Dune: Part Two , one of the most anticipated films of the year, has arrived after a longer wait than expected, and the reviews seem to confirm that Canadian director Denis Villeneuve has outdone himself.

“Villeneuve’s film is a huge success, it works on an even wider canvas than the first one Dunes – but it is imbued with a deep sadness, a quality that sets it apart from other modern blockbusters,” writes The Atlantic in a review titled “A colossal blockbuster that lives up to its size.”

“Denis Villeneuve’s monumental film adaptation expands his extraordinary world of brilliant eccentricity. It’s impossible to imagine anyone doing it better,” notes The Guardian in an article whose headline emphasizes “a stunning show.”

“Bold, intimate and menacing like no other blockbuster,” writes The Independent, noting that “there are moments in Dune: Part Two who seem so brave [încât] they unfold as if they were already engraved in the canon of cinema.”

Slate magazine writes that “New Dunes spectacular will turn every new skeptic into a believer,” while People notes that “Timothy Chalamet is back in a sequel that’s even better than the original.”Dune: Part Two it is bigger, bolder and yes – even better – than Part one“, – the headline of Rolling Stone magazine.

Apparently, not everyone was so impressed. The Times, for example, gave the film a score of 2/5, noting that “Villeneuve has taken the worst and moralizing parts Avatarsabout how imperialism is fueled by the exploitation of natural resources, and seems to have repackaged them with an orange Instagram filter.”

Le Figaro notes this instead Dune: Part Two it divided its critics, reviews from the “old continent” were generally less than stellar, as cinephiles here were accustomed to the production of their own cinema, undoubtedly more introspective than Hollywood.

What is certain is that viewers will now be able to form their own opinion Dune: Part Two was released Friday after a months-long delay due to last year’s Hollywood double whammy.

Denis Villeneuve wanted Dune: Part Two to be closer to Frank Herbert’s original intention

Those who have read a series of novels Dunes American writer Frank Herbert, it can be seen that this second film about Villeneuve takes place in a slightly different time frame than in the science fiction books, the story of Dune: Part Two starting immediately after the conclusion of the first feature film, leaving aside the leap into the future from the original work.

But Villeneuve explained in an interview with Reuters last month that he believed the sequence of events he chose was closer to how Herbert thought the book would be received. Dunes original from 1965.

“When Frank Herbert was writing the book and after it came out, he was disappointed with the way people perceived the character of Paul. He felt that people looked at Paul as a hero, and for him Paul was an anti-hero, he was a dark figure, he was a danger,” the Canadian director told Reuters.

Villeneuve also stated that Herbert wanted approx Dunes to be a warning about the dangers of charismatic leaders and how readers interpreted the character eventually led him to write the novel The savior of Dunto correct the misconception of Paul formed in the first book.

“Because when I wrote [scenariul pentru] “I made sure I was closer to Frank Herbert’s original intentions,” the 56-year-old director told Reuters.

PHOTO: Canadian Press / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

New names in “Dune 2”: Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy

Given the huge success that the first film also enjoyed Dunes Villeneuve 2021, few may remember that the Canadian director took a bold bet when he cast Timothée Chalamet in the lead role of Paul Atrides. Of course, Chalamet was by no means unknown, but at the time there were many who doubted whether he was “blockbuster material.”

The choice of the American actress and singer Zendaya for the role of Chani was perhaps even bolder, but otherwise Villeneuve supplemented the cast with names that do not need much introduction: Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Javier Barden or Jason Momoa.

As if the cast of the first movie wasn’t as star-studded as Hollywood movies are today, Dune: Part Two comes with some new titles that really need no introduction.

In my opinion, the biggest name to join the new film is definitely Christopher Walken, who plays Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV.

Walken’s character is the emperor of the known universe and the father of Princess Irulan, played by Florence Pugh. Although he does not appear in the first film, Shaddam is the one who sent House Atreides to Arrakis after planning an attack on them with House Harkonnen.

PHOTO: Warner Bros. / Backgrid UK / Profimedia Images

Pugh is also one of the new names in the Dunes 2 Villeneuve, her character was the eldest of Emperor Shaddam’s daughters and a member of the hidden order of the Bene Gesserit. In an interview with SFX magazine last month, Pugh said of the role that “it’s funny, I was asked this morning if she’s as tough as other characters I’ve played before.”

“Maybe it’s in her, but I think she’s probably one of the quietest characters I’ve ever played. She’s always listening, always learning, and that was one of the things that got me so excited when I read the script,” the British actress explained.

PHOTO: LMK / Landmark / Profimedia Images

And I wrote a little above “after me” about the most famous name that joined the cast Dune: Part Two as younger audiences may be more excited about actress Anya Taylor-Joy’s appearance in the new film given the series’ success Queen’s Gambit on Netflix and the projects in which he later starred.

Taylor-Joy is a late addition to the film’s cast, but she plays a very important role, as fans of Herbert’s books will of course know: that of Alia Atreides, Paul’s sister and Lady Jessica’s daughter. There was no way she wouldn’t appear in the second film, and it was even hinted at in the 2021 feature when Paul saw her as a child.

PHOTO: Daniel Leal / AFP / Profimedia Images

List of new Dune titles: Part two he is rounded out by American actor Austin Butler, another hot name in Hollywood, and French actress Léa Seydoux.

Butler stars in the film as Feyd-Rautha, the young nephew of Baron Harkonnen and the one who should take the helm of the planet Arrakis, while Margo Fenring, a member of the Bene Gesserit and a confidant of Emperor Shaddam IV, will play Seyda.

PHOTO: JLPPA / Bestimage / Profimedia

Will we get a third Dune movie from Denis Villeneuve?

Now this Dune: Part Two finally hit the screens, one of the questions that is becoming even more pressing is whether the Villeneuve saga will become a trilogy. Last month, in an interview with Reuters, the Canadian director spoke again about his desire to make more films based on the works of Frank Herbert, given that the first two feature films are based only on the first novel.

“At first, my goal was to adapt the first book Dunes. I finished it. It would be appropriate for me to finish the story of Paul Atrides Duna’s savior, the second book, and create a trilogy,” explained Villeneuve. “So it’s in the works now, and once I have a solid script, there’s a good chance I’ll be back on Arrakis,” he said.

The director announced the start of work on the third film back in August of last year Dunesalso stating at the time that the later novels in Herbert’s series “deconstructed” the idea of ​​Paul Atreides as a messianic hero, and that this was an idea he wanted to explore.

“I’ll just say we have words on paper,” he said at the time.

However, the other day in an interview with The Times, the director softened expectations somewhat, telling British journalists that “there is an absolute desire to make a third film, but I don’t want to rush things.”

“The danger in Hollywood is that people get excited thinking only about release dates and not about quality,” said Denis Villeneuve.