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Dune 2 is repulsive, creepy, and... incredible! We review Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya's return
Oct 7, 2024
Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya return for Dune 2, the second installation in Denis Villeneuve's trilogy of sci-fi movies inspired by American author Frank Herbert's book.
But can Dune 2 live up to the hype of the first movie?
City A.M.'s Life&Style team Steve Dinneen and Adam Bloodworth discuss everything from Chalamet to Zendaya, the sci-fi effects, storyline and desert scene scapes in the new film, which is out in cinemas on 1 March.
Read their thoughts on the five biggest moments here ⬇️
https://www.cityam.com/dune-2-the-5-biggest-moments-in-timothee-chalamet-fantasy-sequel/
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0:00
We gave them something to hope for
0:02
That's not hope! May thy knife chip and shatter. So Dune 2, is it better than Dune 1
0:17
Okay, so June 2, here's my confession. I haven't seen June 1
0:21
So you're making a video about Dune 2 without having seen Dune 1? I'm making a video about June 2 without seeing June 1
0:26
I can't imagine what watching Dune 2 must have been like not having watched the first film
0:30
It's such a partner to the first film that were you lost all the way through
0:35
Not all the way through, but I accepted very early on that I had my two houses, I was going to follow the houses, there was some San Joons
0:44
there was lots of Tim Chalamey with a big wind machine, making him look pretty, and that was the benchmark that I set for the film
0:52
I think, look, I just accepted that there was loads of detail I wasn't going to get, but as somebody new to the franchise, I think you can absolutely go in to Juneteen to the film
0:59
going to June 2 having not seen June 1. I mean, I wouldn't recommend going into
1:02
Dune 2 without having seen Dune 1 either, because Dune 1 is a classic of it
1:07
It's one of the best blockbusters ever made. I would go as far as that, but Dune 2 is even
1:11
better than that. I think it will hold up in the same way that people still watch
1:14
Lord of the Rings. For you, June 2 beats Dune 1. Dune 2 beats Dune 1, yeah. I mean, I feel
1:21
they are, you could edit them together into a single film. They are so
1:24
intrinsically linked. So it's more of the same, but it's more of the same, if you know what I mean
1:31
It feels like it's bigger and it's more spectacle. I think the Paul against the evil Austin Butler, Harkonan, is so good
1:41
He's such a good antagonist. Like, he just feels so like dirty and beautiful at the same time
1:50
Like it's such a really, like a good contrast to Paula Trudis as well
1:53
Tell us what you thought of the story this time round because I'm not the guy to talk about that. I can talk about it being as beautiful visual
1:58
spectacular but for someone who's more of an expert how was the story of June Part 2 compared to Part 1? I don't want to give any major spoilers but I mean
2:07
it very much continues from the story of Jean Pot 1 I think it's a slightly more
2:11
focused story there's a much better antagonist I mean the scenes where there's
2:17
warfare in the desert really really brings back memories of watching the Gulf War on TV and that idea of these hostile foreign forces colonial forces going out there to extract resources
2:28
I think it really hammers home the allegory between Spice which is the sort of mythical hallucinogenic
2:34
material that they have on the world of Iraqis in Dune and oil in the real world
2:39
It's, you know, it underlines that idea of the sort of folly of sending soldiers to die
2:45
in a hostile desert environment. did you think about the way the film looked
2:49
I mean, I was, again, that was the part that I could really lean into
2:53
And I think the average Joe, who hasn't seen part one, who gets dragged along with their girlfriend, or boyfriend
2:57
or mom or dad that goes to see June Part 2. That's the bit they can luxuriate in
3:02
You know, we talked about it being, as I said earlier, more disturbing than terrifying. I mean, there's a real creepiness that sort of pervades
3:07
the entire 2 hours, 45 minutes. I didn't lose focus on the gorgeous scenescapes
3:11
the Misan, the kind of scorched earth, the sort of endless sort of beautiful tones, the sunsets, the sunrises
3:20
It's all sort of pegged to nature, but the fights, there's one beautiful fight, as you say, between the two main antagonists
3:25
against this burnt orange sort of, you're like, it's sort of naturalistic
3:30
but it's so highly stylized as well. You're always living in this sort of weird
3:35
sort of dystopian world where you're not quite, you know, you're kind of in somewhere relatable
3:40
and you're kind of in somewhere recognizable, but you're also somewhere really hostile
3:45
Put you in that vastness the desert kind of recalls the gladiator, Bridley Scott's Gladiator and even Lawrence of
3:52
Arabia just in the hugueness of it. Short as well in Abu Dhabi and you know there are points
3:58
where they just sort of really rain it back and you just got Timothy Chalamate on a sand dune. It is just one of the most remote, vast, barren, imaginable scenescapes in the world and to sort
4:09
of luxuriate in that. So not having seen Dune 1 were you expecting the sandworms? Did you know
4:14
in advance about the sandworms? No, I didn't know in advance about the sand worms
4:18
What was your feeling when this 400 metre worm erupted from the sand
4:25
They, to be honest, they look really cool, but for me, it's just the naturalistic stuff is what interests me
4:31
It was interesting when we were talking about this earlier, like the part, the sci-fi parts
4:36
