Given my delight over “Dune: Half One,” it could appear unusual that I didn’t rush out to see “Half Two” as quickly because it opened. However life received in the way in which, so I managed to see it solely final weekend. It was, in fact, terrific, and I anticipated no much less. Between “Dune” and “Oppenheimer,” we’ve realized that you may, the truth is, make three-hour epics that don’t really feel overlong and that don’t have you ever saying to your self, “Oh no, no more bombastic C.G.I.”
However “Half Two” additionally startled me in methods considerably completely different from “Half One.” Some spoilers forward, so cease right here should you haven’t seen the film.
What was so nice about “Half One” was that the director, Denis Villeneuve, really received the essence of Frank Herbert’s advanced, refined, culturally syncretic imaginative and prescient, with its mélange of Islamic, ayurvedic and medieval parts. (By the way in which, “mélange” is an alternate identify for the spice of Arrakis.) And he revered audiences sufficient to depart that imaginative and prescient intact. He simplified the novel in some methods, however in each case I can consider, the simplification improved the narrative circulation, whereas the characters grew to become deeper.
The identical is true for “Half Two.” However this time Villeneuve not solely received the essence of Herbert’s imaginative and prescient; he arguably received it higher than Herbert himself.
On the floor, “Dune” traces out the traditional hero’s journey — or on this case, the journey of the hero and his very lethal mom. However as I famous in my e-newsletter about “Half One,” there’s ethical ambiguity on the coronary heart of the novel: The hero is aware of that if he succeeds in his quest, conflict and mass slaughter will comply with.
After watching the films, I feel that Herbert flinched within the face of that ethical ambiguity however Villeneuve embraces the underlying darkness. The novel acknowledges that Paul Atreides begins a horrible conflict however roughly absolves him from duty — and ends with Woman Jessica reassuring Chani that she is going to stay Paul’s true spouse, regardless of his imperial marriage of comfort. The film ends with Chani leaving in disgust. And if I’m remembering it proper, the final line within the film is spoken by Jessica — who arguably turns into a monster, exploiting non secular fervor for her personal ends — who murmurs in satisfaction, “The holy conflict begins.”
So the “Dune” motion pictures aren’t for individuals who need blissful endings during which the nice guys triumph; the ostensible good guys triumph however find yourself knowingly perpetrating horror. However should you can deal with that, what a trip!