Dune: Part Two – 2024
Dune: Part Two is more or less a direct continuation of the first part. A second part that I was looking forward to seeing when I saw the first one. I felt that the story was only half told when the first part ended. As I said when writing about the first part I’m a fan of David Lynch’s adaptation of the story and I know that isn’t a popular view. People say it’s incomprehensible and that so much of Frank Herbert’s novel(s) has been lost.
I, for one, have never been someone to compare novels and short stories to their cinematic adaptations. I’m sure I’ve done it on vacation but as a general rule, I see the two art forms to be so far apart from each other that it’s not a fair comparison anyway. With that said, I must also confess that I didn’t read the Novel(s) of the desert planet – Arrakis. Not yet anyway. I have plans to acquaint myself with them but there are so many other things to do at the moment.
Slightly better
Dune: Part Two is the continuation and it follows in about the same footprints as the first one when it comes to pcing and other things. I think I enjoyed the second part a tad more, but we’re talking minuscule differences here. To, me, they’re very similar and just a way to divide a huge storyline into smaller parts. Few people would have the patience to sit in for the full duration anyway. In my younger years, I wouldn’t have backed down from such an opportunity, but now.. I don’t know. I don’t think I would have kept my concentration for that long. If it were spellbinding 80% of the time maybe I could do it. But for me, this is not the case.
You could also see Dune: Part Two as the political part of the story. Not that this was absent in the first part either but here the political game, backstabbing, and greater picture really come into focus. The plans onward and forward seem to span generations ahead. The legend of Muad-Dib is also very much present in this part. Paul Atreides becomes the very central part of the story and the metaphors of the real world are embedded in the story. Whether this is a product of the original Frank Herbert story is unknown to me, but I don’t see it as obvious in the first part, nor in the David Lynch adaptation.
The bottom line, from my perspective, is that it’s worth seeing. But you shouldn’t expect it to be a masterpiece, nor a conclusion of the story. There is definitely room for another part. If we get one? Well, let’s see…
