Dune: Part Two (2024) continues the long slog of the Dune epic, in this one portraying the conversion of Paul Atreides, the son of the murdered leader of House Atreides, to the ways of the fremen, the inhabitants and rightful owners of Arrakis, the desert planet otherwise known as Dune.
And it’s entertaining … but not memorable. I saw it maybe a month ago, and I had to go look for reminders of the plot. And then it still didn’t come back vividly.
It just doesn’t really work for me. Then again, neither did the novel, which puts me off in a distinct minority, I know. But there it is. I can watch for the visuals, and appreciate the well-portrayed scene, but after that, it’s not so much.
Let me talk about that a little bit. As I recall, this movie has the scene where the head of House Harkonnen, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, tests his heir apparent by having him duel with prisoners who are members of Atreides. The focus is just about all Harkonnen, yet Atreides is the underdog here, and a focus on them might have made it more memorable. Instead, it almost feels pre-ordained.
That’s always boring. When the Divine says things will happen this way, there’s little to learn from the actions of the fictional mortals.
If Dune’s your thing, go for it. It’s not a shabby effort at all. It just doesn’t work for me.
