I wish people noticed how good the editing was on this video. I can tell you put a lot of effort into what shots you chose to display based on what you were talking about, including the intro titles to each part to the video. I love how your love for the movie literally did inspire you to live through the art. I cannot tell you how much I relate to how much you must love producing your own creative work. Also, Dune Part 2 is the greatest movie I have ever seen in my entire life.
I went to see Dune part 2 at a theater with my best friend and had a great time, but after the movie ended I had this feeling which I had not felt in a long time. It felt as if I had just watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time ever, it felt special. That is what I believe Villeneuve's Dune is, an echo of a long gone time in cinema history. Then I knew this was it, one last wave goodbye to those times of joy and wonder in this medium. It has finally happened, Dune was successfully filmed.
@@di3486that’s why I went in without reading the books. I wanted the _cinema_ experience, not an experience tied to the burden of its source, like how MCU fanboys react to marvel movies
@@di3486I’m sad you feel that way. I loved the changes. Giving Chani and the younger generation agency by making them skeptics gave the one-note Fremen of the novel far more depth and dimension. Making Chani a Fedaykin instead of a Sayyadina makes her far more interesting and more believable as someone Paul would be in love with than the sycophantic one-dimensional Chani of the books. Not having a two-year time jump solves having a weird ETrade baby Alia. Would I have preferred it to be a big budget HBO series? Yes, but the problem the IP franchise has in adapting it from page to screen is God Emperor because it’s unfilmable due to Leto’s physical state and making it not be ridiculous for an audience of non- book readers. The prequel series will give us far more content and that’s coming this year after House of the Dragon S2.
@@iamthesayyadina Chani is a victim. The fremen are victims. They lack agency because they're being used, propelled to achieve cultural dreams they dont even realize they don't want. Chani is the same way. She thinks she wants Paul, but she is lying to herself- denying the alien aspect of him. She thinks she wants a green Arrakis- never once realizing that brings cultural genocide. She thinks that loyalty and faith will save her- these are what destroy the universe, destroy the Fremen... destroy Paul. Chani and the Fremen are one and the same. We feel sorry for them, with the long view of things, because for them there is no victory. There is no truth but the lives they had and the struggles that defined them. That Chani and the Fremen don't appear to have agency isn't some slight from Frank Herbert against the people, or a sexist commentary, its the setup for a series-long long form tragedy. In Dune they're at their cultural and literal strongest. Messiah sees them worn down, annihilated in war, huddled in new gleaming imperial cities and lavished in foreign wealth and alien customs, only slowly realizing that they have been mislead far too late to correct course, too deeply in drunken love with their own dreams of endless triumph, glory, love, and power. Thats the moment where Paul loses the only person he's allowed himself to truly love anymore. That's when the Fremen lose what makes them special. After that- after Chani's demise- its just a ritual march to annihilation- like the decadence then annihilation of the Sardaukar culture. Until by the events of Chapterhouse the Fremen are a phantom thing, barely even mentioned; a whisper on the spice-winds of no-ships hauling their exported sandworms across the cosmos as time and mankind passes their memory by; exactly as designed by the whims of an inhuman god-tyrant exercising the most monstrous regime known to the species. That's why I don't like Chani's changes. Chani- more than even Stilgar, is the face and the voice of the soul of the Fremen people. When Paul annuls his marriage to pursue imperial power, he isn't just betraying this person, he's betraying everything the fremen part of his arch taught him- he is achieving a kind of synthesis of who he is in the first and second parts of the book.. for the worse, obviously.
So good! Great essay. My favourite Paul & Chani moment is her explaining the wind trap to Paul, the sound mix fading her voice out and the completely gormless, love-struck look on TC’s face.
I agree. As I watched that scene, I recalled Z’s background in dance since girlhood. Her teaching Paul to be in sync as they “sand-danced” showed her growing love for him.
@@seanp9277 Wrong. "What we do, we do for the good of the tribe". Wasting a good blade because he is an Outworlder who had no instruction in the Fremen Way is not good for the tribe. It was up to Paul to seek out a teacher and be receptive to them. It was up to Paul to apply the lesson.
I was blown away when I saw Star Wars in 1977 and astounded by Bladerunner in 1983. In 1968, when I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey, I held my breath when Astronaut Poole forced his way back into Discovery. I forgot to eat popcorn when Ripley made her way to the shuttle to get off the Nostromo. I wept with the audience when Spock died in Wrath of Khan. But I have never been so utterly silenced when I saw Dune II. Yeah... the bar has just risen.
@@RayCharoundlol yeah, but Dune II was incredible. I literally felt my heart pumping as I was watching the climax of the movie. It was one of the best movie experiences I've ever had. Definitely the best sci fi movie I've ever seen.
I am sobbing from the moment this video started, just from the fact that you speak with the passion I felt from watching this piece of literal ART roll in front of my eyes. Thank you for putting this sentiment into words. I was not a fan of cinema before watching Dune P2, but it was impossible to ignore the massiveness of this once the first second of it played.
I truly believe, in my heart, that Dune Parts 1 and 2 together, is perhaps the greatest cinematic achievement in sci-fi history. This is coming from a life-long Star Wars fan who experienced the original in 1977 with my father, saw Blade Runner during it's initial theatrical run, and witnessed David Lynch's attempt at Dune in theaters in 1984. All through these unique cinematic experiences, Star Wars remained my favorite... until now. Because of my father, I became a huge fan of the book, Dune, in junior high. My Dad and I had numerous discussions over its themes, adaptations, sequels, and hidden meanings over the years. Unfortunately, my Dad passed away right before the release of Dune Part 1. So I can't even describe the emotional connection I've had with both of these masterpieces. I was in tears watching Part 2. I wish, more than anything, my father could have been sitting next to me as I experienced what might be the most emotionally moving moment in a theater in my entire life. I know my Dad would have loved these films as much as I do. I am truly blessed to have been able to see them myself... Thank you for your analysis.
You articulated exactly what i feel, as a fan in their 50s. Funny that my memory of Blade Runner, is of my mother taking an Han Solo fan into what we thought would be more sci-fi fantasy. I came out of that movie, changed as a person. My mother is currently suffering from late stage dementia, and doesn't know who i am any more, but the fact that she was there for such an important moment in my life will be something I'll carry with me, always. As mentioned in this video, even as we watched it, I knew it was something special. I haven't felt that feeling again, until the credits rolled on Dune 2. I just wish my Mom could experience it, too.
I feel this post…my Dad gave me a beat up 60s paperback copy of Dune when I was so young that I actually asked my parents to remove it from my bookshelf because the sand worm on the cover freaked me out…but I loved the book. I lost my father last February. But one of my favorite final memories is of going home about four or five months prior to his passing…he wasn’t doing much but sleeping and eating at that point…but I turned on Dune Part 1 on the tv in my parents’ living room when I was visiting and bored…and he walked in with his oxygen tank and asked what I was watching…I was about ten minutes into the film..and I said, “Can you guess…?” He watched about 5 minutes and asked, “Is this the new Dune?” I said yes…and he sat down and watched the entire rest of the film with me…I’m not sure he had been awake for a consecutive four hours at that point for a long time. He stood up at the end, looked at me, and said, “Pretty good…that’s what I saw in my head when I read it.” This will always be one of my final treasured memories of my Dad. I too wish he had lived long enough to see Part 2.
Disagreed. Dune Part II was a complete letdown and conveys nowhere near the feeling of the 1984 Dune movie. I highly recommend that you watch the 3 hour fan edit version by Spicediver.
I wholeheartedly agree, I have been waiting for the return of Dune for decades and I am just so glad they give it to Villeneuve. Great Sci-fi doesn't need giant lazers and space battles, it doesn't need aliens or wormholes or even mindbending technology. What it does need is the ability to transport a person out of their seat and truly take them on a journey, it needs to be able to move the heart and at the same time challenge the mind. Villeneuve's Dune does this in strides, the story may have all the trappings of science fiction but what it does marvelously is put your feet in the desert, lets you taste the spice and ride along the back of a giant sandworm. It puts you in the mind of a young man who through the machinations of the Bene Gesserit has become powerful enough to control the destiny of the entire galaxy. That is true science fiction at its best.
I'm really sorry for your loss 😢 the same happened to me, my mom passed a few months before Dune part 2 came out, she loved the first one and kept asking me during her last months when part 2 was coming out 😢
And hopefully that's all the farther they go. The novels go downhill fast after that. But, these movies have already been better than the book, so perhaps someone can reign in the utter ridiculous stupidity of the rest of the series and ground it enough to be worthwhile.
@@DoremiFasolatido1979 i dont think the books go downhill, but the ability to faithfully adapt them into movies becomes too unruly for even the biggest sudios combined
@@Xepent Oh no...they go really downhill. They go from toeing the line of "sci-fi" versus pure fantasy...to just going pure fantasy...in the dumbest possible sense. Their grasp of large-scale politics and economics is tenuous at best in the first few books, and just goes off the rails in Children and onward.
The change of the color palette after the „fight like harkonnens“ speech never occured to me explicitly altough it’s so damn logic and gives both overarching story-arcs so much more depth. Fantastic notion. Now i have to watch it again in Cinema.
Yeah, I didn't notice it either but thinking about it now there's a moment where it transitions from light to dark while framed on Jessica. The film is absolutely full of stuff to think about and process. No grain of sand was left unturned... couldn't resist, sorry :)
I remember sitting in the theater thinking to myself, "This is a historic masterpiece." An immense feeling of gratitude for all involved, and a congratulatory pride for the team and their immense effort to curate the experience so fully, so perfectly, welled up within me again and again. I had never seen perfection before, and never had the vocabulary to describe it. Now I realize there is no way to describe it, but with Dune 2, I experienced it.
"We are not meant to be him... we are meant to recognize him. To see parts of ourselves from every angle, for better or worse." Damn bro I did not expect to come to this video and get teary-eyed. 10/10
20 years ago, Lord of the Rings changed me. The single most powerful moment being the arming of the stoic civilians in the Two Towers, whose example helped me overcome trauma even decades later. But the last few years have shown cinema sinking so low, I’ve been to theaters maybe once every 6-9 months. But this film, *this* is a reminder that we deserve genuinely good cinema again. A lot of terrible, talentless people need to move aside so we can get more movies like *this*
@@countdooku75 Not in story or character, because LotR is a deeply personal tale that moves our better selves. You feel a connection to so many characters, and you love the people who are coming under such threat. LotR will always be my favorite films. But Dune doesn’t really try to compete in those areas, as the setting is more grim, so many of the people are monstrous, manipulative, or heartless, and even the protagonist knowingly starts wars guaranteed to cause extreme human suffering. It moves us in a darker, more dangerous way, not showing us who we wish we could be, but who we absolutely do *not* want to be. One elevates the good in people. The other warns of how horrible we can be. I know which I prefer, but I see the value in both. Dune *does* compare in the sensory and cinematic aspects of film. The care and weight given to the visuals, the sounds, the spectacle. We’ve seen tons of shallow garbage that leans on spectacle alone, but in Dune the spectacle actually has purpose. You feel the weight of history and the scope of the galaxy. I will always love LotR more, but in the 20 years since we were given that masterpiece, few things have captivated me as much as Dune. Less important, but I was commenting on a video where a guy was incredibly deeply moved by a film. If I’m not allowed to open up in a similar way in this specific context, when can I?
The fellowship and two towers are still leagues ahead as far as I'm concerned. Dune 1 and 2 are a good movies, totally worth watching and ten times better than the crap we got lately but they have problems too, especially in terms of pacing.
@@alexeiharp7676 Oh, I fully agree. I didn’t mean to imply that Dune is actually LotR’s *equal* but it’s been far too long since I was fully immersed and captivated. If it became normal and expected to get films of dune’s caliber, I’d care about theaters again
I’ve never witnessed a score be so closely attached to the sound design and visual storytelling of a film. I’m a composer/producer and my initial epiphany from Dune part II was in relation to the ground breaking, sound immersive, & overwhelmingly emotional music of Hans Zimmer. The 2nd & 3rd time I felt the visuals and story in a much stronger light. But not only is this a landmark in cinematic & sci-fi history, but in film music history. Sounds that transport you to the fictional universe and utterly sterilize your perception of what music for cinema & visual storytelling can be. Not only has Dennis and the brilliant team behind this film have set the bar for cinematic storytelling, but so has Hans & his team for every living breathing composer out there. I felt like a kid again in the theatre, something about the main love theme intimately sparked something deep & personal for me. I will never forget this experience, I’ll have to show it to my future children and say “yep, dad was there in the cinema when it first came out”
@@Mamba4.8 Not every time. Sometimes the inspiration of the films he does isn't as potent as it is in films like Dune, and that's evident in the way he talks about his experience scoring it and in the music itself. Other times the director doesn't allow the composer to experiment wildly, sometimes his scores include more regular sounds that are attributed to film scores. But with Dune is obvious that it's sonically, set apart from most other scores and that's thanks to Hans, his amazing team of producers, sound engineers and musicians, and the director Dennis Villeneuve himself. Interstellar is fantastic but it honestly doesn't immerse me as much as Dune does and that's saying A LOT haha (just my opinion)
I'm tired of movies filmed in stage like sets. I want the depth of field, I want the scale, I want the close up character shots to matter, I want all the shots to matter... Like every panels in the best of comics / graphic novels Lovely essay.
It isn't very often that I feel thankfull for the algorithm, your work is awesome and I thank you for sharing all your thoughts on cinema and specially on this piece.
Took me a while to realise in that brief flash of the coming duel that Paul foresaw that Feyd was actually a better fighter than he is in from a general skill point of view, and that the only way to beat him WAS to let himself be stabbed and that he engineered the fight in such a way as to let that happen in the right way and precisely the right time. Narratively, it would have been nice to see Feyd built as a little more of a threat, even just a few choice words from Jessica to warn him or something, but this late realisation makes up for it.
That’s the only criticism I have of the movie. In the books, that confrontation was much more meaningful and much more dangerous for Paul. But, time constraints are what they are I guess
You are so right about Feyd being the better fighter. In both the 1984 film and this new version, it’s Feyd’s ego and over self-confidence that gets him killed. In 1984, Sting’s Feyd is so sure that he will kill Paul that when he gets Paul into a seemingly impossible position to get out of, he fails to see that he has put himself into a dangerous position for Paul to exploit with an Aikido-like move. The new Feyd meets his end by allowing himself to get too close to Paul while dropping his defenses. In both versions the hero wins by outwitting the superior fighter. I love that.
@@ArcaneCowboy No. prescience only shows him paths but not ‘the’ way. In fact, in the first book Paul realizes that his prescience was a crutch and he swore to never let himself make the mistake of using that to make any final decisions alone. Prescience is often mentioned as being an uncertain art. He even wondered if he shaped the prescience by his thoughts or if his thoughts were shaped by it. It was never fully understood. That fight was dangerous on many levels, and if you truly read the books and grasped the entire meaning behind it, you’d know that.
As soon as the credits finished rolling and I felt I could speak again, I turned to my friend in the seat next to me and said "our kids are going to be so jealous we saw this in theatres" and I don't think I'll ever change my mind.
