With its unexpected twists and unique take on science fiction, many fans of the “Dune” series left after seeing “Dune: Part Two,” feeling fascinated by yet another adaptation of the books.
“Dune: Part Two” picks up right where it left off from the first film with Paul Atreides and his mother Jessica left in the desert in the home of the Fremen on the planet of Arrakis.
“It is a big, epic, science fiction film set thousands of years in the future dealing with new politics, royal families and dukes all pitting over this one planet because it has the most valuable resource in the universe,” AMC supervisor Colin Borden said.
According to Borden, “Dune: Part Two” exceeded his expectations.
“I was hoping it would pick up where the first one left off and give me the political intrigue that I loved in the first one as well as great visuals, great sound, great music and more sandworms,” Borden said.
Borden also read the book “Dune” and was satisfied that the movie could still capture the same elements of the written story.
“The book really does flesh out this world and all the different creatures, all the different factions of the Fremen. I was unsure if the movie would be able to tackle all of that, but it did,” Borden said.
According to Ngee Ann Polytechnic student Hazel Lin, the first movie may have been seen as “slow.” Many fans like that the sequel has more action and suspense, as well as “higher stakes.”
“If you like sci-fi movies, I would say ‘Dune’ is like a slow burn of sci-fi. It’s a very slow burn. If you have the patience, go for it,” Lin said.
Though Lin was disappointed by the lack of action in the first film, she believes the cinematics made up for it. This led her to set high expectations for the second movie to have just as high quality since the cinematography took “Dune” to “a whole new level.”
According to AMC Supervisor Nick Borowski, there is a lot more happening in the second “Dune” movie compared to the first.
“There are so many storylines going on at once but it doesn’t ever feel like it’s crammed. It’s a lot going on but it’s something that you want to follow along with,” Borowski said. “Together it all meshes well.”
Many “Dune” fans find the franchise unique for a variety of reasons.
“[The director] really makes sure each of the characters has their own personalities,” Lin said.
For many, seeing the characters’ growth between the first and second “Dune” films was an enjoyable part of the sequel.
“I like the second one better because you see more development of the characters, how they grow,” Allentown resident Cristo Garcia said.
The characters are a major part of what Borden loves about the “Dune” franchise.
“I love its character development, its deeply flawed layered characters, as well as the gorgeous visuals and the actors that they have in it are amazing,” Borden said.
The complex characters caused Borowski to be more invested in the story.
“You just want to know what happens because you really care for the characters, so you want to see how they end up,” Borowski said.
“Dune” fans also appreciate the new characters that were added to the story in “Dune: Part Two” and the characters who have more screen time in the new movie compared to when they “only had a couple of scenes” in the first movie.
“I thought they were great. I loved Feyd-Rautha that they introduced in [‘Dune: Part Two’],” Borden said. “Even though Zendaya’s character isn’t new, she has way more screen time in this new [movie.] Her character was so fleshed out and Zendaya portrayed her so well. Same with Stilgar, he also only had maybe five minutes in the last [movie].”
“Dune: Part Two” had a more “complete” ending than the first.
“It has the resolution, but it also leaves it open for the next one to come out, too,” Borowski said.