Bene Gesserit daughter of the Emperor Shaddam (Christopher Walken), says “Prophets become stronger when they die”. Princess Irulian (Florence Pugh), the eldest daughter of Shaddam follows this up with “You underestimate the power of faith”. The constant interplay between the themes of faith and power, rebellion and justice is what makes Dune: Part Two an expose on religion and politics.

After drinking the blue-coloured Water of Life (which is basically extracted by killing a baby worm), Jessica heads towards sandstorm-hit South where most of Bene Gesserit’s missionaries reside. Jessica, much like any religious fundamentalist leader, wants to spread her religion with the help of other fundamentalists.

Dune: Part Two: Performances

The clash of ideologies between Jessica (Ferguson) and Paul (Chalamet) forms the crux of the film. While the former believes in the prophecy and wants to sway the non-believers, Paul is reluctant. He doesn’t feel that he serves a special purpose and wants Fremen to be led by one of their own. After an attack by Harkonnens, Paul agrees to head South, where he has a psychedelic experience after consuming the Water of Life. It turns out, Paul is indeed the messiah.

What doesn’t work for Dune: Part Two are the long pauses in between dramatic scenes, unnecessarily long moments where there is no action or dialogue. The editing could have been crisper. After a while, it feels like the film is only setting up Paul as the Messiah for the third installment and that Dune: Part Two serves merely as a connecting bridge between the first and the third installment. If you are expecting a grand pay-off in the end, you are in for a disappointment.

Dune: Part Two: What Works, What Doesn’t

Here’s a fair warning: while it is entirely possible to understand Dune: Part Two without watching the first installment, be warned that the film will provide little-to-no context about what happened earlier. There is no need to go through a syllabus of chapters as is the case with Marvel Cinematic Universe, but you might just want to read up a little on the Dune universe before you step into this experience.

Also Read: Where was Dune: Part Two filmed? All filming locations revealed

The first 45 minutes of the film are slow. The pacing is off. Of course it isn’t reasonable to expect a film to go full throttle from the first scene. It might just take a while for an average viewer to immerse themselves in this twisted, post-apocalyptic world. At 2 hours 36 minutes, Dune: Part Two is definitely a drag and frankly, a laborious watch.

Special hat tip to screenplay writers Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts for writing Chani (Zendaya) as a spunky, strong-headed woman who wouldn’t be swayed by a man (even if he’s the Messiah). With Paul announcing his marriage to Irulia and Chani refusing to bow to him, the writers show a powerful woman who wouldn’t bow to a man, even if he is the God. With Tabu playing Sister Francesca in Dune: Messiah, it will be interesting to see how the third installment of the film fares.Star Rating: 3 / 5 stars

Dune: Part Two is streaming now on JioCinema.