I love when movies do that. I feel that way about some movies we've gotten in the last 10 years and adding this to the top of the list was just WILD. We are EATING
This movie wasn't in my plan but i saw dune 2 named movie release and I need a small break (since I was preparing for exams) I watched dune part one moments before going to dune 2 and it was best decision.
you only think about because near a decade of terrible movies before that 00's great movies were made. The incompetent tyrants/marxist/DEI will be replaced in movies we are just in a dark age just like the 50s to early 60s only trash propaganda was made then also. These things happen in cycles we are in a dark age of tyrants controlling media.
What a beautiful commentary. Brought some tears to my eyes. I'm happy to see that there are other people out there who feel things with such depth-not only that, you have articulated all of my feelings in a way I couldn't have. Thank you for this.
I (re)watched Dune Part 2 with a good friend who hadn't seen Part 1 or even read the novel. Yet, he walked out of that theater even more changed than I was, praising it for an hour. It really is an incredible experience.
@@LuisSierra42 When this gets best picture I would love to be at the Oscars and right when DV gets to the podium and the crowd quiets down I would shout "ADDAM RESHII AZAANTA!!!!!!" from the audience.
@@shawnmayo8210 I watched it in IMAX. Didn't notice any of what you see. They looked like a crowd of Harkonnens all in unison because they're appetites have devolved into loving flesh. They are a different breed of people. It just looks like a crowd of harpies to me. They move different than humans.
Maybe it's because I did not experience this in an IMAX cinema. Maybe it's because I am jaded by life in my late 50's. Maybe because it's I read the books (well at least the first three). Maybe it's because I am tainted by the Lynch movie (in all it's various cuts including the Spice Diver extended edit). Or maybe it's because there has been such a dearth of competent movie making in the last few years that anything is better than the dross we are constantly fed. I don't know if it is all of the aformentioned or not. But I found both Dune parts 1 and 2 to be merely 'good enough'. Perhaps repeat viewings will get me to come around eventually. I just wasn't feeling it as much as I thought I would. Glad you enjoyed it though.
I think the majority of die hard fans exactly like this. You're never going to get a perfect adaptation but to completely blow this out of proportion is an understatement at this point. It style over substance which this director is known for
as an avid Dune reader who tolerated both Lynch's version and the TV show and was saddened that Jodorowsky's vision didn't come to fruition, it all led to Villeneuve. What he did with this source material boggles my mind. I couldn't even imagine anything better. It was that fantastic. And you my friend did these movies justice with this video. Wonderful job. Would love to see more.
We live in the better timeline where Jodorowsky's Dune didn't get made. Jodorowsky fundamentally didn't understand the core theme of the novel, to not trust charismatic leaders. In Jodorowsky's Dune, Paul is born from a virgin birth and is pretty much a god who dies and becomes reborn into all his followers. Honestly, the fact that some of the people who worked on Jodorowsky's Dune went to work on other movies like Alien and Bladerunner is that film's best contribution to cinema. I'm a huge fan of the book, and I didn't love some of the changes in Part 2 (mostly the Alia thing, though I actually overall like the Chani change). However, since Dune is IMO primarily a theme-driven story (as opposed to character-driven or plot-driven) I find Denis's changes acceptable. Everything in this movie exists to serve the main theme of the book.
@@catgodfather1507 you can have your own opinion but in a filmmaking perspective I’d have to say dune 1 and dune 2 blow Lynches out of the park and I personally like them much more
inspiring is exactly the word. I felt a feeling of glee after the film. I was inspired by the creativity. It was finally something I hadn't seen before... a ceaseless three hours of complete newness in a world of reductive same old same old. We are fast entering a world of sci-fi - the real one, but the cinematic one always has to think ahead for us.
I went and seen this in a Dolby Cinema. I knew it was going to be something special, before I even saw it. What I didn’t expect from this masterpiece was everyone in the theater felt the same thing. You could hear a pin drop during the entire runtime of the film. I’ve never felt such complete silence before at a theater. I think I’ll always remember this experience. Great video!!!
I've been struggling to put my finger on exactly why I love both part 1 and 2 so much. Thank you for helping me answer these questions of why. This is a masterful video that unpacks the extremely complicated emotions that this film provokes.
As a longtime fan of the books I know the story line..But the line "Bring them to paradise" hit me emotionally like a ton of bricks. I wasn't expecting to have that type of emotional response. 100% with you, before the film was even over I consider this a masterpiece and a moment in film history.
i watched this film the day before last. This morning i watched a video essay and heard the line "Bring them to paradise" and i choked back involuntary tears. To my ears all i heard was lets commit genocide/holy war etc. it was a disgusting and sad thing to hear. It brought me back to earth and the 15 different genocides thats happening at this very moment in 2023-2024. IDK what did it mean to you to hear a young white man lead all these people down a path in a fantasy cinematic setting?
@@wombat7961 Of course it was a deeply tragic moment and of course "Lead them to paradise" meant "Kill them all", just in another/"gentle" words. It is irrelevant if "the boy" was white or brown of or other colour - what is important is that this final outcome was sort of "inevitable" evil happening as in greek tragedy - he tried hard and desperate to avoid it, but failed and so the war began never the less. This is the whole point of the book/movie - that sometimes one cannot escape the fate, cannot escape the conditions that all outside world dictates, that fanatism lead to suffering of countless innocent, and that (as Herbert put it) "beware of charismatic leaders". So in short - that's what I meant by writing "powerful" about those words, whole scene and accompanying music - it is just jaw dropping in its tragic & epic aspect and I also had tears in the eyes... Incredibly well played overall and emotional, let alone the Zimmer score in back :O
Thank you for putting into words what I couldn’t express after to seeing it. Something that shook me is that toward the end of the video you show stars wars as that trilogy that changed cinema forever and that this is the reincarnation of the spirit. It’s what I was thinking the whole time while watching this and to see that though confirmed at the very end was chefs kiss perfect. You have an incredible gift for storytelling and editing. Glad I stumbled across this video today.
This is as close to a perfect sci fi film as you will see. So many subtle details that you don’t even notice on first watch. I sit there through the entire movie jaw on the floor it just set the bar so high people still probably don’t even realize and probably won’t realize until years later. As soon as I saw that shot of the Harkonnen floating up the desert mountain 5 minutes into the movie I knew there had never been anything put to film like this.
@@FoulPet wonderful movie, perfect science fiction movie, one of my favorites right up there with 2001. Just because someone likes this new movie (I really like this new movie), doesn’t mean they don’t also have an appreciation for older movies. Don’t be a boomer.
@mattlawson714 Sharing what I personally consider a better movie with someone who may not have seen it or may/may not appreciate it isn't a bad thing. People who say this is the best movie ever while having a handful of movies to reference should at least consider they may be wrong. I welcome any decent movie because there's a shortage recently. While I enjoyed Dune 2, it didn't amaze me like the first time I saw The Matrix or Terminator 2. It's a decent movie with decent effects. Still nowhere near LotR IMHO. G-X
Saw this in IMAX 70mm at the legendary Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood... ho-leee-sheee-yaaat. Mind blown. With an hour left in the film, I told myself, this movie can not end... the feeling of anticipation, wondering when Paul would make his first jump... The silence of the theater as the sand worms flank Paul into battle... the muted lighting during the sand walk training, and one of the best lit "final battle" scenes ever... because it felt natural and just as inevitable as Chaney's heartbreak. The word Epic has been tossed around and cheapened over the years but this movie was big... it went beyond that. If you can, see it in theaters, see it big. See it loud.
When this movie ended it was jarring to come back to reality. It makes you feel like you live in the film. I felt almost like I was watching some sort of documentary of something that hasn't happened yet.
Thank you for this video. I stood outside the theater after watching this film, looking up at the sky for half an hour. Transfixed. I had never felt this way before, and, like you, felt that the only thing I could do, would be see it again (and again). The only thing I can really relate this too is the after effects/glow of a trip on mushrooms, but even that pales in comparison to this. I feel fundamentally altered, changed at my core, touched and affected by art in a way I didn't know was possible. What's so incredible about this film is that I'm not alone. You feel the same, so do a few hundred thousand who've watched this video. I spoke with my friend on the phone for well over an hour the night after, and we just basked in it, processing both its immensity and its humanity. Your essay captured everything I have thought about this film and more: the most powerful and affecting love story I have ever experienced (the sand walk dance is my favorite scene in movie history), the greatest open sequence in film history (the color in that scene...) I'm 5 viewings deep (thank you AMC for continuing this run in IMAX), and showing no signs of stopping. So thank you.
Thats very very kind of you to say, I'm trying to get better with my writing so any praise/criticism is taken to heart! Thank you for checking out the video I appreciate it.
I was absolutely not expecting an MTG reference in this video with New Phyrexia but very true. Also amazing video you absolutely earned a subscriber today, and this movie was for sure the best movie ive seen in a long time. Edit: The creatures that come out to ensure Feyd won his duel invoke Praetor/Norn vibes almost too much..
@@SpacemanSR I absolutely love how they filmed Geidi Prime with infrared and the fireworks looked just like Ichor it might have been my favorite unique stylistic choice of this movie!
In the presence of this movie, I was not merely a viewer. I was transported INTO the world of Dune Two. I have never experienced such a powerful movie, much less sustained this sensation for nearly three hours without awareness of the passage of time. As I left, my physiological and emotional reactions were intense. I wanted to weep with joy, to shout, to leap into the air, to collapse in wonderment. I knew I had experienced greatness. You have eloquently explained the details of the elements that forced me, a willing participant, to these unexpected and unimaginable heights.
I'm 73 years old. Read the book Dune twice in the early 70's and saw the first, much anticipated - and then panned - version by David Lynch in 1984. (Still, I think, a fascinating version that was quirky and mysterious - though visually dark.) I've seen so many Sci-Fi films over the years. Read so many reviews - thoughtful and insightful to not so much. And what I see is a social media environment today in which hyperbole is the coin of the realm. Our time is now and it is amazing - the best. I've heard that before. This big-budgeted 2nd version of Dune is interesting in tone, styling, casting and an underlining emphasis on the power and dangers of populist/messianic leadership. But the "end of modern cinema?' Please! I would suggest the commentators here who are so enamored of Dune 1 and 2 - which leaves out core content from Herbert's original - including the power of the "spice" mutated star navigators to control galactic societies - take a look back at "Sci-Fi" movies from the past again. Be it as far back as Metropolis with it's commentary on future societies, or the many 50's "schlock" films that often had powerful messages - "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and its harrowing look at personal identity, even 50's and 60's "schlock" like "The Incredible Shrinking Man" with an amazing closing commentary about man's place in the universe to more recent films like Contact and Arrival that offer a highly exotic non-human type view of alien life. Dune is an older type of Sci-Fi where the male writer relied upon monarchistic versions of leadership and society so an easy, familiar hero can be featured. With aliens being easy to take as slightly altered versions of familiar human forms. Not exactly super challenging given the true diversity that must exist out there. No, it's a highly styled traditional Shakespearean drama set in a galaxy wild west with a strong undercurrent of Bedu Islamic society features prior to oil being found in the Middle East. A very good film? Yes. Anything beyond that? It's debatable.
@epictatusfan8218 I think the point here is not the structure of the story (yes, Shakespearean). The point is the magnificence, the utter are and vision with which that story was portrayed on the big screen. The immersiveness of the experience--the scenery, lighting, sound design, soundtrack and more. The immense vision of DeNeueve and his star cinemaphotographer.
Watching Dune 2 felt like a baptism. I said that to a guy the first time i saw it just as i was leaving the screen room. it was amazing from start to finish
I felt like i was watching this movie in fascination and fear, the same way the Fremen looked at Paul with fascination and fear, that this/he might be the promised one. I don't think either of us was disappointed with what we got.
When a director that has the sensibility of an independent auteur is given a blockbuster budget it means that we not only get spectacle but substance. I had the same thoughts on Part One as you did but I left the theatre this time with a more visceral experience. I love when films allow their story to breathe, i.e. that brief moment of Paul and Chani sand walking for one. And I also love when an audience is so passionate about a well-crafted work that they put in the effort to share their thoughts. Like DUNE 2, I am glad this channel exists. Thanks again.
Something that blew away was how you experience Paul and Chani's theme throughout the movie. At first it was evoking tender, innocent love, but by the end, without a single note being changed, all you feel is utter heartbreak coming from it.
There was no mistaking her sense of loss and betrayal at the end. She has, in effect, lost Paul. Things have changed and will never be the same again. It can never be the same between them, no matter what Paul does or says. She can either accept this new version of Paul with all its details, including A ruthless rival who will undermine her every step of the way, or walk away. We are left with a cliffhanger about her. She can't change who she is, class means everything in this society, she'll never be a princess. No matter how much she loves Paul, this will always be in the way. In the books and 1984 movie, she chooses to stay with Paul, but that Irulan was no real threat. This one is. She's the real power behind the throne, not her wimpy dad ( lousy use of Christopher Walker's talent for playing villains) and Paul knows this. That's why he'll marry her. This Chani is no wimp. There will be a serious conflict between these two, maybe even a fight to the death. Hey, they've already made serious changes to the charcters, why not?
Denis Villeneuve is special. His first couple movies are Quebec's finest movies. The Enemy and Prisoners were awesome thrillers. Sicario is a masterpiece. The Arrival is a profound sci-fi about the meaning of life, language and time... Blade Runner 2049 is a great sequel, no doubt about it. Dune part 1 was another masterpiece. All his movies leave a deep impression, a deep mark on my core. It's not only a ephemeral joy... it's an essential change for a deeper way of being myself. I've been struggling for a couple of years with the question of deciding between Tarantino and Villeneuve for GOAT.
Its villeneuve. Tarantino's pop movies will not be understood in 30 years except through the lens of a history book. Denis' movies will be timeless classics
It's going to boil down to preference. Tarantino is dialogue DV is images. Subsequently depending on what mood I'm in one is going to be preferred over another in the moment. I like both , fortunately I don't have to choose and can watch films from either maestro whenever I want 😅
@ostarakonrad9907 Some of DVs films are certainly going to be timeless classics. Re watched 2049 recently and it's aged very well (improved with time imo) I think you're a bit off with Tarantino, his stuff will be studied and written about for years to come love him ir loathe him he's had a huge impact on modern cinema.
