Spoiler Alert !!!!
If you haven’t watched the movie or read the book yet, I suggest waiting until you do before watching this analysis because it contains spoilers.
Part 2 of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is now playing in theaters, and the auteur’s most recent picture has a lot to dissect. Part two of Frank Herbert’s Dune novel is adapted in Villeneuve’s upcoming trilogy, and the events in the film also lay the stage for the events of Dune Messiah, the author’s second book.
In order to help you all get a clearer picture of this expanding Dune universe on screen, I will be dissecting the storyline, outlining the ending, and providing story elements that occur on the planets of Arrakis, Gaidi Prime, and Planet Kaitain. Even if you have read the book, you will still find this film very helpful for understanding what happens in the story.
Now, let’s get down to business and examine Villeneuve’s Dune Part 2 in detail. Following the events of Part 1, which concluded with Paul killing Jamis to gain acceptance by the Fremen tribe, Paul and Lady Jessica, his mother, start making their journey to Siege Tabor alongside Stilga and the Fremen. The first part started with a remark from Zendaya’s Chani, whereas the second part, like the first, usually ended with a quote from Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan.
Frank Herbert’s book serves as the opening for each chapter. The first narration from Irulan introduces us to the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, played by the legendary Christopher Walken, and focuses on the shocking Atreides Massacre. Irulan swiftly turns the concept of surprise on its head by revealing that her father’s motivation is power and that the Harkonnens have assisted him in the past.
Baron Harkonnen, played by Stellan Skarsgård, hands control of Arrakis’s spice manufacturing to Glossu Rabban, played by Dave Batista, during the opening montage. The Emperor and his daughter are unaware, however, that the Fremen appear to be becoming stronger by the day. Here we encounter Paul, Jessica, and the Fremen again; they encounter early difficulties on their way to the siege, in contrast to the novel.
In the beginning, we witness Paul interacting with his sister Aaliyah Atreides while she is still in the womb. He informs her that their father has passed away, asks her to come be with him, and warns her that he won’t have time to make amends before she is born. We learn right away that this Paul’s sister will be different from the one in the book.
However, Denise’s ability to speak like an adult at such a young age helps her retain her eccentric character traits, just as they do in the book. As the film develops, we learn more about Aaliyah, and we get a glimpse of what’s to come in the following book, Dune Messiah, through a foreshadowing of what’s to come later on. In any case, Paul closes his eyes during a planetary eclipse to see the harsh orange sands after he finishes speaking to his unborn sister.
We find out right away that he and the Fremen are in danger of being attacked by nearby Harkonnen forces. By drawing attention away from the Harkonnens with Jamis’s corpse and thumpers, the Fremen are able to raise them above the surrounding rocks, where they may be killed individually with their lasguns from a distance.
After dealing with the two surviving Harkonnens, Paul and his mother face the Fremen, who start draining the water from their corpses once they’re dead. Because ancient Fremen norms forbid the waste of bodily water, Stilga tries to stop Jessica from witnessing as she feels ill from it.
The remaining leg of their journey to Siege Tabor begins when a worm is summoned to collect the dry bodies of the Harkonnen. But before they come, we switch to a quick scene with Reban, who has been told to remove the Harkonnen forces from Fremen territory since they are losing too many men there.
The line “they are losing men to rats” is echoed throughout the film by the Harkonnens when describing the Fremen, and Rebam uses it in his response to his soldier. The fact that Rebam lashes out at his own guy after hearing that the South is uninhabitable demonstrates the severe disparity in treatment of one’s own people on either side of the planet’s dominion.
Denis Villeneuve has brought attention to the concept of conflict within the tribe in this film version, but we also learn how important water is to the Fremen at Sietch Taba, as in the book. Paul is believed by half of the Fremen to be sent to prophesy the Lisan al Qa’ib upon their arrival; however, the other half doubt this and suspect that he and his mother are spies.
After explaining what happened to Jameis, Stilger tries to convince the council to have fun and have faith, but no one believes him. Paul, on the other hand, is familiar with some of their traditions. Paul also accuses his mother of being behind this, explaining that the Bene Gesserit are the ones driving the narrative. However, he does give in to her argument to some extent, stating that they need to persuade the skeptics if they want to stay alive.
As part of their strategy to gain ground against their enemies and enable Paul to exact retribution for his father and the death of the Atreides, they also start using the Fremen to impede the Harkonnens’ spice production. The significance of water is further illuminated when we observe the process of extracting water from Jameis’s body and his own.
