Dune: part 2

Today I went and saw “Dune part 2.” I stepped into this movie with bated breath. Part one was simply so good that I couldn’t imagine them keeping the quality up. But I am happy to announce that they stuck the landing! Oh boy, am I excited about this one! But before I get started, I feel like I should drop a spoiler warning. Although I will try to keep things vague, I may wind up meandering into spoiler territory. If you are extra concerned about that, then feel free to bookmark this piece until after you have seen it. 

So, like I said, I went into this movie knowing the bar was higher than snoop dogg on friday night. I knew this was either going to be a smash-hit or a drastic failure. And in the months leading up to the release I have had a few conversations about the series. Dune is originally a book series. I forget how many books there are, but there are many. Apparently, the series elevates to some extreme heights. I won’t spoil what I have heard, but I have been told it gets quite wild, so I was also concerned that they would stretch out the plot, as it felt they did in the first movie. Although doing this can serve a purpose in helping develop attachments to characters and really set up scenes, it has become a trend to over-stretch short books into several long movies. I was worried they were going to do something like this. 

But I’m glad to say they didn’t! The movie did no time-wasting of any sort. They simply kept moving the plot right along. I would definitely say that this movie was far more plot-focused, as many sequels tend to be, but I wouldn’t call it “sloppy,” as I often do. The battle scenes were explosive, the fight scenes were graceful and the action scenes felt larger than life. From start to finish, there wasn’t a single moment where I found my mind wandering. By the halfway point, everything was so excellently dramatic that I had about ten moments where I said “wow, this feels like a finale. I wonder if they are going to end it here.” And they didn’t! The action kept on rolling and I found myself almost cheering over the fact that the experience wasn’t over yet. On and on it went, until they ended on a very satisfying note. Yes, it looks like they plan to make more of these movies, but I wasn’t left hanging obnoxiously to wait another two years for the plot to finish. 

Overall, I am ecstatic over the direction this is going in. Few sci-fi franchises hit the screen anymore, and even fewer are smash-hits like this one. Especially with Star Wars losing its throne, I was definitely feeling the need for something spectacular to rise up in its place. It’s true that nothing could compare to the world-building that Star Wars has, but the overall quality of Dune is richly satisfying. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I would want this series to go on forever, but as long as the quality remains high and it feels as though there is more of a story to authentically tell, I will happily go to see everything that comes out. 

But the series got me thinking about power. Without using spoilers, I saw some similar themes at play to other ongoing franchises. Themes like sci-fi powers, infinite knowledge, and other possible worlds are all at play in this franchise. It got me thinking: what does Dune do differently that makes this work? Why do I feel more excited about this than, for example, “the force” from Star Wars? This question plagued me as I drove home. 

I believe there is a certain ominousness to the forces at play in Dune. Even the likes of Star Wars couldn’t hold a candle to Dune.I believe the problem is that it leaves nothing to the imagination. There is a massive “something” left between the lines in Dune. The use of religious elements like talk of a messiah, visions of large-scale devastation, and a cult with an ominous foresight make for something that left me dying to know: how deep does this rabbit hole go? It’s not just the depth of the setting, it’s how deep it feels. They really capture the gravity of the coming storm. 

What is it about what isn’t left to the eye that fascinates us? I think it’s the combination of what is and isn’t seen that really does it. We see the giant sandworm approaching a little man and the contrast makes it clear that this thing is huge. You see the all-knowing cultists shaking in their boots about this boy who is growing in power and it becomes clear that he’s a big deal. It helps to show us what type of perspective to put things in as the movie progresses. It can give us a context for how to feel about certain things in the storyline. 

Those indicators are important to help teach us perspective. It reminds me of how we need these markers in our own lives. Not that we need someone telling us how to feel, but sometimes it helps to see our lives as other people see them. Just today, I was talking about everything going on in my life. I knew I was pushing myself for a time, but something about hearing someone else say “wow, you’re quite busy!” Put things into perspective for me. It helped me to gauge my work levels, and to see if I could (or should) take on any more commitments. I think this natural reaction from others is powerful in helping us put our lives into perspective. True, everyone can be wrong, but if multiple people, especially respectable people, are saying the same thing, they might be onto something. It’s always worth looking into. 

Sometimes we don’t understand our lives until we have that person to put things into perspective. I can’t count how many times I have told someone about something going on, only to have them say “woah! That is NOT ok! That should never happen!” Looking back, that reaction has always been right. We can all become blinded by our own biases. Mine is my sympathy. “Oh, they have had it rough.” I often say to myself. But it’s important to draw a line and say “no matter the context, this is a big deal!” Whether it’s in the presence of a tiny person or a gigantic helicopter, a 50-foot sandworm is a big sandworm! We can understand that in our brain of brains, but we need something to translate that for our hearts and imaginations. We can get it, but we need to get it. 

I pray you have some people that help you get life. If you don’t have those people, I pray you find them (and I suggest checking at church. The best people tend to be there.) I pray you learn to see your life through a new set of eyes. But most of all, I hope you go watch Dune part 2. I have seen a lot of movies, and few have been as much fun as this one.

Until next time

Cheers