This seems like a hyperbolic expression of excitement rather than an objective examination, and I really, really appreciate it. I feel like too many people on the internet waste time picking things apart rather than enjoying them. Criticism is valid, but not when it entirely replaces appreciation. With that in mind, I'd like to step in and defend Dune Part 1 as just as powerful as this film. Or perhaps as a part of a whole experience that shouldn't be examined or judged as something separate. Dune Parts 1 and 2 tell a single story, so to say part 2 is a the better movie is, to my mind, like saying you prefer the frosting to the cake. Part 2 doesn't work without part 1. To me, the entirety of the film hinges not on anything that happens in Part 2, but in the box scene early in part 1. This is the scene that sets Paul on the journey that costs him his humanity. And in classic Villeneuve style, it's a pure cinematic experience. The dialog of it only sets the stage. It's in the cinematography, music, and performance that the story is told. The scene is built on Chalamet's incredible ability to show you what's going on inside him. We literally watch Paul destroyed, and someone or something else emerges to take his place. Everything that happens with Paul, everything he becomes, is built on that test, and how it transformed him. Every triumph and tragedy of Part 2 hangs on that scene. And that all happens in Chalamet's performance, and Hans Zimmer's incredible score as it emphasizes Paul's transformation. So as much as I appreciate the love expressed in this essay, I think it's a mistake to dismiss Part 1 as second-best. The two films are ultimately indivisible. And more importantly, I think it's good to remember that we don't have to use comparisons to elevate great art. It's not a contest, and there's no need for rankings. At least, that's my opinion.
@@globesurfer122 There were a few comments about Part 2 being so much better than part one. And of course, I'm still not quite over my "Someone is wrong on the internet" compulsions. So please forgive my obsessiveness. Mostly, I just love this discourse and wanted to join in.
@@paintspot1509 I didn't think either of them were very good. I mean, if this is the best cinema ever, changing the nature of film, blahblahblah etc, well, we're screwed, bc part 2 is dreck. It starts off quickly (thank god!) and then is just becomes lame hard to follow palace intrigue. The climax was so bad. So lame. Christopher Walken as the emperor?? OMG. so dumb. So derivative.
I can hardly even put to words how true all of this video was. Dune was the most beautiful movie I have ever watched and no other film has ever invoked so much contrasting emotions in me. I feel the same way you feel, you just managed to put it all into words and this video and I thank you for it.
After spending what feels like a decade on UA-cam, I've never been able to confidently declare a favorite content creator-until today, my friend. Your consistently top-tier content sets the bar in this space like no other.
This is the first video I’ve seen on this channel, and I’m blown away. I’m so happy I found this and it happened to be uploaded right after my first viewing of the film. I feel lucky to have watched both now!
thats very kind of you to say, thank you for checking out this video and the other content, I hope you continue to enjoy what's put out on the channel! It means a lot, thanks friend
This is one of the best reviews I’ve ever seen. Bravo. I’ve seen three movies more than once in the theater in my life. One because a date wanted to see a movie I’d already seen, the next being Mad Max: Fury Road. Then this. I’ve seen it five times. On purpose. No regrets. This is an imperfect film. As nearly every film is. But it’s a masterpiece. Full-stop. It’s a film that made me feel like I was being lifted from my body, living fully in the moment. It is everything I want sci-fi movies to be. In my mind it belongs in the same conversation as Alien/s, Stalker, Akira, Blade Runner, Terminator… all of it. But it’ll take time for it to solidify that position in the history of film. It’s probably too soon for such a placement. That’s fine, though. For now, I know I love it more than I have any movie in at least a decade. That’s more than enough.
Dune 2 was very special for me. I never thought I'd see another film I loved and vicariously lived through the way I did with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Dune 2 hit those same notes for me, and I have seen it 4 times. I am just taking my time trying to breath this in, because I know I probably won't see another movie on this level for a very long time.
As one who writes and reads to achieve an emotional and archetypal reaction, please allow me to compliment you. The script and it's relation to the footage shown was truly well done... And I thank the gentleman.
Happy to see you covering this. I'm a huge Villeneuve fan and loved part 1, but dune part 2 is one of those rare films that had unreasonably high expectations before release and yet still managed to surpass them on basically every level. Can't wait to see what Villeneuve does next.
I watched Dune Part 2 twice, started the books a month ago and am already through the third one. I want to rewatch the movie and reread the first book all over again thanks to this gem of a commentary.
The series peaks with the fourth one (God Emperor), then goes downhill. That said, the final book, Sandworms of Dune, provides excellent fan service for those who suffered through books 5-7.
I’d like to note in the first and second act how much more engaged the camera was when it came to Paul and Chani. I was so extremely invested in the emotional conflict and resolution between the two I almost felt my mood change from content to depressed as I saw Paul regress and the camera subtly moving away creating separation. Accessing the subconscious like that is mastery of an art form imo.
I absolutely love this review/essay. I've been to the theater six times for Dune part 2. The great council scene might be my single favorite moment in all of cinema. And it has never failed to give me chills. Just the anticipation from Paul walking through the sea of Freman, goosebumps hit me like a white phosphorus grenade. Straight-up war crime levels of hype. People are quick to recognize Timothée Chalamet's performance as masterful. And it's true. But what really takes this scene to the absolute level of cinematic transmutation, from Paul to the Lisan Al-Gaib, is the Freman he's interacting with here. Besides Stilgar... The other two Freman that Paul interacts with during the war council scene were just 😘👌 chef's kiss perfect. One Freman representing strength. The other representing wisdom. The first Freman looks like an absolute monster of a killer. The look on his face when Paul asks if there is anyone here who could challenge him... his first reaction is like "boy, I will pull out your spine and hang it up on my wall before breakfast..." And Paul starts to tell him about his grandmother. And how he's praying to her right now. And you can see these perfect subtle changes in his face. It's THE most mind blowing experience of his life... as Paul continues to set off neutron bombs in his brain, one by one. And we still haven't heard a peep from this man, whose eyes start to drift up to make eye contact. And then Paul says it... "Dune!" And that's where we get the most incredible "ohF🤬🤬K..!" reaction I have ever seen. Gravity can't work fast enough for this man to hit the deck. His "Lisan Al-Gaib!!" is akin to "get down, you idiots!" For the first time in his life, he is both terrified... And in love. You can feel the shock from everyone behind him as they hit the deck. They've NEVER seen their champion humbled before. It *must* be the Mahdi. Now that Paul has humbled the most respected fighter in the war council, he turns to address the older wise man. Whom the elders no doubt follow as their most respected leader for his unparalleled wisdom. His garb is ceremonial. And he's already in awe of what he's just witnessed. From his prior moments addressing Chani, and also telling Paul to take Stilgar's life and return his water to the well... we can tell he is a kind man, and a stickler for the Freman traditions. Always from a place of love and respect. Never pedantic. Everything is simple to him: "Northern woman... If you want to speak, you know what to do." He doesn't discriminate. And he'd give the same respect to Stilgar as he would anyone who bested him in single combat. Paul wastes no time addressing him from across the circle. Now that Paul has converted the younger Freman, his stride and demeanor suggests an impatience with anyone still on their feet. Pointing as if to say "if you're not kneeling by the time I reach you, I'll take YOUR water to the well. How DARE you tell me to kill my most trusted friend!!" Paul yells for all to hear... "In your nightmares, you bring water to the dead. And it fills your heart with joy!!" You can see the old man's knees start to buckle. He immediately feels such shame for ever having the audacity to stand before the chosen one, and insisting he kill Stilgar if he wanted to be heard in this sacred space. He raises both arms above his head as he begins to kneel. Begging Paul for his mercy at such foolishness... "Mahdi!" The house is now awestruck. All are kneeling, save for one man... Stilgar. Who represents faith, where the other two represent strength and wisdom. Still holding his knife, Stilgar was ready to die for the greatest honor he could imagine. To bring forth the Lisan Al-Gaib. It's the moment he's been waiting for. Minutes before, he was so dialed in that Chani couldn't so much as get him to look at her. His focus is singular. Everything else is just noise. He's been paralyzed by Paul's transformation before his eyes. Beyond his wildest dreams. His life's purpose utterly fulfilled. Although, we can still see his "spiritual blueballs." He wanted so badly to give his life. A chance to prove that HE ALONE knew the truth. That he was the MOST faithful. Now all the laughter and skepticism has been silenced. But he still lives. And therein lies the conflict within him. It is the most joyful moment of his life. And at the same time, he is filled with this feeling of failure to sacrifice his life for the greatest purpose of all. And if you look closely, from this moment on, you can see it in his eyes. The tinge of sadness. He won't be truly satisfied until he can die for Paul. Until then, he'll be the pillar of unwavering faith. The first to chant. The first to step onto the field of battle. Anything less is just blasphemy. But right now, he's absolutely heartbroken by the rejection of his offer to sacrifice himself. "Mahdi, what do you forsee for us?" Paul answers, "Green paradise." Stilgar drops to his knees as the last man to do so. His love for Paul is absolutely boundless. He begs the Messiah, on behalf of all Freman who have come before him. For every drop in the well of souls. "Lisan Al-Gaib... show us the way!" You can literally feel the collective prayer in the room. It's never been more silent. All the gasps have been replaced by a sea of Freman holding their breath. Paul begins his speech. Showing everyone his father's ring before sliding it onto his own finger. His speech is the most invigorating words any Freman could hear. Their prayers have been answered to a t. Stilgar is the first to rise. Now the knife he's been holding has a true purpose once more. "LISAN AL-GAIB!! LISAN AL-GAIB!! LISAN AL-GAIB!!" No more blueballs for Stilgar. It sounds like I'm kidding. But for Stilgar, his faith has created the most euphoric feeling anyone could imagine. He has chased this moment his whole life. Beyond the rapture of true love realized. All the pain and sorrow. All the mockery and ridicule. All the hope and longing. Chani aside, all doubt has been silenced. It's a higher form of sexual release for Stilgar. Just look at his reaction to Paul telling the Freman to "lead them to Paradise" at the end. You've never felt such satisfaction in your life. Dune part 2 might be the most watchable film I've ever seen. And that scene is the most powerful moment of cinema anyone could ask for. Even with Chani trying to keep the audience tethered to reality, that it's ultimately a bad thing in the grand scheme. Which just proves all the more how much this scene speaks to something deep within us. It's the human condition. Your ego cannot help but recognize that *this is the absolute epitome of leadership personified.* Not just as a leader our ego yearns to become. But also as someone actually deserving of our following. WORTHY of our faith. WE are those Freman. Humans are a mixture of many aspects. Strength, wisdom, faith, skepticism... That's what the scene demonstrates. And we can feel it from both sides, thanks to the most incredible ensemble cast... down to the Freman character with one line. Who become a mirror for Paul, and ourselves. Thank you for making such a beautifully articulate love letter to this 10/10 perfectly imperfect film!
You worded this so extremely well.. I don't know what to say... Other than I wholeheartedly agree with you. This movie conveys the TRUEST forms of Humanity. Connecting to the Human experience without having to over explain anything. This movie respects the audiences intelligence in ways no movie has even come close to achieving in the modern era of storytelling.. It conveys all levels of social structures, faith, doubt, ego, humility, grace, connection. Embrace all the sides to our existence.
Huh. Only knowing about you from the madcap RLCS streams, this channel was a genuinely surprising thing to come across - and the content is incredible and really well-done too. I might be a couple years older than you but you're kind of an inspiration honestly, especially as someone also going through a period of unemployment who knows how hard it can be to stay motivated - I respect the hell out of the energy, hustle and output. Like, I hope RLCS picks you up next year, but at the same time, I hope they realize that they'd be lucky to have that talent onboard (also the 'give a sub right now' song is a bop, idk who to credit between you and corelli but man, it's been stuck in my head for like 3 days now 😂)
9:08 - Yes, Dune movie is like a book: This is the impression that stunned me when i was watching part 1. The story unfolds in such book-like way, that the time stops to matter, and you could sit at the cinema for hours, taking in the story, just like you can read a book for hours. It is i think the cinematographic miracle that i apreciate the most in the Dune movie.
It’s as if you set out to give credence to every negative stereotype about the pretentious, overly self-serious and hyperbolic nature of video essays in one video, to the point of resembling satire. I love the passion. I love your points. The delivery, though, and your over-the-top framing of a great movie as the second coming of Christ (or Muad’Dib, if you prefer), along with the absolutely ludicrous video title all come off as grandiose and purple prose that betrays a lack of confidence in your ability to simply express the same thoughts in a more natural, grounded way. This is constructive criticism. If you absolutely see nothing of what I describe in your video, then please do ignore said criticism and keep doing you.
I've watched this 3 times now, and you're really putting into words everything I felt watching Dune pt. 2. Great essay. Liked and subbed. Keep up the good work!
1st time i seen dune 2 i walked away not knowing how to feel. I thought 'yeah its beautiful movie but is that all it is. Just one beautiful scene after another'. Then i went see it again. My brain had already processed the beauty so now i could actually watch the movie. I walked away stunned at how truly amazing the movie is. I wanted it to be longer. I cant wait for part 3 so i can watch all 3 parts as one.
It's kind of sad that this gets so much praise given that it still fell significantly short of the book by entirely omitting several key themes, altering several major plot points, and creating or killing off characters differently. For example, Alia, Paul's sister, kills the Baron with a Gom Jabbar during the attack on the capital in the books. She's 4 years old, but was captured LEADING a group of fremen during the attack on the Sietch. The attack on the Sietch was disastrous for the Sardakaur. It's remarked in the book that even though the Sietch was virtually only children, elders, and the sick or injured, they still nearly decimated the Sardakaurs. I also wish they'd done more to make it clear to the audience that the Jihad was Paul's *least bad* option. Most people I've talked to did not catch that the Bene Gesserit testing Feyd with the Gom Jabbar and him being a cousin of Paul implied that Feyd may be capable of awakening as Paul had, or perhaps Feyd's children might. And he's just one of many, many branches the Bene Gesserit were cultivating. Paul saw a future with multiple people becoming Kwisatz Haderach all across the Great Houses and Guilds, then waging war on each other using their prescience, making decisions based on things that hadn't happened yet, and may never happen, back and forth, creating a tangled mess of futures, all of them terrible. The "narrow path" Paul saw gets elucidated significantly in the coming sequels, but it's far more brutal than the jihad. The jihad was Paul sacrificing the path to adhere in some small way to the morals of his father. Which reminds me that they removed the birth and death of Paul's first child from the story as well...
THANK YOU❤ ! A MILLION!!! You exactly exspress my feelings...in such articulate way ..i have tears listening and watching your video! Iam a 70years young grandma...a cinema lover... never has a movie captivate my emotions like that...i have been twice to see it on IMAX...both times were very intense...my stomach gets in a knot...i have to control not to cry...at moments even out of breath ...especially on some of those gorgeous landscapes scenes! I read the books many years ago , i reread them lately...love them ! But in a way ( sorry for the purist ) i loved..loved the movies even more! Everything that i imagined DV put it times better on screen. Truly a MASTERPIECE!!!
I’ve seen Dune 2 three times so far, and every subsequent viewing made me more and more excited to witness this spectacle. I have never seen a film like this ever, and I doubt I will see another like it.
