Minor spoilers for Dune: Part Two.

Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated sequel has finally released to universal praise, and I have been fully swept up in the Dune fever.  Discussion surrounding this movie has been inescapable in the past week, and it’s undeniable that we’re witnessing a milestone in cinema. I love the feeling of being able to tell you’re going through something important in a medium’s history; I felt it last summer with the success of Oppenheimer, and now that this film is becoming as popular as it is, I can say that I was there, at the earliest moment possible. It’s so fun to sit in a packed theater and be able to tell that you’re watching a classic; something that will be iconic for years to come. I personally believe that Villeneuve cemented himself as one of the best directors around years ago, but he still has many doubters, and Dune: Part 2 just helps my case. This is a stone-cold masterpiece, and likely one of the best sequels of all time; it turned me into a Dune fan practically overnight, and it’s so nice to see a movie with the runtime and heavy focus on dialogue of Dune: Part 2 reach the success it already has in one week.

If I had to pick one specific area to praise Villeuneuve for, it would have to be his ability to depict scale; his previous sci-fi efforts like Enemy, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049 all contain some of the most mind-blowingly large settings I’ve ever seen in a sci-fi film, and Dune: Part 2 somehow manages to take it to another level above all of them. Almost every scene in this movie is packed with jaw-dropping vistas, and some of the best effects I’ve ever seen; I will never understand how it looks this good with a budget of $190 million. I love how it also focuses on smaller aspects of the world- for example, in the scene where Paul calls a sand worm, the camera is completely taken up by the thumper, before panning out to a wide shot of the worm approaching, and Paul preparing to jump. The contrast between the miniscule details and the large-scale settings is very interesting to watch, and makes the more epic scenes that much more impactful. I must also comment on the sound; I hadn’t seen a film in IMAX in a long time, but it is absolutely essential for Dune: Part Two. The knife fight between Paul and Feyd stands as one of the best examples of this, as Villeneuve tells Hans Zimmer to relax for a minute, and only lets us hear the clang of knives and the struggle of the characters for the entire scene as the two duel to the death. Seeing the gorgeous cinematography on a screen as big as those found in an IMAX theater mixed with some of the loudest and most impactful sound design I’ve ever heard made for a truly memorable experience, and you could tell that everybody in the theater was amazed by what they were witnessing.

Dune: Part Two also manages to provide some of the better performances I’ve seen in a blockbuster; I love when a film casts a large group of well-known actors and they all get to try and outperform each other. Timothée Chalamet gives his most commanding role yet, perfectly portraying Paul Atreides as he becomes more power hungry and gains more control over the Fremen. He becomes less and less of a protagonist throughout the story, and Chalamet represents this fantastically; his line delivery and mannerisms become much more intimidating and confident towards the end, and the best acting in the entire movie takes place when he gives his big speech about leading the Fremen to paradise. While I’d definitely say that his role was the best of the film, I’d be lying if I said Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha wasn’t my favorite. Butler steals every scene he’s in, delivering a delightfully psychotic villain that takes all attention away from whatever else is happening. It’s common knowledge that Butler devotes himself to his roles, and you can really tell how much he put into the Harkonnen leader. The way he portrays Feyd is so interesting to me; the makeup and shaved head probably help, but I never felt as if I was watching someone give a performance- Feyd feels like a real person, and stands as one of the best movie villains in recent memory. I also really enjoyed Zendaya as Chani, who stands as the emotional core of the film. She’s what keeps Paul grounded for much of it, and is the one you feel for the most when he makes the decisions he does later on. Of course, everybody in the film is fantastic, and I also loved the energy that Stellan Skarsgård, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem brought to their roles, but the three standouts are without a doubt Chalamet, Butler, and Zendaya.

While I have not yet read the novel, I have fallen in love with the story of Dune. It’s one of the most creative Sci-Fi worlds to ever exist, and the allegories it provides, while not the deepest, are very impactful. You could connect the story to many real-world issues, but the most clear to me is that of oil in the middle east; spice, the substance that powers all space travel in the Dune universe, is mined on Arrakis, a barren desert planet that sparks wars, all while the native inhabitants of the planet suffer. Of course, you could substitute many of these variables and create an entirely new connection, but to me, it seems clear that Frank Herbert wrote the original story as a reference to this main issue. I believe that one of the strongest cases for a well-written story is when you can draw connections to many different parts of your life or the lives of those around you, and Dune certainly checks this box. I have seen some discourse surrounding those that believe Paul to be a protagonist, and I find it laughable how so many have this opinion when the film makes it so obvious. Paul and Lady Jessica exploit the more religious Fremen population into believing that Paul is the Lisan Al-Gaib, and he promises that he will singlehandedly lead them to a better life. At one point, Paul has a vision of the destruction, war, and the death of billions if he traveled South, and completely ignores this, even after his visions have proven to be accurate in the past. It can be a disturbing story, watching Paul and Jessica gain power over the Fremen, and slowly realizing that House Atreides and House Harkonnen are more similar than you initially thought, especially when you consider the fact that House Atreides had (albeit brief) complete control over Arrakis, just like the Harkonnens did for so long.

Right now is the perfect time to become a Dune fan. While I liked the first one a lot, its sequel is what really converted me, and I decided quite literally overnight that I was going to watch other adaptations, and read at least a few of the books. We are witnessing a true moment for film right now, and I strongly recommend partaking in the hype. Dune: Part Two absolutely delivers everything you would want out of it: a compelling story, strong characters and performances, gorgeous visuals, and sound that will make your seat shake. Villeneuve is one of my favorite directors at this point, and this film shot up to the second spot on my ranking of his films right after I saw it. It may seem that this would be a difficult film to enjoy for casual viewers, but don’t let the runtime scare you away; Villeneuve has crafted this series to be both satisfying to fans and accessible to new fans, which is one of the most important achievements of any adaptation. I’m very interested to see how he handles Dune Messiah, as I’ve heard of a lot of plotlines that will be difficult to adapt. While this is the first film I’ve seen this year, I have no doubt that it will stay at the top, and I genuinely cannot recommend it more. Dune: Part Two is a 10/10, and is Denis Villeneuve’s latest masterpiece.