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Yes, it’s fantastic.

Director Denis Villeneuve continues one hell of a run with Dune: Part Two, an excellent follow-up to his acclaimed 2021 film. Part one was very strong; part two – even better, in my opinion.

I’ll quickly point out that I haven’t read the novel. (I know, I should.) So, I’m looking at this purely as a piece of cinema.

With much of the world and character groundwork out of the way, Villeneuve is able to move full-steam ahead to the meatier crux of the story. There’s still a good amount of information to take in here – many moving parts and characters with developing agendas and emotions – but it’s smoothly delivered. I’ve seen some complaints of character turns that felt rushed, but these moments felt earned for me.

I will say that there is a certain coldness to Villeneuve’s overall approach, and that did hold me back from the emotional strength I wanted it to deliver on. But that’s a slight wrinkle.

Simply put – it’s high-level filmmaking. The visual effects are, of course, gorgeous, but it’s the attention to detail, to atmosphere, to tone, that grounds us in these worlds. Production design, score, sound design, the list goes on. We’re in the hands of a masterful filmmaker and a technical team backing him up perfectly. And the cast – fantastic.