I can say with confidence that DUNE:PART TWO is neither better nor worse than Part One. Visuals are impressive. Writing is dismal. The actors do what they can. Austin Butler is welcome as the psychotic villain -- the villains, as so often in these epics, get the most bang for the buck. Non scenery-chewers tend to come off worse, but somehow Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya emerge from it all as people you might bump into -- quite an achievement in Ms Ferguson's case, given how ludicrous her role is. Timothee Chalamet, in spite of his essential gentleness and small frame, is able to dig deep and bring out a Shakesperean actor's energy when he needs to, which is just as well, as he does need to here. The whole project is mired in dismal quasi-religious mumbo-jumbo, permitting the kind of mentality that luxuriates in conspiracy theories and is turning our planet into an impossible place to navigate. It is, literally, unhealthy.
Review of Dune: Part Two
