By Gianna Liantonio and Elina Milimoh

Members of The Banner saw “Dune 2” on its opening weekend and it was definitely worth it! 

Dune 2 premiered in theaters on March 1, 2024. 

Nearly three years later after the first part was released in 2021, fans everywhere eagerly bought their tickets and went to the theater. 

The movie has a run time of almost three full hours, but you will not want to get up from your seat. Despite Part 1 being slower paced as it was more world building and leading up to the climax, Part 2 is much faster paced that will have fans on the edge of their seats. 

The movie opens up where it left off in the first part where Paul, who is played by Timothée Chalamet and his mother Jessica, who is played by Rebecca Ferguson, have met The Fremen, who inhabit the desert Arrakis. They believe Paul to be the chosen one who will lead the people, but Paul doesn’t want that role and responsibility. There are skeptics, such as Chani who is played by Zendaya, that don’t believe in mystical prophecies such as this one. 

I felt this movie was really well made, with a good balance of action-packed scenes and suspenseful scenes. We really saw character development and got to know more about this world. 

We get introduced to new characters as well, such as Princess Irulan, who is played by Florence Pugh and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, who is played by Austin Butler. They make amazing editions to the cast and their characters do as well. 

Dune 2 follows Paul and his mother working side by side with The Fremen to exact revenge on the people who killed his father and want to take control over everyone. We see a potential war approaching between the Great Houses. 

Paul will have to make choices that may go against who he is and what he wants to do. 

I felt the story was executed very well, and each scene was just as good as the next. 

Paul’s visions of the future intensify which causes him to be extra wary and paranoid of the foreseeable future that only he knows what could happen. He feels burdened by these visions as he feels that it’s up to him to stop them from coming true. 

The whole movie was masterfully done with the characters, world building, and the whole story evolving even more. The cast is absolutely perfect for these movies, and I can’t wait for when the third part comes out. 

“As someone who has never been very interested in the DUNE novels series, I can safely say that DUNE part 2 was what I would call an “out of body experience”. Watching it in theaters gave it much more interpersonal experience and reminded me why people watched movies in theaters. Although the story line was a bit difficult to follow as someone who hasn’t been active in the franchise lore, the cinematography was enough to keep me at the edge of my seat” said fellow banner member Elina Milimoh.

“I definitely felt that the Australian cinematographer, Greig Fraser, did a great job using special effects to keep my attention through the majority of the movie. DUNE’s immaculate imagery of desert landscapes, fight scenes, and the relationship between Timothy Charlemagne and the Fremen people.

I found myself very enamored with the relationship’s Timothée Chalamet’s character; Paul makes and how they evolved throughout the film especially the chemistry between Paul and Chani who was played by Zendaya Coleman. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones where they were on screen and left me wanting more from their romance arch.”

“It left me in a position where I didn’t feel the need to depend on much of the dialog that was there. For anyone that has 3 and a 1/2 hours to spare, DUNE part 2 is an adventure embodied in an afternoon”.