I'm just, I'm not a sci-fi guy. They do look cool. They do look really really cool But for me it just this sort of dystopian kind of gameplay where you just you not you not quite sure where you are You kind of you kind of in the real world you kind of not
4:52
I never found anything scary. I never found any of the, any of the sort of, any of the sort of CGI stuff scary
4:59
I just found it all really creepy. The creepy part for me was like the bit where they extract, again, it's the human elements
5:06
The bits where they extract the liquid from dead bodies to keep in a left
5:10
take underground for resourcing later. They don't drink it, they use it to other things
5:15
And you sort of go, wow, that's dark, that is effed up
5:19
Everyone in that film is creepy. Like you look at the witches and you're like
5:23
you look at the Hoconans and you're like, like everyone just sort of makes your skin crawl a little bit
5:28
And then you've got Stellan Scarsgaard who lounges in this bath of
5:32
oil, this like repulsive, fat grub-like man who sort of floats around with these balls of oxygen
5:40
floating around with them. It's so good. I love that. Like I love that in my soul. It's so fun
5:45
That's so true that they all make your skin crawl. One of that actually lasting memories of it for me was thinking about those mass crowds and the way and the choreography of the way that they were moving, the public, the watchers, the onlookers. It was just hideous
5:59
One thing that isn't hideous in the film is Zendaya. What did you make of her performance? There's been endless questions by journalists about her IRL relationship with Chalamey, which he bats away like a
6:10
like a Roger Federer backhand down the line. What did you make as Zendaya
6:15
Did you feel any of their personal chemistry on screen? Or did you think she was just..
6:20
What did you make of her? Yeah, I think there's chemistry there. In the way there's chemistry between any two characters
6:26
it feels a little bit like every character exists kind of in isolation in the Dune universe
6:32
They all have their role to fulfill. But having said that, she's great
6:36
She needs to be a strong lead. You need to really buy her as a warrior, and you do
6:39
And there are tender moments between the two of them. Did you agree with that? Yeah, I think probably the same age-old criticism
6:45
as we had with Killers of the Flower Moon last year with Lily Gladstone's phenomenal performance
6:50
I could have seen more of Zendaya. I could have heard more of Zendaya. I think there's probably one or two
6:54
too many big bulgy eye shots of her sort of looking lustfully towards Timothy
6:59
So, yeah, I would bang the feminist drum a little bit and say I would have liked to have heard of it Of course she a huge monumental part of the script but I think always with these films you can see more of the female lead and she could have had a bit more texture What did you think of Shalemate
7:15
I think he's good. I think he's a great leading man. We know he's a great leading man. For me, there was like half of the film is Timothy Chalemay
7:23
sort of pouting into the middle distance with a wind machine, blowing his locks around
7:27
And look, he's a gorgeous guy. We all want Tim Salomey on our bedroom wall or his face
7:33
transplanted on 12s but I don't know if we needed an hour and a half of a wind
7:37
machine blowing his hair around while he looked into the middle distance for me like this is a big budget massive blockbuster film it needs his leading man
7:44
and it's got his leading man it was a little bit on the nose at times the
7:48
directorial choices with him glancing off pouting with his hair blowing around
7:53
but he's he's a good actor I don't think the fight scenes were particularly
7:59
impressive I think he's maybe struggles with the fight choreography slightly he's a
8:03
He's a skinny guy, maybe he didn't feel comfortable. You know, there's allegations of being a bit of a diva on set
8:08
Who knows? We disagree a little on this. I was so immersed in the film that I was not thinking what was a stunt double
8:16
What was Timothy Shalemite? I was just like, what is happening in front of me
8:20
This is amazing. Like, it lasted for almost three hours, and I could have sat there for another three hours
8:25
It's just being immersed in that world. I was not thinking actors and cameras
8:29
I was just thinking, what an amazing place it is to be. I think that's the difference between how we approached it and that's really healthy
8:35
I think for us both. It's interesting to have that difference of opinion. And on that note, what do you think about the future of June
8:41
We've got another whole three hour probably beautiful piece to luxury in
8:47
We've got a couple of years to wait. Definitely going to be another piece coming out with the same cast and crew
8:53
How are you feeling? Do you think they can do it again or do you think this was just too? This is being called, this critics are saying this has reinvented the blockbuster
9:00
Do you think the third one can take it to the next level, or do you think two is actually enough enough
9:04
I would be amazed if they didn't make a third movie, given the box office and critical success
9:08
It is a blockbuster like nothing else. It's not like any other film I've seen
9:13
It's amazing. I can't wait for it, yeah. Without getting into too much of a loving
9:18
it feels like a real privilege to watch these films. Someone making blockbuster's this intelligent
9:22
and this sort of engrossing and immersive. Nobody else is doing anything like Dennis Field of
9:27
It's real, like, sometimes you have to sort of pinch yourself when you're watching it
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