The Starlight Journal

As I begin writing this, I am a few hours removed from my second viewing of Dune: Part Two. Both times I walked out knowing I had just seen something extraordinarily special, it’s one of those rare movies that on your first watch, you can just tell you’re watching something that’s going to change the way you think about movies. The fact that since my first viewing, Dune: Part Two has yet to leave my mind, and in fact has almost entirely taken over it, is a huge sign that this is one of those moments.

One of those moments was nearly seven years ago when I saw Blade Runner 2049 in the theaters. Already a massive fan of director Denis Villeneuve, his perfectly crafted legacy sequel of one of science-fiction’s greatest works left me in awe for weeks following my first viewing. I walked out of that theater fully believing I had just seen the greatest science-fiction film I had ever seen. When I walked out of Dune: Part Two this past Monday, I had that exact same feeling. Deep down, I knew Denis had topped himself, and that what I had just seen might very well be the best sci-fi film ever made. Is it truly that? I’m not quite sure yet, but dammit it sure does feel like it right now.

And this, is where my struggle begins with this movie. I simply can’t do it justice no matter how many words I write, or how I choose to display my thoughts on it. I know that simply not just going to see it with your own eyes is doing the movie a disservice. There’s no shortage of amazing moments, performances, visuals, and action sequences to discuss, but I’m not sure a simple review is the right way to go across discussing this film. Rather, give you all reading this a glimpse at how this movie has altered my brain chemistry in my viewings of it.

I missed out on seeing the 1st Dune in theaters. Released in October of 2021, it was still a period where I was back to going to the theaters to watch movies, but not yet on a consistent basis, as Covid cases in my area kept spiking around that time, at that point I wasn’t rushing out to see Dune despite my love for Denis and great interest in the trailers. Due to its lengthy runtime, I kept dragging my feet on watching it despite knowing I’d more than likely love it, all the the way up to my first viewing of Dune: Part One in the days before Part Two‘s release. Finally getting to watch it, it was a very good, hell a great movie, but it took some time to fully grasp the plot, world, and characters of the universe. Although I love science-fiction as a genre, Frank Herbert’s original novel is a blank spot in my knowledge, as is David Lynch’s cult-classic 80s adaptation. This was all new stuff for me, and once I got into it, I loved it, but the 1st Dune is an admittedly slow-moving film, built to set up all the major climactic events of Part Two. Now that I have seen Part Two twice, I feel Part One ended at the perfect point to segue into the second film, as the opening moments of Part Two start you right off in the middle of the action as the Fremen tribe Paul and his mother have joined face off against the Harkonnens. From here on, the film puts its foot on the gas pedal and doesn’t let up, crafting a perfectly-paced, constantly moving science-fiction epic.

Despite its runtime, upon my second viewing, I immediately noticed just how well this movie’s plot moves on rewatch. There’s no wasted moments in this movie, each scene and plot-point moving seamlessly into the next. All action scenes are grandiose in nature: the Sandworm riding scene and the black-and-white gladiator fight that introduces us to Austin Butler’s terrifying Feyd-Rautha are two of the most visually striking, incredible sequences I have ever seen put to film. During my first viewing, I sat there in awe, as the IMAX theater I was sat in was full-on shaking from what I was seeing, just wondering how the hell they even managed to film that. Hence why I titled this article this, I just have trouble putting my thoughts on this movie into words besides it is incredible. The quiet moments matter, whether it be tender moments between Paul and Chani, character introductions, the crazed inner monologues between Lady Jessica and her unborn child, establishing the Fremen’s culture and community, and adding more to the worldbuilding of the universe that was established in the prior film. And then there’s just moments that make you want to jump out of your seat and cheer, like Paul’s speech to the Fremen council before the climactic third act battle. So many moments have not left my head since their initial viewing. It’s hard to imagine them leaving at this point.

That is another aspect of this movie that is the ultimate sign of it becoming a fixture in my life: the immediate need to make it a huge aspect of my personality. As a man with a crippling action figure collecting addiction, this movie has become a problem for me. Funkos of Chani, Princess Irulan (because Florence Pugh), and of course Muad’Dib adorn the shelf I’m looking at while typing this out. By the time this article goes live, I may have made the decision already to get the Lego Atreides Royal Ornithopter set despite not really having spot to display it currently. I have been eyeing the figure sets before I even saw the movie. I’ve spent the last week figuring out just what copies or box-sets of Frank Herbert’s Dune novels I should grab. The immediate need to drain my wallet is the big sign of a special movie for me. That’s all I really have to say. I’ve spent the last week wanting to scream to the skies about this movie, trying to find ways to integrate it into conversation, but then we go back to the theme of this article. The best way to share this movie with someone, in my mind, is just to have them see for itself, and then they will get it. We are witnessing a modern generational masterpiece of a film, one that needs to be truly seen to be believed. Dune: Part One is a damn good science-fiction film with a stacked cast and a great way to set up a series of films. Dune: Part Two is one of the greatest blockbuster films of the twenty-first century.

The performances, from top-to-bottom are some of the best of everyone’s careers. I fully expect Timothee Chalamet to get some Oscar consideration for his performance here, despite it being a March release. I can see the momentum lasting throughout the year. I know science-fiction and fantasy films typically get shafted by the Academy, but seeing as though Part One was given a Best Picture nomination and this film thoroughly improves on everything Denis did with that movie, I can 100% see this going on a Return of the King run and making a huge splash at next year’s Oscars, despite us having three-quarters of a year left to go. It’s very early on in the year, but after two viewings, and most likely more to come, it will need to be one hell of a year for film for Dune: Part Two to not end 2024 as my top film of the year. It is that special. Now I want to go book more tickets to see it in IMAX again.

The Starlight Film Journal is a passion project of mine I am excited to return to in 2024. Look forward to my Best of 2023 articles coming soon, future film reviews, and my monthly Film Journal articles! If you are interested in more of my thoughts on movies, I journal every film I watch on my Twitter, Instagram and Letterboxd and would love it if you joined the fun!