felgo

Science Fiction is a notoriously difficult genre to do well, and like Horror, can often be divisive with audiences. The first Dune was a great film, but common criticisms were that is was slow, dry and somewhat shallow. Dune: Part Two is none of these things. It is a truly spectacular movie-going experience that treats the source material with a great deal of reverence while also not being afraid to do its own thing. But what is perhaps this movie's greatest strength is that it treats it audience with some level of respect. It doesn't shy away from its sci-fi roots, and doesn't attempt to pad itself with unnecessary humour or sarcasm in an attempt to make itself more palatable. Dune 2 believes in itself, and its audience, and the end result is a gripping, beautiful, haunting film that will surely become a classic.

The visuals, as usual, are spectacular. There are some sequences in this film that were so visually stunning that I am still thinking of them days after. The music, cinematography, set design, audio design and costuming are all on another level in this movie. Everything about it feels grandiose and sumptuous, and you can tell a great deal of care was taken to make this movie as beautiful as possible.

Story and acting wise, Dune also impresses. While the movie does stray from the book and alter some plot points, the spirit of Dune and its message are prescient throughout. The middle of the movie does sag somewhat, and pacing issues may be one of my few criticisms of Dune: Part Two, but it's a minor issue that doesn't really effect the quality of the overall product too much. Timothee Chalamet shines here, and I was pleasantly surprised at just how believable he was as a dangerous Messiah-like figure. He sold the transformation incredibly well. Rebecca Ferguson is also at her best here, and my only complaint is that she isn't in the movie more.

Other shining stars are Austin Butler, who is a magnificent choice for Fayd-Rautha, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, who provides some light brevity, and Charlotte Rampling who is fantastic as always. Florence Pugh, Lea Sideoux, Dave Bautista and Zendaya also give great performances. Christopher Walken is really showing his age in this movie, unfortunately, and I did feel that his portrayal of the Emperor lacked the gravitas that the role demanded.

I highly recommend Dune: Part Two. It's an amazing film made with a great deal of care, and you can tell that Dennis truly respects and loves the source material he is adapting. I would recommend that you watch this movie in theatres, it's an amazing experience. If you can find a theatre with either IMAX or Dolby Atmos, you will have an amazing time. Movies like this are why theatres exist. It is one of the most memorable movie-going experiences I've had since Mad Max: Fury Road. Bring on Dune: Messiah!

If you're a Millennial like me, you probably experienced the phenomena known as 'Titanic-mania' during your childhood, where everyone was obsessed with this movie. It was in theatres for almost a year, and every girl between 8-20 was obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio. Titanic was everywhere in the late 1990s, and because of its popularity and reputation as a gushy romance movie popular with teenage girls, it attracted a lot of hate. Despite winning numerous Oscars, Titanic, for the longest time, had a negative reputation, especially among men.

In hindsight, if you had your image of Titanic shaped by the negative media landscape surrounding it in the late 90s to the 2000s, I highly suggest you give it another go. It really is a wonderful film, and it's enjoyable and fun even if you're a guy. The special effects are second to none, the acting is great and James Horner's soundtrack is absolutely majestic. Even the love story itself, while a bit gushy in parts, is actually quite sweet and endearing. Both Rose and Jack are full realized, strong characters who you care about.

My advice, especially to 20-30 something year old men who were told all their life that 'Titanic sucks', is to give it a chance. You're sleeping on not only a great drama, but a great action movie as well.