Denis Vilenueve is an absolute legend! He and the Nolan brothers are the best directors of our generation… and with the rapidly evolving cinematic technological advancements completely transforming the way we experience films they have encapsulated those visuals in the most profound, satisfyingly beautiful yet realistic imagery that leaves you feeling euphoric in every sense and yet still a visceral and basic emotional connection to the characters and the storyline… It’s an artistic masterpiece. It is absolutely a film that you experience instead of just “watching a movie”. I highly recommended watching it in an IMAX THEATER if you had the opportunity… however a large household TV and/or projector with at least decent sound system will still be epic… I mean it’s so good you could watch it on your phone…
As a millennial with a lifelong love of Lord of the Rings directly because of Jackson's trilogy, I am glad that the Zoomers have found their generation defining masterpiece. It's inspiring to know that art isn't dead yet. These are the kinds of films I thought I'd never see again after 2003.
i saw dune 2 three times in theaters, my first time ever seeing anything more than twice in theaters. the second watch was in imax and i think it fundamentally changed my life (being also my first time seeing Anything in imax). as you said it felt like watching history
In an era where good movies are becoming increasingly rare, and our expectations are constantly having to be lowered, it's inspiring to see Denis Villeneuve and all the other creative people that worked with him accomplish something that not only stands out in this current benighted era of filmmaking, but which stands out in the whole 130-year era of filmmaking.
"The purest distillation of filmmaking that is humanly possible" is a claim so extreme and presumptuous of film history that I don't really know how to tell you this other than bluntly: watch more movies and in 20 years come back to this video.
Yeah I'm kind of blown away by all this. Dune was pretty good, I actually don't remember a lot of it and I saw it last week. But Ran by Kurisawa... Man I watched that movie during covid and it has haunted me since. No beef with Denis, probably one of the best directors going right now, but damn has there been jaw dropping stuff done in the 70's & 80's.
@@Wax_Man hahaha they never seem to end! Yeah, when you get the chance give him a whirl. Especially the black and white stuff. Then give ran a go and just watch his use of colours. It's astonishing.
@@PageIsYourGod From the clips I've seen it really is the blocking and camera movement (or the lack of camera movement and the movement of the characters) that I think I will enjoy the most. Did he do some films in color? I didn't know that
"watch more movies and in 20 years come back to this video." Elitist much? You completely disregarded the subjective nature of art and media and made that condescending remark towards the creator of this video essay. Maybe keep that ugly snark to yourself next time.
You have taken all the little thoughts and musings I've had over the past 3 weeks over which time I've seen the film 3 times. It is a fantastic film and tribute to the highest order of excellence.
An absolutely necessary and overdue essay. I bow my head for you sir. People asked me if I have seen this movie and how I liked it. How I liked it? How can you describe a dream? Combined with art into a masterpiece. How could I ever explain them what I have seen? This essay gives the answer to what I should have said, but was not able to find the words. For this I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"... I know never before has science fiction found its rightful steward." What about Stanley Kubrik's 2001 or Ridley Scott's Alien and Bladerunner? We have had some great directors in the past. We've just been in a sci fi drought for awhile for reasons I do not know.
This is the praise I wanted to give this movie, but couldn't find the words. This is perhaps the greatest movie I have ever seen in theaters. The way you describe it resonates with me and manifests my love for it. I was so enthrolled by this movie that I started reading the books (currently on the fourth book: god emperor) and I genuinely think the movie adaptation is better than the source material. Perhaps that is because I watched the movies first, but chani's character in particular for part two is far more nuanced than her role in the book. Also agree with your praise of timmy in this movie.. I honestly wasn't a huge fan of him before (likey just a lack of appreciation) but his embodiment of Muad'dib in this movie is enthralling; huge respect for him as an actor after this movie and I can't imagine anyone else as Muad'dib after seeing it. Amazing review of whats great in the movie (love the sardaukar intros for each section btw) and I thank you for the wonderful exposition on this movie that has become very dear to me ❤
The last time a movie had this kind of effect on me was over 30 years ago when I was in high school. We went on a "field trip" to see the remastered re-release of Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen. My movie soul was born that day... I was literally transubstantiated by that experience. Watching Dune Part Two re-awakened that part of my soul, as if the two points of time and space had folded into one another. The thing that truly surprised me was that, even though Dune Part One was a good movie, I was kind of underwhelmed by it to be perfectly honest, so I was simply and completely unprepared for how PHENOMENAL Part Two was! Every few minutes I found myself thinking.. "oh my god, is this actually happening?!" It was stunning and breathtaking and unreal in almost every imaginable way.
You comparing Giedi Prime to New Phyrexia made me think of how much Jace was crafted out of Paul, only for Paul to now take his visual queues from Jace's design. Someone in costume design did get the reference, and ran with it.
I was wondering what this video essay reminded me of: Rhystic Studies' videos have a very similar cadence and structure to this video or, well, vice-versa.
Ok I saw this movie twice before, once at a standard theater, the second time at an Imax, but today I went to see it a 3rd time at our State Imax theater (84ft screen), and I can't get enough of this movie. Words could not express how I felt about this movie until I watched this review. There have been few sci fi/fantasy stories that have pulled me into their universe like this has. This is truly a cinematic experience.
To say it is the end of modern cinema is to imply it is the new benchmark of postmodern cinema. In other words, the end of modern mythology... the end of High Art in Cinema, the end of meaning. Postmodernism has been slowly seeping into the mainstream for decades. Villeneuve, in Dune 2, merely perfected the new formula of all style, no substance. Hyper verisimilitude. No timeless universal Truth. A spice-induced fever-dream spectacle for the eyes, ears, and intellect, but a stark desert for the soul, as vast and unwieldy as the planet whose name the film appropriated. To call Dune 2 a masterpiece is not a statement of fact about its nature as a work of art, but rather a window into the state of the art form itself. Just as visual art degenerated into modernism, and literature into postmodernism, Dune 2 completes the degeneration of cinema into pure aestheticism, intellectualism, with a smattering of identity politics, genderism, atheism, post-colonialism, etc. Completely devoid of any genuine universal Truth, like modern art and postmodern literature. The nuggets of wisdom saturating Herbert's books have been largely redacted. The deep esoteric symbolism twisted and neutered for "modern audiences." The allegory bleached of its spirit. The individual in the pinned comment cried only because his beloved father was not there to share the cinematic experience with him. He was not moved to tears by what was on screen but by the empty seat next to him. Just as we were not moved to tears by Dune 2. Nor do we feel any need to ever re-watch it. We did, however, re-watch the Spicediver Cut of David Lynch's 1984 Dune immediately after, if for no other reason than to confirm just how devoid of meaning Villeneuve's Dune is. Just as we have never felt the need to re-watch Blade Runner 2049 but have seen the original Blade Runner countless times. We who have found ourselves moved to tears by art, music, theatre, film, and moments of genuine Truth and beauty our whole lives, felt absolutely nothing...we were utterly unmoved by Villeneuve's monument to postmodern cinema. Plato said "to put reality on the stage is a vulgarity." The hyper verisimilitude of Dune that everyone triumphs as a masterwork of cinematic storytelling does not High Art make. One will learn more wisdom from the rubberized puppet Yoda in Empire Strikes Back than one will from all the naturalized characters from Dune parts 1 and 2 combined. One can re-watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy endlessly and be moved to tears every time Sam says "I can't carry it for you...but I can carry you!" Why? Because allegorically, we are witnessing the mortal vessel bucking-up to carry his Innermost Being in the face of impossible odds for the sake of completing their sacred quest...it is Hanuman in the service of Rama on their quest to liberate Krishna. It is the universal struggle felt by all mortal beings as they strive to fulfill their destiny in life. Like the Wizard of Oz, Apocalypse Now, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, The Lion King (animated), The Shawshank Redemption, and countless other modern myths cloaked in perennial favorites of cinema, we return to said stories because of the Truths about the human spirit they allegorize and embody. Unless one has some subjective personal connection to the film, like the individual in the pinned comment, no one will be watching Villeneuve's Dune again and again, because its lesson is "don't try living up to your destiny...just get your revenge and take what you can for yourself." Oh, and forget about "behind every great man was a great woman"...no, the message of Villeneuve's Dune is, "abandon your man and do your own thing". For the feminine aspect of the human being to turn its back on the masculine aspect (for hume to abandon manas) is something that the individual Divine Mother in every human's life would NEVER DO. Why do you think so many unmarried career women in their 30's. 40's and 50's are so unhappy these days having been so misled by feminism? No one will make it an annual tradition to re-watch these two Dune films because their postmodern messaging is an insult to the spirit of humankind. In the same way no one is moved to tears by a Jackson Pollack painting. Dune 2 offers the depths of the human spirit nothing of value. No reason to return to it. So you're right: it's the end of Modern Cinema: the birth of the cold, heartless, soulless monster of postmodern cinema.
@@El-Duderino42 genderism encompasses what used to be called "feminism"...but since that term is no longer acceptable/politically correct in the eyes of the radical left (since it implies gender is biological and not a cultural construct), the new term is genderism: discrimination based on one's chosen gender. Surely you have noticed the obsession with transgenderism in recent years? The radical left refuse to accept any biological or indeed, natural, definition of "what is a man/woman?" To them, gender is all just cultural constructs. Genderism, then, is all about leveraging the victim status of "the feminine gender" that includes (in order of priority: (1) biological men who identify as women, (2) biological women, (3) biological women who identify as men, (4) lesbians, (5) various gender fluid classifications of either biological gender. Gay men and their concerns are more or less excluded, ignored. Straight men are not only excluded, their issues are labelled "toxic masculinity," "the patriarchy," "incels," etc.
This was the last movie i watched with my dad in theater before he became terminally ill. I was in awe with how profound it felt compared to all the lesser movies that came out recently. Dad was pleased and excitedly told me the lore and subtle differences from the books, but that it was good. I am normally a bitter & skeptical critic that is fed up with modern audience trite, but when watching this i was silently observing this masterpiece unfold. This movie demands attention and captivates the audience. it ain't perfect 100%, but my god i'd put this up their with the likes of Peter Jackson's Lord of the rings, Starwars OT or Jurassic Park. Something that i feel will define a generation; something to show my children and their children someday. No modern propaganda, no cringe, just pure escapism on a grand scale. With Dad, this was a good bonding moment before he was gone. This movie is going to kill lesser studios that will unfortunately be compared to it.
Do you know what else I love the most about Dune 2. Is that as unbelievable as it sounds, in the future there will be movies that are even better than it, because screenwriters, actors, world designers and directors will have to set the bar way way higher and completely re-imagine their ideas to make a movie that's better than Dune 2 and those movies will be just spectacular. In fact all the resources of the entertainment industry should go into making those movies.
Guys, I think he liked the movie
I think you might be onto something here
Yes very indubious of you
@@LexT-REXCaptain Obvious award nominee ( if not that it was intentional, lol )
I recognise a fellow empath 😅
redditors spotted? 😅
I watched this movie like Stilgar watched Paul
As is written 🙏🏻
oh my god you wrote what I didnt know was EXACTLY how I felt!!!! arghhhh
Watching the movie that way is exactly how Frank Herbert doesn’t want people to view Paul 😭
100%-- the prophesy that we'd live to see Dune filmed was fulfilled.
*Lisan al Gaib intensifies
I wish people noticed how good the editing was on this video. I can tell you put a lot of effort into what shots you chose to display based on what you were talking about, including the intro titles to each part to the video. I love how your love for the movie literally did inspire you to live through the art. I cannot tell you how much I relate to how much you must love producing your own creative work. Also, Dune Part 2 is the greatest movie I have ever seen in my entire life.
something to consider, there is only 100ish years of cinema, there are thousands of years in painting, we are only in the infancy of the art of cinema
We’re going to see AI assisted movies made with the likenesses and voices of dead people
quoted from Christopher Nolan!
@@cecilyerkerwhich will never amount to the touch of a true human spirit
@@richard759 this is quoted from Peter Greenaway, though Nolan will also say it.
Cinema will be dead in few years. Just wait that AI will do the movies... and then in VR you will LIVE the movies... cinema is nearly dead.
I went to see Dune part 2 at a theater with my best friend and had a great time, but after the movie ended I had this feeling which I had not felt in a long time. It felt as if I had just watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time ever, it felt special. That is what I believe Villeneuve's Dune is, an echo of a long gone time in cinema history. Then I knew this was it, one last wave goodbye to those times of joy and wonder in this medium. It has finally happened, Dune was successfully filmed.
I wish I felt like that. The experience was ruined by the stupid changes.
@@di3486that’s why I went in without reading the books. I wanted the _cinema_ experience, not an experience tied to the burden of its source, like how MCU fanboys react to marvel movies
@@di3486I’m sad you feel that way. I loved the changes. Giving Chani and the younger generation agency by making them skeptics gave the one-note Fremen of the novel far more depth and dimension. Making Chani a Fedaykin instead of a Sayyadina makes her far more interesting and more believable as someone Paul would be in love with than the sycophantic one-dimensional Chani of the books. Not having a two-year time jump solves having a weird ETrade baby Alia. Would I have preferred it to be a big budget HBO series? Yes, but the problem the IP franchise has in adapting it from page to screen is God Emperor because it’s unfilmable due to Leto’s physical state and making it not be ridiculous for an audience of non- book readers. The prequel series will give us far more content and that’s coming this year after House of the Dragon S2.
@@iamthesayyadina the sad fact is that it was said by the director that he was going to make FH's vision of Dune, this is not it.
@@iamthesayyadina Chani is a victim. The fremen are victims. They lack agency because they're being used, propelled to achieve cultural dreams they dont even realize they don't want. Chani is the same way. She thinks she wants Paul, but she is lying to herself- denying the alien aspect of him. She thinks she wants a green Arrakis- never once realizing that brings cultural genocide. She thinks that loyalty and faith will save her- these are what destroy the universe, destroy the Fremen... destroy Paul. Chani and the Fremen are one and the same. We feel sorry for them, with the long view of things, because for them there is no victory. There is no truth but the lives they had and the struggles that defined them. That Chani and the Fremen don't appear to have agency isn't some slight from Frank Herbert against the people, or a sexist commentary, its the setup for a series-long long form tragedy. In Dune they're at their cultural and literal strongest. Messiah sees them worn down, annihilated in war, huddled in new gleaming imperial cities and lavished in foreign wealth and alien customs, only slowly realizing that they have been mislead far too late to correct course, too deeply in drunken love with their own dreams of endless triumph, glory, love, and power. Thats the moment where Paul loses the only person he's allowed himself to truly love anymore. That's when the Fremen lose what makes them special.
After that- after Chani's demise- its just a ritual march to annihilation- like the decadence then annihilation of the Sardaukar culture. Until by the events of Chapterhouse the Fremen are a phantom thing, barely even mentioned; a whisper on the spice-winds of no-ships hauling their exported sandworms across the cosmos as time and mankind passes their memory by; exactly as designed by the whims of an inhuman god-tyrant exercising the most monstrous regime known to the species. That's why I don't like Chani's changes. Chani- more than even Stilgar, is the face and the voice of the soul of the Fremen people. When Paul annuls his marriage to pursue imperial power, he isn't just betraying this person, he's betraying everything the fremen part of his arch taught him- he is achieving a kind of synthesis of who he is in the first and second parts of the book.. for the worse, obviously.
So good! Great essay.
My favourite Paul & Chani moment is her explaining the wind trap to Paul, the sound mix fading her voice out and the completely gormless, love-struck look on TC’s face.
such a great moment
The reason the sandwalk scene hits so hard is because they are DANCING.
They fell in love as they danced together.
