Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Dune Part 2 review says that the year’s first blockbuster is a bracing spectacle that is well worth the wait.

All the best movies take you on a journey through an intriguing world full of sights and sounds unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Even if you’ve read the books that inspired them, these films add compelling layers and dimensions to their stories. You leave the theater feeling deeper, stronger, moved, perhaps even fulfilled, knowing that you have just seen a special film.

Dune Part 2 is like that.

It’s good to know right up front that even if you’ve forgotten a lot about its predecessor, (2021’s Dune), and even if you can’t remember a lot about the books that intrigued you when you were younger, you’ll still be able to enjoy this spectacular sequel. But a little brush up on where we left off will add to your enjoyment.

Dune Part 2 review setup

Frank Herbert’s Dune series is basically an epic focusing on powerful “families” warring for control, not unlike Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, or George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. But these battles are based on the desert planet called Arakis, or Dune, where gigantic land worms dwell, making it the only source of “Spice,” the most valuable commodity in this universe. The family that controls Spice has ultimate financial and political power.

In the second installment, we find a number of factions, vying for control of Dune and the Spice it produces. There’s the brutal and vicious House Harkonnen, led by the repulsive Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), and defended by Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler, as you’ve never seen him before).

Also on Dune is the family and entourage of Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), and his regal daughter Princess Irrulan Corrino (Florence Pugh). They have theoretically come to Dune to oversee the transfer of Spice production to House Atreides, but the House Harkonnen has quite different opinions about that.

The House Atreides was lead by Duke (Oscar Isaac) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), who had a very promising heir, Paul (the riveting Timothée Chalamet).  But the Harkonnens killed Duke in the first film, sending Paul and Lady Jessica, who has powers of her own, fleeing into the desert. While there, Paul’s Spice induced visions seemed to be leading him toward the resolution of the Spice conflict, which would involve leading the Fremen, the native people of Dune, to retake control of their own planet.

As Dune: Part 2 opens, we see Paul and Lady Jessica cautiously negotiating their way among the Fremen and becoming particularly close to a leader known as Stilgar (Javier Bardem), and a fierce warrior named Chani (Zendaya). Paul will make decisions that will ultimately effects on all their lives.

Now that you have the setup, you can sit back and be dazzled by the world that writer/director Denis Villeneuve has so thrillingly created. Wrapped in Hans Zimmer’s magical, masterful score, it’s multi-sensory experience that rivals, if not surpasses, the first installment.

Rated PG-13

2 hours 46 minutes

This Dune: Part 2 review, suggests that the film is worth seeing in the best theater possible. Get times and tickets on Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Dune Part 2 review says that the year’s first blockbuster is a bracing spectacle that is well worth the wait.