Dune: Part Two - The scoop and digest

Denis Villeneuve co-writes screenplay with Jon Spaihts to adapt The Prophet of Dune.

Yeah, Part One dealt with Dune World.

Keeping it simple, the above were first serialised and then amalgamated in 1965 as Dune, hence why it's called the 'original' novel.

Timothée Chalamet - Paul Atreides

Zendaya - Chani

Rebecca Ferguson - Lady Jessica Atreides

Josh Brolin - Gurney Halleck

Austin Butler - Feyd-Rautha

Florence Pugh - Princess Irulan

Dave Bautista - Glossu Rabban

Christopher Walken - Emperor Shaddam IV

Léa Seydoux - Lady Margot Fenring

Stellan Skarsgård - Baron Vladimir

Javier Bardem - Stilgar

Anya Taylor-Joy - Alia Atreides

Summary

Picking up immediately where previous film left off, Stilgar's Fremen troops (including Paul and Lady Jessica) overcome a Harkonnen ambush en route to Sietch Tabr.

After a pregnant Jessica learns the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother is dying, she agrees to replace her by drinking the Water of Life, inheriting the memories of every female in her ancestry.  This also prematurely awakens the mind of her unborn daughter Alia, allowing direct communication between them.

Meanwhile, Paul learns the Fremen ways, develops a romantic relationship with Chani and becomes a Fedaykin fighter, assisting in raids to disrupt spice production in Northern capital Arrakeen.

In response, Baron Vladimir sacks Rabban and appoints murderous nephew Feyd-Rautha as the new Planetary Governor of Arrakis.

Feyd attacks Sietch Tabr, forcing Paul to head South, where he drinks the Water and slips into a coma, which Chani awakens him from.

Paul declares himself the Lisan al Gaib and challenges Emperor Shaddam.

The Voice from the Outer World

If this doesn't make you want to bury your head in the sand (and keep it there), then nothing will.

Before I continue to heap praise, the whole Messiah thing (especially with Paul vigorously denying it), is Monty Python's Life of Brian.

Guess that makes Muad'Dib (named after the desert mouse that jumps) - a very naughty boy.

(Laughs).

Visual splendour never overshadows the story, and given the complex themes of politics, religion and ecology, screenplay is handled superbly.

Sandworms play a larger part and used against the Sardaukar in an epic sequence towards the end.

Hans Zimmer composes another terrific score, but Greig Fraser's cinematography is absolutely breathtaking.

Sociopathic and psychopathic, Butler's ruthless villain oozes menace.

Climatic battle between Wonka and Elvis is among the best of its kind and a prime example of why sometimes silence should be golden.

Although very brief, we also get the nearest thing to Thanos vs Drax.

Performances by all concerned are great, but ironically, Christopher Walken felt weird.

An interesting point is that he starred in the music video to Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice, which features the lyrics "Walk without rhythm/and it won't attract the worm", a direct reference to David Lynch's 1984 version.

Dune Messiah has more or less been confirmed and director says it will conclude trilogy.

In the meantime, TV series Dune: Prophecy, set 10,000 years before Villeneuve's films, is expected late this year.

For the record, the Prelude to Dune book series, consisting of House Atreides, House Harkonnen and House Corrino (published in 1999, 2000 and 2001 respectively), begins 40 years before Dune and were drawn from notes left behind by Frank Herbert after his death in 1986.