Everything about the first Dune movie that I enjoyed, Dune Two did better. The grand camera shots got grander. The music felt just as, if not more enchanting in the second film. Lastly, the characters felt even more epic. Overall it is safe to say that together these movies cement themselves in the list of greats. At least they do in my book…

The second Dune movie is more action packed and I think this is one of the reasons that general audiences and critics alike thought this was the stronger film. I think that there is definitely some credibility to that. We are introduced to a strong villain in Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen and this presents us with a foil to our main protagonist. Speaking of Paul, he goes through a lot more development in this movie. Dune Two starts with Paul as our hero and ends with his standing far more into the grey.

Denis Villeneuve clearly got Frank’s message that Dune is a warning about charismatic leaders. Paul is transformed by his power and the image he builds around himself as a messianic figure to the Fremen people. Another aspect of this that I think goes unexplored is how much control Paul actually has in this situation. Of course he makes these decisions on his own, but so much of his life was predetermined by forces like the Bene Gesserit. I think these sorts of themes are super prevalent throughout the book series and I am happy that Denis confronts them in his movie adaptations. 

Overall the second Dune movie was the grand finale we were all hoping for when we walked expectantly into the theater in 2024. It saddens me to think how long I will have to wait for another movie, but it seems confirmed at this point we will be getting a third movie that will adapt Dune Messiah. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Denis Villeneuve will approach it in a similar way and I am so excited to see what is next for the Dune franchise.