I continue covering this year's Oscars nominees for Best Picture with Denis Villeneuve's DUNE: PART 2, the continuation of Villeneuve's attempt to create high-minded blockbuster fantasy to a new generation. When I was a kid, I had LORD OF THE RINGS. As a 30-year-old, I have this.
Think the darkness of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK with the expansive scale of THE TWO TOWERS and you'll have an idea of the second chapter of Paul Atreides' (Timothee Chalamet) journey from naive boy to insecure, megalomaniacal messianic cult leader. Via spice-driven hallucinations, Paul sees his desert planet of Arrakis, along with everyone he's ever loved, burned to ash via thermonuclear war. In a desperate attempt to stave off this future, he learns the way of the sand-dwelling Fremen people to gain their trust and help in his holy? crusade.
This is the kind of movie I want 100+ million-dollar movies to be: artistically fearless on a gargantuan, sandworm-sized scale. As thoughtful as it is simply fucking entertaining.
DUNE: PART 2 is available to stream on Max and Netflix. It's available to purchase for home video on 4K, Bluray & DVD. And if you're lucky, I still see some options for a theatrical viewing, if you just have to catch Chalamet's fluffy hair on the big screen.
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