I agree. As I watched that scene, I recalled Z’s background in dance since girlhood. Her teaching Paul to be in sync as they “sand-danced” showed her growing love for him.
It was horrid. That was supposed to be Paul's rite of passage, surviving the desert on HIS OWN. Chani helped him cheat.
@@seanp9277 Wrong. "What we do, we do for the good of the tribe". Wasting a good blade because he is an Outworlder who had no instruction in the Fremen Way is not good for the tribe.
It was up to Paul to seek out a teacher and be receptive to them. It was up to Paul to apply the lesson.
@@seanp9277 cry more
@@seanp9277pauls rite of passage was riding Shai Hulud
I was blown away when I saw Star Wars in 1977 and astounded by Bladerunner in 1983. In 1968, when I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey, I held my breath when Astronaut Poole forced his way back into Discovery. I forgot to eat popcorn when Ripley made her way to the shuttle to get off the Nostromo. I wept with the audience when Spock died in Wrath of Khan. But I have never been so utterly silenced when I saw Dune II. Yeah... the bar has just risen.
Lead them to paradise
I'm right there with you!
yall some dramatic movie watchers
@@RayCharoundlol yeah, but Dune II was incredible. I literally felt my heart pumping as I was watching the climax of the movie. It was one of the best movie experiences I've ever had. Definitely the best sci fi movie I've ever seen.
Add The Matrix.
I am sobbing from the moment this video started, just from the fact that you speak with the passion I felt from watching this piece of literal ART roll in front of my eyes. Thank you for putting this sentiment into words. I was not a fan of cinema before watching Dune P2, but it was impossible to ignore the massiveness of this once the first second of it played.
Thats so cool to hear, that this one, incredible movie, changed how you feel about cinema.
calm tf down lmao "SOBBING"
I truly believe, in my heart, that Dune Parts 1 and 2 together, is perhaps the greatest cinematic achievement in sci-fi history. This is coming from a life-long Star Wars fan who experienced the original in 1977 with my father, saw Blade Runner during it's initial theatrical run, and witnessed David Lynch's attempt at Dune in theaters in 1984. All through these unique cinematic experiences, Star Wars remained my favorite... until now.
Because of my father, I became a huge fan of the book, Dune, in junior high. My Dad and I had numerous discussions over its themes, adaptations, sequels, and hidden meanings over the years. Unfortunately, my Dad passed away right before the release of Dune Part 1. So I can't even describe the emotional connection I've had with both of these masterpieces. I was in tears watching Part 2. I wish, more than anything, my father could have been sitting next to me as I experienced what might be the most emotionally moving moment in a theater in my entire life. I know my Dad would have loved these films as much as I do. I am truly blessed to have been able to see them myself...
Thank you for your analysis.
You articulated exactly what i feel, as a fan in their 50s. Funny that my memory of Blade Runner, is of my mother taking an Han Solo fan into what we thought would be more sci-fi fantasy. I came out of that movie, changed as a person. My mother is currently suffering from late stage dementia, and doesn't know who i am any more, but the fact that she was there for such an important moment in my life will be something I'll carry with me, always. As mentioned in this video, even as we watched it, I knew it was something special. I haven't felt that feeling again, until the credits rolled on Dune 2. I just wish my Mom could experience it, too.
I feel this post…my Dad gave me a beat up 60s paperback copy of Dune when I was so young that I actually asked my parents to remove it from my bookshelf because the sand worm on the cover freaked me out…but I loved the book.
I lost my father last February. But one of my favorite final memories is of going home about four or five months prior to his passing…he wasn’t doing much but sleeping and eating at that point…but I turned on Dune Part 1 on the tv in my parents’ living room when I was visiting and bored…and he walked in with his oxygen tank and asked what I was watching…I was about ten minutes into the film..and I said, “Can you guess…?” He watched about 5 minutes and asked, “Is this the new Dune?” I said yes…and he sat down and watched the entire rest of the film with me…I’m not sure he had been awake for a consecutive four hours at that point for a long time. He stood up at the end, looked at me, and said, “Pretty good…that’s what I saw in my head when I read it.” This will always be one of my final treasured memories of my Dad. I too wish he had lived long enough to see Part 2.
Disagreed. Dune Part II was a complete letdown and conveys nowhere near the feeling of the 1984 Dune movie. I highly recommend that you watch the 3 hour fan edit version by Spicediver.
I wholeheartedly agree, I have been waiting for the return of Dune for decades and I am just so glad they give it to Villeneuve. Great Sci-fi doesn't need giant lazers and space battles, it doesn't need aliens or wormholes or even mindbending technology. What it does need is the ability to transport a person out of their seat and truly take them on a journey, it needs to be able to move the heart and at the same time challenge the mind. Villeneuve's Dune does this in strides, the story may have all the trappings of science fiction but what it does marvelously is put your feet in the desert, lets you taste the spice and ride along the back of a giant sandworm. It puts you in the mind of a young man who through the machinations of the Bene Gesserit has become powerful enough to control the destiny of the entire galaxy.
That is true science fiction at its best.
I'm really sorry for your loss 😢 the same happened to me, my mom passed a few months before Dune part 2 came out, she loved the first one and kept asking me during her last months when part 2 was coming out 😢
Dune 2 may be the end of modern cinema. But Dune 3 aka "Messiah" will be the beginning of a new era for cinema
And hopefully that's all the farther they go. The novels go downhill fast after that.
But, these movies have already been better than the book, so perhaps someone can reign in the utter ridiculous stupidity of the rest of the series and ground it enough to be worthwhile.
@@DoremiFasolatido1979 i dont think the books go downhill, but the ability to faithfully adapt them into movies becomes too unruly for even the biggest sudios combined
@@Xepent Oh no...they go really downhill. They go from toeing the line of "sci-fi" versus pure fantasy...to just going pure fantasy...in the dumbest possible sense. Their grasp of large-scale politics and economics is tenuous at best in the first few books, and just goes off the rails in Children and onward.
@@DoremiFasolatido1979 Who cares?
D3 will be fascinating... so much work to do, so much pathos, and revelation. It will deviate from the books, because it already has.
You talk about the passion put into making this film, so I gotta recognize the passion you put into making this video
The change of the color palette after the „fight like harkonnens“ speech never occured to me explicitly altough it’s so damn logic and gives both overarching story-arcs so much more depth. Fantastic notion. Now i have to watch it again in Cinema.
The musical palette also changes. Now Paul’s theme has the same low guttural chromatic sounds of the harkonnen
Yeah, I didn't notice it either but thinking about it now there's a moment where it transitions from light to dark while framed on Jessica. The film is absolutely full of stuff to think about and process. No grain of sand was left unturned... couldn't resist, sorry :)
I remember sitting in the theater thinking to myself, "This is a historic masterpiece." An immense feeling of gratitude for all involved, and a congratulatory pride for the team and their immense effort to curate the experience so fully, so perfectly, welled up within me again and again.
I had never seen perfection before, and never had the vocabulary to describe it. Now I realize there is no way to describe it, but with Dune 2, I experienced it.
thats how I felt too, it's weird to know youre seeing something historic happen as it happens
Same here, was an out-of-body experience but very intense @@SpacemanSR
Yeah I thought it was pretty good as well. It's no Fast and Furious but still good.
That opening monologue was one of the hardest things I’ve ever heard. Straight gas into my ears 🔥
Thats very kind, thank you! Aiming for the premium gas always
"We are not meant to be him... we are meant to recognize him. To see parts of ourselves from every angle, for better or worse." Damn bro I did not expect to come to this video and get teary-eyed. 10/10
corny
20 years ago, Lord of the Rings changed me. The single most powerful moment being the arming of the stoic civilians in the Two Towers, whose example helped me overcome trauma even decades later. But the last few years have shown cinema sinking so low, I’ve been to theaters maybe once every 6-9 months. But this film, *this* is a reminder that we deserve genuinely good cinema again. A lot of terrible, talentless people need to move aside so we can get more movies like *this*
Reddit moment
Ok but rly, these don’t compare to LOTR at all.
@@countdooku75 Not in story or character, because LotR is a deeply personal tale that moves our better selves. You feel a connection to so many characters, and you love the people who are coming under such threat. LotR will always be my favorite films.
But Dune doesn’t really try to compete in those areas, as the setting is more grim, so many of the people are monstrous, manipulative, or heartless, and even the protagonist knowingly starts wars guaranteed to cause extreme human suffering. It moves us in a darker, more dangerous way, not showing us who we wish we could be, but who we absolutely do *not* want to be. One elevates the good in people. The other warns of how horrible we can be. I know which I prefer, but I see the value in both.
Dune *does* compare in the sensory and cinematic aspects of film. The care and weight given to the visuals, the sounds, the spectacle. We’ve seen tons of shallow garbage that leans on spectacle alone, but in Dune the spectacle actually has purpose. You feel the weight of history and the scope of the galaxy.
I will always love LotR more, but in the 20 years since we were given that masterpiece, few things have captivated me as much as Dune.
Less important, but I was commenting on a video where a guy was incredibly deeply moved by a film. If I’m not allowed to open up in a similar way in this specific context, when can I?
@@WillFredward7167 I agree so much with this, thank you for putting it into words.
The fellowship and two towers are still leagues ahead as far as I'm concerned.
Dune 1 and 2 are a good movies, totally worth watching and ten times better than the crap we got lately but they have problems too, especially in terms of pacing.
@@alexeiharp7676 Oh, I fully agree. I didn’t mean to imply that Dune is actually LotR’s *equal* but it’s been far too long since I was fully immersed and captivated. If it became normal and expected to get films of dune’s caliber, I’d care about theaters again
I’ve never witnessed a score be so closely attached to the sound design and visual storytelling of a film. I’m a composer/producer and my initial epiphany from Dune part II was in relation to the ground breaking, sound immersive, & overwhelmingly emotional music of Hans Zimmer. The 2nd & 3rd time I felt the visuals and story in a much stronger light. But not only is this a landmark in cinematic & sci-fi history, but in film music history. Sounds that transport you to the fictional universe and utterly sterilize your perception of what music for cinema & visual storytelling can be. Not only has Dennis and the brilliant team behind this film have set the bar for cinematic storytelling, but so has Hans & his team for every living breathing composer out there. I felt like a kid again in the theatre, something about the main love theme intimately sparked something deep & personal for me. I will never forget this experience, I’ll have to show it to my future children and say “yep, dad was there in the cinema when it first came out”
@envrie9423 Love this movie. But note Vangelis work in the original Blade Runner. Composed to each moment.
Zimmer does that every time. Interstellar score was just as great
@@Mamba4.8 Not every time. Sometimes the inspiration of the films he does isn't as potent as it is in films like Dune, and that's evident in the way he talks about his experience scoring it and in the music itself. Other times the director doesn't allow the composer to experiment wildly, sometimes his scores include more regular sounds that are attributed to film scores. But with Dune is obvious that it's sonically, set apart from most other scores and that's thanks to Hans, his amazing team of producers, sound engineers and musicians, and the director Dennis Villeneuve himself. Interstellar is fantastic but it honestly doesn't immerse me as much as Dune does and that's saying A LOT haha (just my opinion)
I'm tired of movies filmed in stage like sets. I want the depth of field, I want the scale, I want the close up character shots to matter, I want all the shots to matter... Like every panels in the best of comics / graphic novels
Lovely essay.
Blade Runner 2049.
Depth of field? Every other shot in this movie was shallow focus.
Every frame a painting. Like a Stanley Kubrick.
I have never felt more IN a movie than with Dune Part 2, every sense taken in put me exactly where I needed to be in the medium.
It isn't very often that I feel thankfull for the algorithm, your work is awesome and I thank you for sharing all your thoughts on cinema and specially on this piece.
Took me a while to realise in that brief flash of the coming duel that Paul foresaw that Feyd was actually a better fighter than he is in from a general skill point of view, and that the only way to beat him WAS to let himself be stabbed and that he engineered the fight in such a way as to let that happen in the right way and precisely the right time. Narratively, it would have been nice to see Feyd built as a little more of a threat, even just a few choice words from Jessica to warn him or something, but this late realisation makes up for it.
That’s the only criticism I have of the movie. In the books, that confrontation was much more meaningful and much more dangerous for Paul. But, time constraints are what they are I guess
You are so right about Feyd being the better fighter. In both the 1984 film and this new version, it’s Feyd’s ego and over self-confidence that gets him killed. In 1984, Sting’s Feyd is so sure that he will kill Paul that when he gets Paul into a seemingly impossible position to get out of, he fails to see that he has put himself into a dangerous position for Paul to exploit with an Aikido-like move. The new Feyd meets his end by allowing himself to get too close to Paul while dropping his defenses. In both versions the hero wins by outwitting the superior fighter. I love that.
@@dontlistentoanythingisayIn the book Paul could beat Feud because prescience. The only person who could beat him was Fenring
@@ArcaneCowboy No. prescience only shows him paths but not ‘the’ way. In fact, in the first book Paul realizes that his prescience was a crutch and he swore to never let himself make the mistake of using that to make any final decisions alone. Prescience is often mentioned as being an uncertain art. He even wondered if he shaped the prescience by his thoughts or if his thoughts were shaped by it. It was never fully understood. That fight was dangerous on many levels, and if you truly read the books and grasped the entire meaning behind it, you’d know that.
I watched this three times and I still didn't get what was going on with all those knives at the final fight.
As soon as the credits finished rolling and I felt I could speak again, I turned to my friend in the seat next to me and said "our kids are going to be so jealous we saw this in theatres" and I don't think I'll ever change my mind.
I love when movies do that. I feel that way about some movies we've gotten in the last 10 years and adding this to the top of the list was just WILD. We are EATING
This movie wasn't in my plan but i saw dune 2 named movie release and I need a small break (since I was preparing for exams) I watched dune part one moments before going to dune 2 and it was best decision.
@@Yato_98 well done!!
you only think about because near a decade of terrible movies before that 00's great movies were made. The incompetent tyrants/marxist/DEI will be replaced in movies we are just in a dark age just like the 50s to early 60s only trash propaganda was made then also. These things happen in cycles we are in a dark age of tyrants controlling media.
lol I prefer to watch it at home, I liked the movie but this is absurd hyperbole
What a beautiful commentary. Brought some tears to my eyes. I'm happy to see that there are other people out there who feel things with such depth-not only that, you have articulated all of my feelings in a way I couldn't have. Thank you for this.
I (re)watched Dune Part 2 with a good friend who hadn't seen Part 1 or even read the novel. Yet, he walked out of that theater even more changed than I was, praising it for an hour. It really is an incredible experience.
I was screaming "Lisan Al Gaib!"
Mahdi Lisan al gaib, I hope this movie becomes a combat for islamophobia since the novel author indeed takes inspiration from islam tradition etc
@@LuisSierra42 When this gets best picture I would love to be at the Oscars and right when DV gets to the podium and the crowd quiets down I would shout "ADDAM RESHII AZAANTA!!!!!!" from the audience.
@@yurimodin7333 You can really fell it when he said that, so powerful
I have not stopped thinking about this movie since I saw it on opening night.
