Warner Bros. Pictures

With its beautiful cinematography, visceral action, dark score by Hans Zimmer, and interesting character arcs, Dune: Part Two is a great addition to the already amazing Dune franchise.
Some of the new characters introduced in this movie are played by great actors, they do little besides wearing interesting costumes. Christopher Walken glares as the Emperor, Florence Pugh wears outfits inspired by Medieval knights, and Léa Seydou appears briefly as a Bene Gesserit assigned to collect a genetic sample.
The overwhelming sense of spectacle is where this film shines. The spaceships, the spice harvesters, and the Harkonnen homeworld of Gedi Prime all look incredible. There are numerous shots of the beautiful desert sands of Arrakis. The visual effects are remarkable for their underlying tangible quality, reminding me of the last Star Wars trilogy.
My only, somewhat minor issue with the film would be that the plot didn’t flow as smoothly as I would’ve liked it to. I felt like the film was jumping from scene to scene instead of flowing between scenes. This did become less of an issue the more I watched the film, probably because I became more familiar with the plot and its structure.
Given that movies are primarily a visual medium, I don’t want to begrudge Villeneuve for gazing intently at the sights his staff was able to conjure up through CGI. However, he tends to linger giving the proceedings a ponderous atmosphere. I also grew tired of the frequent Middle Eastern wailing women on the soundtrack. I chuckled at Villeneuve’s visualization of “Riding the Worm” as the dustiest chariot ride ever.
Something else about the cinematography in Dune: Part Two that particularly stood out to me, was the blocking and staging during the fight scenes. The way the camera moved along with the characters looked well choreographed and dynamic, placing the viewer right in between the action and adding to the immersion of the action.
Overall, Dune Part Two was an amazing theater experience and a great continuation of the Dune story. It is an overwhelming sensory overload that I am going to enjoy many more times to come. Dune Messiah can’t come soon enough.