Following the massive success of the first Dune movie directed by Denis Villeneuve, there was a ton of anticipation leading up to the second film’s release, and boy did it deliver. The end of the first film of Dune left Paul Atreides stranded learning the Fremen (local people of Dune) ways, and trying to recover from the brutal invasion of the Harkonnens on the city of Arrakeen on planet Arrakis.

First off, Dune 2 starts with a thrilling opening scene where Paul has to fight off Harkonnen soldiers. This scene is a good way to open up the movie with a bang, and from that moment on there is a lot of action, something that was lacking in the first film. We are introduced to many new characters, such as the brutal Harkonnen Feyd-Rautha, who is the main antagonist throughout the film. 

As the movie progresses, the plot of Paul being the messiah, or the Lisan al Gaib as the Fremen call it, thickens. One of my favorite scenes was when Paul first learned to ride the sandworm. While the movie had been building up Paul to be the Lisan al Gaib, he still needed to pass another test, being able to ride a sandworm. The tension rises as Paul climbs to the top of the dune and places the thumper, calling the sandworm. The Fremen also say the sandworm is bigger than anything they’ve seen before, building the suspense. Finally, Paul jumps on the back of the sandworm struggles to stay on it, but eventually can start riding it. Everyone is stunned, and the leader of the Fremen, Stilgar, is determined by that point, that Paul is the Lisan al Gaib. 

In addition, the beautiful cinematography stood out to me during the entire movie. The film has so many jaw-dropping shots of Arrakis and the sandworms. The portrayal of the Harkonnens is also done perfectly, just showing how brutal they are. The dystopian world of Giedi Prime, home of the Harkonnens, is shown in a way that makes you feel the true evil and darkness of the Harkonnens.

The plot of Paul turning from the hero to the villain is also astonishing, and the movie follows the point that there is no good side and no one is really in the right. There are not any downsides to this movie, other than the fact that it can be kind of confusing for people who haven’t read the books. Overall Dune 2 is a must-watch movie and is one of the best sci-fi films of all time.