Me neither!
Ya it is pretty bad
Same. I don't think I will for a long time.
I'm in therapy and hope one day I can forget the torture.
“Dune 2 is the “end” of modern cinema.” Promise?
Very few things have made me say, "I feel privileged to have been alive at this time and to have witnessed such a thing" - an artwork reborn
Star Wars 1977 .. Lord of the Rings 2001 ...
I saw it a second time in IMAX. Honestly the only way it can be seen. The entire film I was glued to the screen.
Bro I saw it on a massive Imax screen. Like 5 stories tall. That was an experience I'll tell ya what
were the Harkonen audience blobs better in IMAX?
@@shawnmayo8210 Audience blobs? Sorry?
@@crazyidiot5309 look at ANY scene with a crowd like the Harkonen fighting pit or when they look down on a crowd. It's CGI I'd expect in 2001 not 2024
@@shawnmayo8210 I watched it in IMAX. Didn't notice any of what you see. They looked like a crowd of Harkonnens all in unison because they're appetites have devolved into loving flesh. They are a different breed of people. It just looks like a crowd of harpies to me. They move different than humans.
Maybe it's because I did not experience this in an IMAX cinema. Maybe it's because I am jaded by life in my late 50's. Maybe because it's I read the books (well at least the first three). Maybe it's because I am tainted by the Lynch movie (in all it's various cuts including the Spice Diver extended edit). Or maybe it's because there has been such a dearth of competent movie making in the last few years that anything is better than the dross we are constantly fed. I don't know if it is all of the aformentioned or not. But I found both Dune parts 1 and 2 to be merely 'good enough'. Perhaps repeat viewings will get me to come around eventually. I just wasn't feeling it as much as I thought I would. Glad you enjoyed it though.
I think the majority of die hard fans exactly like this. You're never going to get a perfect adaptation but to completely blow this out of proportion is an understatement at this point. It style over substance which this director is known for
as an avid Dune reader who tolerated both Lynch's version and the TV show and was saddened that Jodorowsky's vision didn't come to fruition, it all led to Villeneuve. What he did with this source material boggles my mind. I couldn't even imagine anything better. It was that fantastic. And you my friend did these movies justice with this video. Wonderful job. Would love to see more.
Lynch’s version is the better one. Watch the spicediver edit version to have a fuller appreciation of it.
Jodo dune oof..
We live in the better timeline where Jodorowsky's Dune didn't get made. Jodorowsky fundamentally didn't understand the core theme of the novel, to not trust charismatic leaders. In Jodorowsky's Dune, Paul is born from a virgin birth and is pretty much a god who dies and becomes reborn into all his followers. Honestly, the fact that some of the people who worked on Jodorowsky's Dune went to work on other movies like Alien and Bladerunner is that film's best contribution to cinema.
I'm a huge fan of the book, and I didn't love some of the changes in Part 2 (mostly the Alia thing, though I actually overall like the Chani change). However, since Dune is IMO primarily a theme-driven story (as opposed to character-driven or plot-driven) I find Denis's changes acceptable. Everything in this movie exists to serve the main theme of the book.
@@catgodfather1507 yeah I've seen it and I respect your opinion but for me it pales in comparison to what I've seen with Villeneuve's versions
@@catgodfather1507 you can have your own opinion but in a filmmaking perspective I’d have to say dune 1 and dune 2 blow Lynches out of the park and I personally like them much more
Dune 1&2 and by extension Andor brought my love for dune-esque sci-fi back. Really inspiring Art.
anti-authoritarian sci-fi is the best kind of fiction imaginable. because it is really about humanity
Glad you included Andor too😊 Yep, that kind of immersive storytelling is dying.😢
I wish all Star Wars could be as good as Andor
Yes Andor and Dune 2 are both masterpieces
inspiring is exactly the word. I felt a feeling of glee after the film. I was inspired by the creativity. It was finally something I hadn't seen before... a ceaseless three hours of complete newness in a world of reductive same old same old. We are fast entering a world of sci-fi - the real one, but the cinematic one always has to think ahead for us.
I went and seen this in a Dolby Cinema. I knew it was going to be something special, before I even saw it. What I didn’t expect from this masterpiece was everyone in the theater felt the same thing. You could hear a pin drop during the entire runtime of the film. I’ve never felt such complete silence before at a theater. I think I’ll always remember this experience. Great video!!!
I've been struggling to put my finger on exactly why I love both part 1 and 2 so much. Thank you for helping me answer these questions of why. This is a masterful video that unpacks the extremely complicated emotions that this film provokes.
It's the "show, don't tell" approach to storytelling for me
Yes!!!
It's that they made everything feel so real and at the same time so alien
As a longtime fan of the books I know the story line..But the line "Bring them to paradise" hit me emotionally like a ton of bricks. I wasn't expecting to have that type of emotional response. 100% with you, before the film was even over I consider this a masterpiece and a moment in film history.
Damn right, the sentence "Bring them to paradise" is still stuck in my brain many days after watching the movie. Incredibly powerful...
i watched this film the day before last. This morning i watched a video essay and heard the line "Bring them to paradise" and i choked back involuntary tears. To my ears all i heard was lets commit genocide/holy war etc. it was a disgusting and sad thing to hear. It brought me back to earth and the 15 different genocides thats happening at this very moment in 2023-2024. IDK what did it mean to you to hear a young white man lead all these people down a path in a fantasy cinematic setting?
@@wombat7961 Of course it was a deeply tragic moment and of course "Lead them to paradise" meant "Kill them all", just in another/"gentle" words. It is irrelevant if "the boy" was white or brown of or other colour - what is important is that this final outcome was sort of "inevitable" evil happening as in greek tragedy - he tried hard and desperate to avoid it, but failed and so the war began never the less. This is the whole point of the book/movie - that sometimes one cannot escape the fate, cannot escape the conditions that all outside world dictates, that fanatism lead to suffering of countless innocent, and that (as Herbert put it) "beware of charismatic leaders". So in short - that's what I meant by writing "powerful" about those words, whole scene and accompanying music - it is just jaw dropping in its tragic & epic aspect and I also had tears in the eyes... Incredibly well played overall and emotional, let alone the Zimmer score in back :O
@@froggerus2 I felt the emotion in part 1 not in part 2... Honestly second film is messy would have just preferred a sequel
@@wombat7961 What can I say? "De gustibus non est disputandum." :)
Thank you for putting into words what I couldn’t express after to seeing it. Something that shook me is that toward the end of the video you show stars wars as that trilogy that changed cinema forever and that this is the reincarnation of the spirit. It’s what I was thinking the whole time while watching this and to see that though confirmed at the very end was chefs kiss perfect. You have an incredible gift for storytelling and editing. Glad I stumbled across this video today.
This is as close to a perfect sci fi film as you will see. So many subtle details that you don’t even notice on first watch. I sit there through the entire movie jaw on the floor it just set the bar so high people still probably don’t even realize and probably won’t realize until years later. As soon as I saw that shot of the Harkonnen floating up the desert mountain 5 minutes into the movie I knew there had never been anything put to film like this.
Watch 80s Blade Runner
@@FoulPet wonderful movie, perfect science fiction movie, one of my favorites right up there with 2001. Just because someone likes this new movie (I really like this new movie), doesn’t mean they don’t also have an appreciation for older movies. Don’t be a boomer.
@mattlawson714 Sharing what I personally consider a better movie with someone who may not have seen it or may/may not appreciate it isn't a bad thing. People who say this is the best movie ever while having a handful of movies to reference should at least consider they may be wrong. I welcome any decent movie because there's a shortage recently. While I enjoyed Dune 2, it didn't amaze me like the first time I saw The Matrix or Terminator 2. It's a decent movie with decent effects. Still nowhere near LotR IMHO. G-X
@@FoulPet I hear you. Yeah nothing beats LotR.
Lotr has an elevating feeling. Dune doesn't.
Saw this in IMAX 70mm at the legendary Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood... ho-leee-sheee-yaaat. Mind blown. With an hour left in the film, I told myself, this movie can not end... the feeling of anticipation, wondering when Paul would make his first jump... The silence of the theater as the sand worms flank Paul into battle... the muted lighting during the sand walk training, and one of the best lit "final battle" scenes ever... because it felt natural and just as inevitable as Chaney's heartbreak. The word Epic has been tossed around and cheapened over the years but this movie was big... it went beyond that. If you can, see it in theaters, see it big. See it loud.
"I believe I know what a masterpiece looks like."
I'm sure you do believe you know that.
When this movie ended it was jarring to come back to reality. It makes you feel like you live in the film. I felt almost like I was watching some sort of documentary of something that hasn't happened yet.
Totally agree 👍 I was like wait aren't we heading to space to fight the houses...is changing coming back??? 😭
That intro alone is worth 10/10, literally stopped the video to comment that rn
You have a follow sir
Thank you kindly! I really like the intro, rest of the video is give or take haha. Thanks for watching!
Same
Great writing and narration @SpacemanSR , made a new subscriber….
@@SpacemanSRAaambabarrrembreeenmmmmvaaaa....
Looking at MTG cards and listening to this, only to be spooked when you said "Phyrexia"
how we feeling about Duskmourn?
Thank you for this video.
I stood outside the theater after watching this film, looking up at the sky for half an hour. Transfixed. I had never felt this way before, and, like you, felt that the only thing I could do, would be see it again (and again). The only thing I can really relate this too is the after effects/glow of a trip on mushrooms, but even that pales in comparison to this. I feel fundamentally altered, changed at my core, touched and affected by art in a way I didn't know was possible. What's so incredible about this film is that I'm not alone. You feel the same, so do a few hundred thousand who've watched this video. I spoke with my friend on the phone for well over an hour the night after, and we just basked in it, processing both its immensity and its humanity.
Your essay captured everything I have thought about this film and more: the most powerful and affecting love story I have ever experienced (the sand walk dance is my favorite scene in movie history), the greatest open sequence in film history (the color in that scene...)
I'm 5 viewings deep (thank you AMC for continuing this run in IMAX), and showing no signs of stopping.
So thank you.
I don’t know who you are but this essay is so profound and well written, I am speechless. Wow.
Thats very very kind of you to say, I'm trying to get better with my writing so any praise/criticism is taken to heart! Thank you for checking out the video I appreciate it.
I was absolutely not expecting an MTG reference in this video with New Phyrexia but very true. Also amazing video you absolutely earned a subscriber today, and this movie was for sure the best movie ive seen in a long time.
Edit: The creatures that come out to ensure Feyd won his duel invoke Praetor/Norn vibes almost too much..
I was thinking about Elesh the whole time haha
@@SpacemanSR I absolutely love how they filmed Geidi Prime with infrared and the fireworks looked just like Ichor it might have been my favorite unique stylistic choice of this movie!
Nolan’s Interstellar walked so Villenueve’s Dune could run
Underrated comment
More like Interstellar ran yet Dune barely walked
@@wanderlust9140if you don't like the movie then why are you here?
@@wanderlust9140sandwalked*
@@keretaman these comments talk without rythm
In the presence of this movie, I was not merely a viewer. I was transported INTO the world of Dune Two. I have never experienced such a powerful movie, much less sustained this sensation for nearly three hours without awareness of the passage of time.
As I left, my physiological and emotional reactions were intense. I wanted to weep with joy, to shout, to leap into the air, to collapse in wonderment. I knew I had experienced greatness.
You have eloquently explained the details of the elements that forced me, a willing participant, to these unexpected and unimaginable heights.
Agree, I never realised cinema could be this powerful...
🤗🥺😪😭😇💫
Thank you for unknowingly putting all of what i felt with this movie into words
I'm 73 years old. Read the book Dune twice in the early 70's and saw the first, much anticipated - and then panned - version by David Lynch in 1984. (Still, I think, a fascinating version that was quirky and mysterious - though visually dark.) I've seen so many Sci-Fi films over the years. Read so many reviews - thoughtful and insightful to not so much. And what I see is a social media environment today in which hyperbole is the coin of the realm. Our time is now and it is amazing - the best. I've heard that before. This big-budgeted 2nd version of Dune is interesting in tone, styling, casting and an underlining emphasis on the power and dangers of populist/messianic leadership. But the "end of modern cinema?' Please! I would suggest the commentators here who are so enamored of Dune 1 and 2 - which leaves out core content from Herbert's original - including the power of the "spice" mutated star navigators to control galactic societies - take a look back at "Sci-Fi" movies from the past again. Be it as far back as Metropolis with it's commentary on future societies, or the many 50's "schlock" films that often had powerful messages - "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and its harrowing look at personal identity, even 50's and 60's "schlock" like "The Incredible Shrinking Man" with an amazing closing commentary about man's place in the universe to more recent films like Contact and Arrival that offer a highly exotic non-human type view of alien life. Dune is an older type of Sci-Fi where the male writer relied upon monarchistic versions of leadership and society so an easy, familiar hero can be featured. With aliens being easy to take as slightly altered versions of familiar human forms. Not exactly super challenging given the true diversity that must exist out there. No, it's a highly styled traditional Shakespearean drama set in a galaxy wild west with a strong undercurrent of Bedu Islamic society features prior to oil being found in the Middle East. A very good film? Yes. Anything beyond that? It's debatable.
@epictatusfan8218 I think the point here is not the structure of the story (yes, Shakespearean). The point is the magnificence, the utter are and vision with which that story was portrayed on the big screen. The immersiveness of the experience--the scenery, lighting, sound design, soundtrack and more. The immense vision of DeNeueve and his star cinemaphotographer.
Watching Dune 2 felt like a baptism. I said that to a guy the first time i saw it just as i was leaving the screen room. it was amazing from start to finish
I felt like i was watching this movie in fascination and fear, the same way the Fremen looked at Paul with fascination and fear, that this/he might be the promised one.
I don't think either of us was disappointed with what we got.
Every once in a while, I come back to this video to understand how to articulate my thoughts better. What a great presentation!
When a director that has the sensibility of an independent auteur is given a blockbuster budget it means that we not only get spectacle but substance.
I had the same thoughts on Part One as you did but I left the theatre this time with a more visceral experience. I love when films allow their story to breathe, i.e. that brief moment of Paul and Chani sand walking for one. And I also love when an audience is so passionate about a well-crafted work that they put in the effort to share their thoughts. Like DUNE 2, I am glad this channel exists. Thanks again.
I got the reference at 10:50 from the Dune books: "The mystery of life isn't a problem to solve, but a reality to experience.". Bravo
Jamis says it in Pt1
Bro actually referwncing that weird ass worm guy that is not just a GREAT character, but also a dictator at the same time somehow
Página 399 de "Hijos de Dune"
Never has a movie reminded me SO much of "Life of Brian"
Astonishing achievement! xD
Stilgar being reduced to mere comic relief is the biggest joke.
Your enthusiasm for this film is so pure.
thank you
Something that blew away was how you experience Paul and Chani's theme throughout the movie. At first it was evoking tender, innocent love, but by the end, without a single note being changed, all you feel is utter heartbreak coming from it.