Added to an entire lake in the cave. Then he changed this scene from the book so that a scene between Stiller and Jessica would explain the significance of these lakes and lead us seamlessly into the water of life sequence, which is a pivotal moment at the lake (as anyone who has read the book can tell you).
It is one of, Jessica finds out from Stiller. In order to aid in terraforming the planet, the Fremen painstakingly built thousands of water caches. Stilga claims that they have determined the precise amount of water required, and that upon arrival, they will transform Arrakis into a remarkable paradise.
Although Liet Kynes is not explicitly named as Chani’s parent in this version, he was instrumental in inspiring the Fremen to strive for the utopian ideal of turning Arrakis into a garden planet. The Lisan Al Gaib was believed by Stilga and half of the Fremen to be able to make this dream come true. Just as she had previously been scolded for being unwell, Stilger makes sure that Jessica doesn’t squander precious water when he describes the significance of the lake and Jessica tears up.
He decides to drink it instead, telling her that she shouldn’t share her water with anyone, even the dead. In this part of the novel, Jessica finds out what she needs to do in relation to that famous water of life scene. Although she is aware of the prophecies, she finds out that their reverend mother has passed away. death looms on the horizon, forcing her to assume the role of Reverend Mother lest the Fremen seize her water and murder her.
It is the responsibility of each Reverend Mother, spanning decades, to preserve the wisdom and traditions passed down from one generation to the next. Before Jessica enters the tunnel to perform the ceremony, we hear some new information from Paul outside as he comes to understand why the other Fremen don’t believe he might be the Lisan al Gaib.
According to Shashakli, a character from the book who has been developed further, Paul is informed by Chani’s acquaintance that the Southern Fremen believe in the arrival of a messiah or outsider who will lead them to paradise, while the rest of them believe only in Fremen. The commencement of the Water of Life ceremony is signified by Stilga and the Southern Fremen who follow that prophesy praying side by side.
Within the cave, Jessica meets the feeble Fremen Reverend Mother Romalo, who teaches her about the blue river of life poison, and they have an encounter. She has been informed that the poison has the power to release the soul, but that it will also cause her to see if she drinks it. Even though it frightens Jessica, the elderly Reverend Mother orders her to take a sip, and then the procedure starts.
In the beginning, she is in excruciating pain and contorting her body in all directions. However, after a few while, she finds herself in a suspended state. Her ability to analyze the drug’s molecular structure in great detail, manipulate it, and produce a catalyst that removes the poison from the water is detailed in the book.
At that point, we watch as the blue liquid fills her entire body, including Aaliyah’s womb; her eyes also turn blue; and she gains access to the full history of every reverend mother from ancient times. Like the Bene Gesserit Sisters, she is cognizant of her recent elevation to the rank of Reverend Mother.
since the memory sharing ceremony draws to a close, the dying Reverend Mother is taken aback to learn that Jessica is pregnant. This creates complications since both Jessica and the unborn child have unknowingly acquired the memories of the elderly Reverend Mother. Jessica is outside the cave in her suspended state as the elderly Reverend Mother passes away shortly thereafter.
Outside, the Southern Fremen, Chani, and Shashakli are arguing about the prophecy, and Paul argues that she is correct—that this was not a miracle. He asserts that his mother had the necessary skills to endure it, and that the technology to transport people through poison is exclusive to the advance to Bene Gesserit, not the Mahdi, as believed by half of the Fremen.
Regardless of their convictions, Paul assures them he wants to fight beside them and not lead. However, Jessica quickly regains consciousness after her encounter with the Water of Life. In a scene with Paul, she informs him that Aaliyah is now communicating with her, that she is terrified by what happened, that she still has faith in her brother, that the Kwisatz Haderach will guide him, and that he needs to complete just one more step to become that.
To find his own way, she says he must drink the Water of Life, just like she did. moving ahead. Although that is addressed later in the film, I like the scene where Paul begins to learn from Stilga and the Fremen, which takes place after this.
While the Mahdi is known to be conversant with their methods due to his prescience, it is helpful to witness a little bit of that understanding before we get to what follows with Paul’s last test. The two-year time skip in the book following the Water of Life sequence misses a lot of that. As the scene progresses, we also see Chani confide in Shashakli that she is starting to fall for Paul due to his genuineness, even though she doesn’t believe in the Southern Prophecy.
Their romance develops on screen when she teaches him how to sand walk correctly. Additionally, we go back to Jessica during the siege, when she is chatting with Aaliyah while she is still in the womb. She reassures Aaliyah that her desire to safeguard Paul by having all the Fremen believe in the prophecy is justified.
