Movie Review - Dune: Part Two

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Genre: Science Fiction/ Drama/ Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 166 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Javier Bardem, Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Léa Seydoux
 
Description: Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.

Review: It’s finally here: Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited second part of his epic film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel. “Dune: Part Two” offers an engaging, lucid and spectacular continuation of the story and tells interesting things about myths, colonialism, ecology, religion and fate. But it impresses above all with its great visuals.

It is a sequel, because it’s the second film, but they are not two separate films. They form a whole and one can not be viewed without the other. Part two picks up when Paul Atreides and his mother Lady Jessica have been taken in by the Fremen, the indigenous people of sand planet Arrakis. What follows is the evolution of Duke’s chils Paul into Maud-Dib, or Lisan al-Gaib. An evolution with extreme consequences.

Villeneuve has focused on the development of Paul, who brings together moderates and fanatics and struggles with his identity. The film has a geopolitical and (post-) colonial layer, with Arrakis as the oil-rich Middle Each, House Atreides as the more progressive Europe, House Harkonnen as representatives of the nihilistic dictatorships pursuing unscrupulous colonial policies and the emperor as the puppeteer.
I was very impressed by Austin Butler, who is a new character and the villain Feyd-Rautha of this second part. Timothée Chalamet manages again to proof that he can easily lead a big film. And Rebecca Ferguson, as Lady Jessica, really showed a nice transformation of her character.

The camerawork is mesmerizing, the way these amazing action scenes were shot.

I already loved the first film, but “Dune: Part Two” is even slightly better. It’s a true epic sci-fi saga, with a complex world with equally complex characters. I just can’t wait for this saga to continue.  

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - Elvis

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 159 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Dacre Montgomery, Luke Bracey, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee
 
Description: The life of American music icon Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

Review: It takes guts, making a movie about Elvis Presley. Director Baz Luhrman dared to do it. And you just have to dare, playing Elvis and singing in your own voice. Actor Austin Butler dared and succeeds with flying colors.

With Baz Luhrman we have a man who received an Oscar nomination for “Moulin Rouge”. The second leading actor Tom Hanks has already won two of those awards. But Austin Butler isn’t yet a big name. I believe that after you see him in “Elvis”, there’s no way you won’t remember his name.

“Elvis” is the type of movie that depends on the performance of the lead actor. Now matter how good the story is, a mediocre portrayal of The King will break the film. And from the first moment you see Butler as Elvis, you see Elvis, not an actor playing him. And the fact that he sang everything himself, makes it even more incredible!

The story itself is told from the perspective of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager. Tom Hanks portrays him. He is actually known as Dries van Kuijk and came from Breda, The Netherlands. And even though he always claimed to wanting the best for Elvis, he wasn’t a good man. And Hanks does a fantastic job, as always, in a more villainous role, which is something we don’t often see from Hanks.

As every Baz Luhrman movie, the film looks gorgeous and stylish. And with a runtime of more than 2,5 hours, the movie never gets boring. It has a fast pace, where there is almost no time to catch your breath. I wouldn’t have mind some quieter moments here and there.  Thanks to great performances, this movie is definitely worth watching.

Rating: 4/ 5