Yes, I can't believe there are so many saying Zendaya is a bad actor in this movie. She does so much with her eyes and facial expressions.
There was no mistaking her sense of loss and betrayal at the end. She has, in effect, lost Paul. Things have changed and will never be the same again. It can never be the same between them, no matter what Paul does or says. She can either accept this new version of Paul with all its details, including A ruthless rival who will undermine her every step of the way, or walk away. We are left with a cliffhanger about her. She can't change who she is, class means everything in this society, she'll never be a princess. No matter how much she loves Paul, this will always be in the way. In the books and 1984 movie, she chooses to stay with Paul, but that Irulan was no real threat. This one is. She's the real power behind the throne, not her wimpy dad ( lousy use of Christopher Walker's talent for playing villains) and Paul knows this. That's why he'll marry her. This Chani is no wimp. There will be a serious conflict between these two, maybe even a fight to the death. Hey, they've already made serious changes to the charcters, why not?
"This is a movie your read as much as you watch". BRAVO!
thank you!
Denis Villeneuve is special. His first couple movies are Quebec's finest movies. The Enemy and Prisoners were awesome thrillers. Sicario is a masterpiece. The Arrival is a profound sci-fi about the meaning of life, language and time... Blade Runner 2049 is a great sequel, no doubt about it. Dune part 1 was another masterpiece.
All his movies leave a deep impression, a deep mark on my core. It's not only a ephemeral joy... it's an essential change for a deeper way of being myself.
I've been struggling for a couple of years with the question of deciding between Tarantino and Villeneuve for GOAT.
Its villeneuve. Tarantino's pop movies will not be understood in 30 years except through the lens of a history book. Denis' movies will be timeless classics
It's going to boil down to preference. Tarantino is dialogue DV is images. Subsequently depending on what mood I'm in one is going to be preferred over another in the moment. I like both , fortunately I don't have to choose and can watch films from either maestro whenever I want 😅
@ostarakonrad9907 Some of DVs films are certainly going to be timeless classics. Re watched 2049 recently and it's aged very well (improved with time imo) I think you're a bit off with Tarantino, his stuff will be studied and written about for years to come love him ir loathe him he's had a huge impact on modern cinema.
I recently watch Sicario and wow, such a brutal movie. Not only in it's violence but also, if not greater, in it's themes. That movie floored me
I would say it's a competition between Nolan and Villeneuve for GOAT
This seems like a hyperbolic expression of excitement rather than an objective examination, and I really, really appreciate it. I feel like too many people on the internet waste time picking things apart rather than enjoying them. Criticism is valid, but not when it entirely replaces appreciation.
With that in mind, I'd like to step in and defend Dune Part 1 as just as powerful as this film. Or perhaps as a part of a whole experience that shouldn't be examined or judged as something separate. Dune Parts 1 and 2 tell a single story, so to say part 2 is a the better movie is, to my mind, like saying you prefer the frosting to the cake. Part 2 doesn't work without part 1.
To me, the entirety of the film hinges not on anything that happens in Part 2, but in the box scene early in part 1. This is the scene that sets Paul on the journey that costs him his humanity. And in classic Villeneuve style, it's a pure cinematic experience. The dialog of it only sets the stage. It's in the cinematography, music, and performance that the story is told. The scene is built on Chalamet's incredible ability to show you what's going on inside him. We literally watch Paul destroyed, and someone or something else emerges to take his place. Everything that happens with Paul, everything he becomes, is built on that test, and how it transformed him. Every triumph and tragedy of Part 2 hangs on that scene. And that all happens in Chalamet's performance, and Hans Zimmer's incredible score as it emphasizes Paul's transformation.
So as much as I appreciate the love expressed in this essay, I think it's a mistake to dismiss Part 1 as second-best. The two films are ultimately indivisible. And more importantly, I think it's good to remember that we don't have to use comparisons to elevate great art. It's not a contest, and there's no need for rankings. At least, that's my opinion.
Part 1 was chorent, part 2 very much wasn't. Big disappointment.
@@paintspot1509are you high?
Well duh, was OP really saying part 2 was better? It is indeed one story.
@@globesurfer122 There were a few comments about Part 2 being so much better than part one. And of course, I'm still not quite over my "Someone is wrong on the internet" compulsions. So please forgive my obsessiveness. Mostly, I just love this discourse and wanted to join in.
@@paintspot1509 I didn't think either of them were very good. I mean, if this is the best cinema ever, changing the nature of film, blahblahblah etc, well, we're screwed, bc part 2 is dreck. It starts off quickly (thank god!) and then is just becomes lame hard to follow palace intrigue. The climax was so bad. So lame. Christopher Walken as the emperor?? OMG. so dumb. So derivative.
I can hardly even put to words how true all of this video was. Dune was the most beautiful movie I have ever watched and no other film has ever invoked so much contrasting emotions in me.
I feel the same way you feel, you just managed to put it all into words and this video and I thank you for it.
After spending what feels like a decade on UA-cam, I've never been able to confidently declare a favorite content creator-until today, my friend. Your consistently top-tier content sets the bar in this space like no other.
This is the first video I’ve seen on this channel, and I’m blown away. I’m so happy I found this and it happened to be uploaded right after my first viewing of the film. I feel lucky to have watched both now!
thats very kind of you to say, thank you for checking out this video and the other content, I hope you continue to enjoy what's put out on the channel! It means a lot, thanks friend
Halfway into this and I'm still waiting for him to actually talk about the dang movie.
First time watching this. This is amazing. Thank you. Subscribed.
This is one of the best reviews I’ve ever seen. Bravo.
I’ve seen three movies more than once in the theater in my life. One because a date wanted to see a movie I’d already seen, the next being Mad Max: Fury Road. Then this.
I’ve seen it five times. On purpose. No regrets.
This is an imperfect film. As nearly every film is. But it’s a masterpiece. Full-stop. It’s a film that made me feel like I was being lifted from my body, living fully in the moment. It is everything I want sci-fi movies to be. In my mind it belongs in the same conversation as Alien/s, Stalker, Akira, Blade Runner, Terminator… all of it. But it’ll take time for it to solidify that position in the history of film. It’s probably too soon for such a placement. That’s fine, though. For now, I know I love it more than I have any movie in at least a decade. That’s more than enough.
I don't see how. The movies are better than the book, so far.
Dune 2 was very special for me. I never thought I'd see another film I loved and vicariously lived through the way I did with the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Dune 2 hit those same notes for me, and I have seen it 4 times. I am just taking my time trying to breath this in, because I know I probably won't see another movie on this level for a very long time.
As one who writes and reads to achieve an emotional and archetypal reaction, please allow me to compliment you. The script and it's relation to the footage shown was truly well done...
And I thank the gentleman.
Happy to see you covering this. I'm a huge Villeneuve fan and loved part 1, but dune part 2 is one of those rare films that had unreasonably high expectations before release and yet still managed to surpass them on basically every level. Can't wait to see what Villeneuve does next.
I thought it was a bit boring. He really went over the top on Paul’s reticence to become a ‘messiah’
@@patinho5589 just saw Dune 1 and thought it was pretty one dimensional and boring... sounds like part 2 kept with that theme lol
@@patinho5589if i knew billions of people will be murdered i would resist as hard as paul did
I watched Dune Part 2 twice, started the books a month ago and am already through the third one. I want to rewatch the movie and reread the first book all over again thanks to this gem of a commentary.
The series peaks with the fourth one (God Emperor), then goes downhill. That said, the final book, Sandworms of Dune, provides excellent fan service for those who suffered through books 5-7.
Book 5 is a thing, a thing that exists...
This is why we love cinema
I’d like to note in the first and second act how much more engaged the camera was when it came to Paul and Chani. I was so extremely invested in the emotional conflict and resolution between the two I almost felt my mood change from content to depressed as I saw Paul regress and the camera subtly moving away creating separation. Accessing the subconscious like that is mastery of an art form imo.
I absolutely love this review/essay. I've been to the theater six times for Dune part 2. The great council scene might be my single favorite moment in all of cinema. And it has never failed to give me chills. Just the anticipation from Paul walking through the sea of Freman, goosebumps hit me like a white phosphorus grenade. Straight-up war crime levels of hype.
People are quick to recognize Timothée Chalamet's performance as masterful. And it's true. But what really takes this scene to the absolute level of cinematic transmutation, from Paul to the Lisan Al-Gaib, is the Freman he's interacting with here.
Besides Stilgar... The other two Freman that Paul interacts with during the war council scene were just 😘👌 chef's kiss perfect. One Freman representing strength. The other representing wisdom.
The first Freman looks like an absolute monster of a killer. The look on his face when Paul asks if there is anyone here who could challenge him... his first reaction is like "boy, I will pull out your spine and hang it up on my wall before breakfast..."
And Paul starts to tell him about his grandmother. And how he's praying to her right now. And you can see these perfect subtle changes in his face. It's THE most mind blowing experience of his life... as Paul continues to set off neutron bombs in his brain, one by one.
And we still haven't heard a peep from this man, whose eyes start to drift up to make eye contact. And then Paul says it... "Dune!" And that's where we get the most incredible "ohF🤬🤬K..!" reaction I have ever seen. Gravity can't work fast enough for this man to hit the deck. His "Lisan Al-Gaib!!" is akin to "get down, you idiots!"
For the first time in his life, he is both terrified... And in love. You can feel the shock from everyone behind him as they hit the deck. They've NEVER seen their champion humbled before. It *must* be the Mahdi.
Now that Paul has humbled the most respected fighter in the war council, he turns to address the older wise man. Whom the elders no doubt follow as their most respected leader for his unparalleled wisdom. His garb is ceremonial. And he's already in awe of what he's just witnessed.
From his prior moments addressing Chani, and also telling Paul to take Stilgar's life and return his water to the well... we can tell he is a kind man, and a stickler for the Freman traditions. Always from a place of love and respect. Never pedantic. Everything is simple to him: "Northern woman... If you want to speak, you know what to do."
He doesn't discriminate. And he'd give the same respect to Stilgar as he would anyone who bested him in single combat.
Paul wastes no time addressing him from across the circle. Now that Paul has converted the younger Freman, his stride and demeanor suggests an impatience with anyone still on their feet. Pointing as if to say "if you're not kneeling by the time I reach you, I'll take YOUR water to the well. How DARE you tell me to kill my most trusted friend!!"
Paul yells for all to hear... "In your nightmares, you bring water to the dead. And it fills your heart with joy!!" You can see the old man's knees start to buckle. He immediately feels such shame for ever having the audacity to stand before the chosen one, and insisting he kill Stilgar if he wanted to be heard in this sacred space. He raises both arms above his head as he begins to kneel. Begging Paul for his mercy at such foolishness... "Mahdi!"
The house is now awestruck. All are kneeling, save for one man... Stilgar. Who represents faith, where the other two represent strength and wisdom.
Still holding his knife, Stilgar was ready to die for the greatest honor he could imagine. To bring forth the Lisan Al-Gaib. It's the moment he's been waiting for. Minutes before, he was so dialed in that Chani couldn't so much as get him to look at her. His focus is singular. Everything else is just noise.
He's been paralyzed by Paul's transformation before his eyes. Beyond his wildest dreams. His life's purpose utterly fulfilled. Although, we can still see his "spiritual blueballs." He wanted so badly to give his life. A chance to prove that HE ALONE knew the truth. That he was the MOST faithful. Now all the laughter and skepticism has been silenced. But he still lives. And therein lies the conflict within him.
It is the most joyful moment of his life. And at the same time, he is filled with this feeling of failure to sacrifice his life for the greatest purpose of all. And if you look closely, from this moment on, you can see it in his eyes. The tinge of sadness. He won't be truly satisfied until he can die for Paul. Until then, he'll be the pillar of unwavering faith. The first to chant. The first to step onto the field of battle. Anything less is just blasphemy. But right now, he's absolutely heartbroken by the rejection of his offer to sacrifice himself.
"Mahdi, what do you forsee for us?" Paul answers, "Green paradise." Stilgar drops to his knees as the last man to do so. His love for Paul is absolutely boundless. He begs the Messiah, on behalf of all Freman who have come before him. For every drop in the well of souls. "Lisan Al-Gaib... show us the way!"
You can literally feel the collective prayer in the room. It's never been more silent. All the gasps have been replaced by a sea of Freman holding their breath.
Paul begins his speech. Showing everyone his father's ring before sliding it onto his own finger. His speech is the most invigorating words any Freman could hear. Their prayers have been answered to a t. Stilgar is the first to rise. Now the knife he's been holding has a true purpose once more.
"LISAN AL-GAIB!! LISAN AL-GAIB!! LISAN AL-GAIB!!" No more blueballs for Stilgar.
It sounds like I'm kidding. But for Stilgar, his faith has created the most euphoric feeling anyone could imagine. He has chased this moment his whole life. Beyond the rapture of true love realized. All the pain and sorrow. All the mockery and ridicule. All the hope and longing.
Chani aside, all doubt has been silenced. It's a higher form of sexual release for Stilgar. Just look at his reaction to Paul telling the Freman to "lead them to Paradise" at the end. You've never felt such satisfaction in your life.
Dune part 2 might be the most watchable film I've ever seen. And that scene is the most powerful moment of cinema anyone could ask for. Even with Chani trying to keep the audience tethered to reality, that it's ultimately a bad thing in the grand scheme. Which just proves all the more how much this scene speaks to something deep within us.
It's the human condition. Your ego cannot help but recognize that *this is the absolute epitome of leadership personified.* Not just as a leader our ego yearns to become. But also as someone actually deserving of our following. WORTHY of our faith. WE are those Freman.
Humans are a mixture of many aspects. Strength, wisdom, faith, skepticism... That's what the scene demonstrates. And we can feel it from both sides, thanks to the most incredible ensemble cast... down to the Freman character with one line. Who become a mirror for Paul, and ourselves.
Thank you for making such a beautifully articulate love letter to this 10/10 perfectly imperfect film!
This is a great commentary. I’m so glad I found this video today.
Thank you for writing this. Brought me memories of watching the film. I feel I've gotta see it again
You worded this so extremely well.. I don't know what to say... Other than I wholeheartedly agree with you. This movie conveys the TRUEST forms of Humanity. Connecting to the Human experience without having to over explain anything. This movie respects the audiences intelligence in ways no movie has even come close to achieving in the modern era of storytelling.. It conveys all levels of social structures, faith, doubt, ego, humility, grace, connection. Embrace all the sides to our existence.
Huh. Only knowing about you from the madcap RLCS streams, this channel was a genuinely surprising thing to come across - and the content is incredible and really well-done too. I might be a couple years older than you but you're kind of an inspiration honestly, especially as someone also going through a period of unemployment who knows how hard it can be to stay motivated - I respect the hell out of the energy, hustle and output. Like, I hope RLCS picks you up next year, but at the same time, I hope they realize that they'd be lucky to have that talent onboard
(also the 'give a sub right now' song is a bop, idk who to credit between you and corelli but man, it's been stuck in my head for like 3 days now 😂)
9:08 - Yes, Dune movie is like a book: This is the impression that stunned me when i was watching part 1. The story unfolds in such book-like way, that the time stops to matter, and you could sit at the cinema for hours, taking in the story, just like you can read a book for hours. It is i think the cinematographic miracle that i apreciate the most in the Dune movie.
