Rating: 4/5
Frank Herbert’s biggest regret about Dune was that he didn’t make it obvious enough that it was a tragedy. So, to clarify his intentions, he wrote Dune Messiah, which emphasizes just how terrible the consequences of Paul’s ascendancy were.
When Denis Villeneuve approached Warner Bros. to make Dune, he proposed three movies: two for Dune and one for Dune Messiah. Warner Bros. only signed off on two of them, leaving the possibility of a third likely but uncertain.
In writing the script, Villeneuve also intended his movies to address Herbert’s regret and make the tragedy more apparent. But he still wants to adapt Dune Messiah. As we reach the end of the book in the movie, we sense the storyteller’s longing to express more, with no clue as to what else they could say.
Now, we know a third movie is coming. And we have been so inundated with multi-part movies that seeing two functionally incomplete films doesn’t feel as disappointing as it might have.
I am not disappointed — I’ve read the books and knew it would end where it ended. I expected a smoother ending, like the first movie, rather than abruptly rolling the credits at the climax.
Denis Villeneuve took on this project and gave the book fans the adaptation they’ve waited decades for. The second movie couldn’t awe me like the first, but it was still satisfying to watch.
My favorite part of both movies is the Bene Gesserit costuming. Witches rule the world.