★★★★★

Denis Villeneuve’s great gamble has paid off. Such is now, surely, irrefutable. Frank Herbert’s once seemingly insurmountable literary tome finally has a cinematic counterpart worthy of the name. Dune. If there seemed little appetite for a one sci-fi epic back in 2021, Villeneuve’s conviction that Herbert’s vision warranted two was risky. Certainly, there was no guarantee in a pandemic weakened box office that Part Two would ever see the light of day. Villeneuve’s long anticipated – in certain quarters – Blade Runner sequel had, after all, failed to match critical for commercial acclaim. And yet, here we are. Where Villeneuve’s first Dune was bold, noble and a little ponderous in its world building, his second is nothing short of mesmeric. Villeneuve has made peace with the Shai-Hulud and this is just the beginning.