It’s as if you set out to give credence to every negative stereotype about the pretentious, overly self-serious and hyperbolic nature of video essays in one video, to the point of resembling satire. I love the passion. I love your points. The delivery, though, and your over-the-top framing of a great movie as the second coming of Christ (or Muad’Dib, if you prefer), along with the absolutely ludicrous video title all come off as grandiose and purple prose that betrays a lack of confidence in your ability to simply express the same thoughts in a more natural, grounded way. This is constructive criticism. If you absolutely see nothing of what I describe in your video, then please do ignore said criticism and keep doing you.
Have a snickers, Scroot. You’re not you when you’re hungry
Mate that intro was incredible 2:56 Finally gave the video a watch after months of UA-cam algo recommendations
Thanks for checking it out! I appreciate it
I've watched this 3 times now, and you're really putting into words everything I felt watching Dune pt. 2. Great essay. Liked and subbed. Keep up the good work!
1st time i seen dune 2 i walked away not knowing how to feel. I thought 'yeah its beautiful movie but is that all it is. Just one beautiful scene after another'. Then i went see it again. My brain had already processed the beauty so now i could actually watch the movie. I walked away stunned at how truly amazing the movie is. I wanted it to be longer. I cant wait for part 3 so i can watch all 3 parts as one.
It's kind of sad that this gets so much praise given that it still fell significantly short of the book by entirely omitting several key themes, altering several major plot points, and creating or killing off characters differently. For example, Alia, Paul's sister, kills the Baron with a Gom Jabbar during the attack on the capital in the books. She's 4 years old, but was captured LEADING a group of fremen during the attack on the Sietch. The attack on the Sietch was disastrous for the Sardakaur. It's remarked in the book that even though the Sietch was virtually only children, elders, and the sick or injured, they still nearly decimated the Sardakaurs.
I also wish they'd done more to make it clear to the audience that the Jihad was Paul's *least bad* option. Most people I've talked to did not catch that the Bene Gesserit testing Feyd with the Gom Jabbar and him being a cousin of Paul implied that Feyd may be capable of awakening as Paul had, or perhaps Feyd's children might. And he's just one of many, many branches the Bene Gesserit were cultivating. Paul saw a future with multiple people becoming Kwisatz Haderach all across the Great Houses and Guilds, then waging war on each other using their prescience, making decisions based on things that hadn't happened yet, and may never happen, back and forth, creating a tangled mess of futures, all of them terrible.
The "narrow path" Paul saw gets elucidated significantly in the coming sequels, but it's far more brutal than the jihad. The jihad was Paul sacrificing the path to adhere in some small way to the morals of his father. Which reminds me that they removed the birth and death of Paul's first child from the story as well...
THANK YOU❤ ! A MILLION!!! You exactly exspress my feelings...in such articulate way ..i have tears listening and watching your video! Iam a 70years young grandma...a cinema lover... never has a movie captivate my emotions like that...i have been twice to see it on IMAX...both times were very intense...my stomach gets in a knot...i have to control not to cry...at moments even out of breath ...especially on some of those gorgeous landscapes scenes! I read the books many years ago , i reread them lately...love them ! But in a way ( sorry for the purist ) i loved..loved the movies even more! Everything that i imagined DV put it times better on screen. Truly a MASTERPIECE!!!
I’ve seen Dune 2 three times so far, and every subsequent viewing made me more and more excited to witness this spectacle. I have never seen a film like this ever, and I doubt I will see another like it.
Denis Vilenueve is an absolute legend! He and the Nolan brothers are the best directors of our generation… and with the rapidly evolving cinematic technological advancements completely transforming the way we experience films they have encapsulated those visuals in the most profound, satisfyingly beautiful yet realistic imagery that leaves you feeling euphoric in every sense and yet still a visceral and basic emotional connection to the characters and the storyline… It’s an artistic masterpiece. It is absolutely a film that you experience instead of just “watching a movie”. I highly recommended watching it in an IMAX THEATER if you had the opportunity… however a large household TV and/or projector with at least decent sound system will still be epic… I mean it’s so good you could watch it on your phone…
As a millennial with a lifelong love of Lord of the Rings directly because of Jackson's trilogy, I am glad that the Zoomers have found their generation defining masterpiece. It's inspiring to know that art isn't dead yet. These are the kinds of films I thought I'd never see again after 2003.
i saw dune 2 three times in theaters, my first time ever seeing anything more than twice in theaters. the second watch was in imax and i think it fundamentally changed my life (being also my first time seeing Anything in imax). as you said it felt like watching history
In an era where good movies are becoming increasingly rare, and our expectations are constantly having to be lowered, it's inspiring to see Denis Villeneuve and all the other creative people that worked with him accomplish something that not only stands out in this current benighted era of filmmaking, but which stands out in the whole 130-year era of filmmaking.
"The purest distillation of filmmaking that is humanly possible" is a claim so extreme and presumptuous of film history that I don't really know how to tell you this other than bluntly: watch more movies and in 20 years come back to this video.
Yeah I'm kind of blown away by all this. Dune was pretty good, I actually don't remember a lot of it and I saw it last week. But Ran by Kurisawa... Man I watched that movie during covid and it has haunted me since.
No beef with Denis, probably one of the best directors going right now, but damn has there been jaw dropping stuff done in the 70's & 80's.
@@PageIsYourGod I really wanna watch Kurisawa's but I just haven't done it yet. I need to get on that. So many movies to watch!
@@Wax_Man hahaha they never seem to end! Yeah, when you get the chance give him a whirl. Especially the black and white stuff. Then give ran a go and just watch his use of colours. It's astonishing.
@@PageIsYourGod From the clips I've seen it really is the blocking and camera movement (or the lack of camera movement and the movement of the characters) that I think I will enjoy the most. Did he do some films in color? I didn't know that
"watch more movies and in 20 years come back to this video."
Elitist much?
You completely disregarded the subjective nature of art and media and made that condescending remark towards the creator of this video essay.
Maybe keep that ugly snark to yourself next time.
You have taken all the little thoughts and musings I've had over the past 3 weeks over which time I've seen the film 3 times. It is a fantastic film and tribute to the highest order of excellence.
New phyrexia was a great connection. Excellent Video with even better articulation, thanks for taking the time to publish it! subscribed :)
An absolutely necessary and overdue essay. I bow my head for you sir. People asked me if I have seen this movie and how I liked it. How I liked it? How can you describe a dream? Combined with art into a masterpiece. How could I ever explain them what I have seen? This essay gives the answer to what I should have said, but was not able to find the words. For this I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
"... I know never before has science fiction found its rightful steward." What about Stanley Kubrik's 2001 or Ridley Scott's Alien and Bladerunner? We have had some great directors in the past. We've just been in a sci fi drought for awhile for reasons I do not know.
This is the praise I wanted to give this movie, but couldn't find the words. This is perhaps the greatest movie I have ever seen in theaters. The way you describe it resonates with me and manifests my love for it. I was so enthrolled by this movie that I started reading the books (currently on the fourth book: god emperor) and I genuinely think the movie adaptation is better than the source material. Perhaps that is because I watched the movies first, but chani's character in particular for part two is far more nuanced than her role in the book. Also agree with your praise of timmy in this movie.. I honestly wasn't a huge fan of him before (likey just a lack of appreciation) but his embodiment of Muad'dib in this movie is enthralling; huge respect for him as an actor after this movie and I can't imagine anyone else as Muad'dib after seeing it.
Amazing review of whats great in the movie (love the sardaukar intros for each section btw) and I thank you for the wonderful exposition on this movie that has become very dear to me ❤
The last time a movie had this kind of effect on me was over 30 years ago when I was in high school. We went on a "field trip" to see the remastered re-release of Lawrence of Arabia on the big screen. My movie soul was born that day... I was literally transubstantiated by that experience. Watching Dune Part Two re-awakened that part of my soul, as if the two points of time and space had folded into one another. The thing that truly surprised me was that, even though Dune Part One was a good movie, I was kind of underwhelmed by it to be perfectly honest, so I was simply and completely unprepared for how PHENOMENAL Part Two was! Every few minutes I found myself thinking.. "oh my god, is this actually happening?!" It was stunning and breathtaking and unreal in almost every imaginable way.
I wish Denis could see this video, he would really appreciate it.
You comparing Giedi Prime to New Phyrexia made me think of how much Jace was crafted out of Paul, only for Paul to now take his visual queues from Jace's design. Someone in costume design did get the reference, and ran with it.
I was wondering what this video essay reminded me of: Rhystic Studies' videos have a very similar cadence and structure to this video or, well, vice-versa.
Ok I saw this movie twice before, once at a standard theater, the second time at an Imax, but today I went to see it a 3rd time at our State Imax theater (84ft screen), and I can't get enough of this movie. Words could not express how I felt about this movie until I watched this review. There have been few sci fi/fantasy stories that have pulled me into their universe like this has. This is truly a cinematic experience.
i cant wait to be able to atch both films back to back (directors cut perhaps if there is one)
Me too!
Wait, art is best when made by artists and not corporate ghouls? Who'da thunk it...
The revelation of the century!!
To say it is the end of modern cinema is to imply it is the new benchmark of postmodern cinema. In other words, the end of modern mythology... the end of High Art in Cinema, the end of meaning. Postmodernism has been slowly seeping into the mainstream for decades. Villeneuve, in Dune 2, merely perfected the new formula of all style, no substance. Hyper verisimilitude. No timeless universal Truth. A spice-induced fever-dream spectacle for the eyes, ears, and intellect, but a stark desert for the soul, as vast and unwieldy as the planet whose name the film appropriated. To call Dune 2 a masterpiece is not a statement of fact about its nature as a work of art, but rather a window into the state of the art form itself. Just as visual art degenerated into modernism, and literature into postmodernism, Dune 2 completes the degeneration of cinema into pure aestheticism, intellectualism, with a smattering of identity politics, genderism, atheism, post-colonialism, etc. Completely devoid of any genuine universal Truth, like modern art and postmodern literature. The nuggets of wisdom saturating Herbert's books have been largely redacted. The deep esoteric symbolism twisted and neutered for "modern audiences." The allegory bleached of its spirit. The individual in the pinned comment cried only because his beloved father was not there to share the cinematic experience with him. He was not moved to tears by what was on screen but by the empty seat next to him. Just as we were not moved to tears by Dune 2. Nor do we feel any need to ever re-watch it. We did, however, re-watch the Spicediver Cut of David Lynch's 1984 Dune immediately after, if for no other reason than to confirm just how devoid of meaning Villeneuve's Dune is. Just as we have never felt the need to re-watch Blade Runner 2049 but have seen the original Blade Runner countless times. We who have found ourselves moved to tears by art, music, theatre, film, and moments of genuine Truth and beauty our whole lives, felt absolutely nothing...we were utterly unmoved by Villeneuve's monument to postmodern cinema. Plato said "to put reality on the stage is a vulgarity." The hyper verisimilitude of Dune that everyone triumphs as a masterwork of cinematic storytelling does not High Art make. One will learn more wisdom from the rubberized puppet Yoda in Empire Strikes Back than one will from all the naturalized characters from Dune parts 1 and 2 combined. One can re-watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy endlessly and be moved to tears every time Sam says "I can't carry it for you...but I can carry you!" Why? Because allegorically, we are witnessing the mortal vessel bucking-up to carry his Innermost Being in the face of impossible odds for the sake of completing their sacred quest...it is Hanuman in the service of Rama on their quest to liberate Krishna. It is the universal struggle felt by all mortal beings as they strive to fulfill their destiny in life. Like the Wizard of Oz, Apocalypse Now, Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, The Lion King (animated), The Shawshank Redemption, and countless other modern myths cloaked in perennial favorites of cinema, we return to said stories because of the Truths about the human spirit they allegorize and embody. Unless one has some subjective personal connection to the film, like the individual in the pinned comment, no one will be watching Villeneuve's Dune again and again, because its lesson is "don't try living up to your destiny...just get your revenge and take what you can for yourself." Oh, and forget about "behind every great man was a great woman"...no, the message of Villeneuve's Dune is, "abandon your man and do your own thing". For the feminine aspect of the human being to turn its back on the masculine aspect (for hume to abandon manas) is something that the individual Divine Mother in every human's life would NEVER DO. Why do you think so many unmarried career women in their 30's. 40's and 50's are so unhappy these days having been so misled by feminism? No one will make it an annual tradition to re-watch these two Dune films because their postmodern messaging is an insult to the spirit of humankind. In the same way no one is moved to tears by a Jackson Pollack painting. Dune 2 offers the depths of the human spirit nothing of value. No reason to return to it. So you're right: it's the end of Modern Cinema: the birth of the cold, heartless, soulless monster of postmodern cinema.
🎤 💥
Dude careful, this amount of reaching is very dangerous for the human spine
Fascinating. What is "genderism"?
@@El-Duderino42 genderism encompasses what used to be called "feminism"...but since that term is no longer acceptable/politically correct in the eyes of the radical left (since it implies gender is biological and not a cultural construct), the new term is genderism: discrimination based on one's chosen gender. Surely you have noticed the obsession with transgenderism in recent years? The radical left refuse to accept any biological or indeed, natural, definition of "what is a man/woman?" To them, gender is all just cultural constructs. Genderism, then, is all about leveraging the victim status of "the feminine gender" that includes (in order of priority: (1) biological men who identify as women, (2) biological women, (3) biological women who identify as men, (4) lesbians, (5) various gender fluid classifications of either biological gender.
Gay men and their concerns are more or less excluded, ignored.
Straight men are not only excluded, their issues are labelled "toxic masculinity," "the patriarchy," "incels," etc.
This was the last movie i watched with my dad in theater before he became terminally ill. I was in awe with how profound it felt compared to all the lesser movies that came out recently. Dad was pleased and excitedly told me the lore and subtle differences from the books, but that it was good. I am normally a bitter & skeptical critic that is fed up with modern audience trite, but when watching this i was silently observing this masterpiece unfold. This movie demands attention and captivates the audience. it ain't perfect 100%, but my god i'd put this up their with the likes of Peter Jackson's Lord of the rings, Starwars OT or Jurassic Park. Something that i feel will define a generation; something to show my children and their children someday. No modern propaganda, no cringe, just pure escapism on a grand scale. With Dad, this was a good bonding moment before he was gone. This movie is going to kill lesser studios that will unfortunately be compared to it.
Do you know what else I love the most about Dune 2. Is that as unbelievable as it sounds, in the future there will be movies that are even better than it, because screenwriters, actors, world designers and directors will have to set the bar way way higher and completely re-imagine their ideas to make a movie that's better than Dune 2 and those movies will be just spectacular. In fact all the resources of the entertainment industry should go into making those movies.
Just as this the bar for this movie was raised by Lord of the Rings.
@emeraldcity789 yes exactly 💯.
Amazing review. What a great start and end of this. Your best was pretty good, my friend.