After this, Jessica says something very unsettling: they need to convert the nonbelievers one by one, beginning with the weakest. Thus, we are reminded once more of the immense influence the Bene Gesserit possess in influencing and converting others to their narratives. Next, Paul, Charney, and Jessica are revisited.
and the Fremen in an exquisitely staged action scenario that demonstrates how they thwart the Harkonnen’s spice harvesting attempts. They ambush the Harkonnens and kill them instantly; then, they use Lasguns to destroy the Harvester. Paul has started to hone his combat abilities, drawing on lessons from his previous instructors.
Additionally, he and Chani have started to fall head over heels for each other, as hinted at earlier. He tells the Fremen to continue fighting north in a tent scenario, and that even if they die, the others would keep fighting because they believe they can beat their oppressors. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know that the fedaykin are the guerilla fighters from the Fremen who become Wadib’s personal guard or death commandos. Shashakli is one of those who comes to see Paul’s point of view and thinks that Paul deserves to be one of them.
Paul chooses Paul Muad’Dib as his Vidaikin war name, and many of the Fremen in camp believe that he should also have a Fremen name. The Fremen name he gets is Ussal, which means the base of the pillar. The Fremen rejoice, and Charney’s joy at being both Ussal and a part of the people shines through.
Unlike the other Fremen, though, she clearly still has doubts about the prophecy. Although she has unwavering faith in Paul and loves him deeply, she is unable to attribute the prophecy that the Bene Gesserit broadcast to them due to their shared beliefs. Her lines here are word-for-word replicas of those she delivered at the beginning of Dune Part 1, and we get to see them interact on the breathtaking desert dunes.
As they share a private moment, Paul fills her in on his planet and its water, hinting to a future where Arrakis may have access to it. Additionally, Chani informs him that her Fremen name, Sahaya, translates to Desert Spring. Because it is a prophecy, she despises the name just as much as her other beliefs.
This tender scene concludes the present chapter of the novel, as a significant amount of time passes in the moments that follow. Two years have gone since the events of the novel took place; Stilger has trained Paul, and Aaliyah’s peculiarities are revealed. However, in the film, the time jump is brief—just a few months—and the montage that appears on screen depicts Paul’s skill growth, his courtship with Chani, and the Fremen annihilating additional Harkonnen spice harvesters.
The births of Paul and Aaliyah, two very odd children, are the major plot points that are absent from the novel. In addition to Paul and Charney’s child. To improve the pacing and focus of this second part, the child, who is called Leto II, has been cut from the film. In the novel, their child dies just before the last fight.
Later on in the story, when we reach that period, I will explain how they modified and what they replaced it with. After that far shorter time jump, the plot does begin to shift into other significant moments involving the Fremen and the Harkonnens from the book.
Returning to the Harkonnens in the Arakeen Residency, we find Ribban visiting his uncle, who appears to be growing increasingly concerned about the interference with their harvesting endeavors. He is warned by the Baron that the Emperor will seize control of Spice if they are unsuccessful under his watch. He warns Robban that he would punish him if he doesn’t tighten his hold.
We learn about Paul’s problems in the intervening period when we return to him following the time skip we described earlier. After taking the Spice, Paul found it difficult to differentiate between his recollections and his improved glimpses of the future. Prior to this, he had recalled. He had a vision in which he took his father’s skull and laid it on Fremen rock mound as an ode to him, as I’ve mentioned previously.
Nevertheless, the images he’s currently experiencing have grown increasingly sinister, and he can’t tell if these things have happened or are happening in the future. We learn that Lady Jessica is the one he’s chasing in one of these scenes where everyone else is bending over backwards to avoid her. His decision to follow her symbolizes his intention to join his mother in a holy battle, a conflict that will claim the lives of billions of people.
Upon awakening from the vision, Chani tries to reassure him and expresses her concern for him as well. The day he awakens is also the day he must get ready for the Rite of Passage, a crucial Fremen ritual. In this section, he will find instructions on how to call upon a sandworm and ride it. Stilga starts Paul’s trial, wishes him well, and tells him to be direct.
Paul knows that he can call upon the sandworm with a thumper and then use specialist maker hooks to get on board and command it. As he turns on the thumper, a gigantic worm—larger than anything Stilga has ever seen or heard of—approaches. prior to. After he climbs aboard, Paul deftly uses his hooks to climb onto the enormous sandworm, and then he manipulates them to reveal part of the worm’s exposed insides.
To stay on top, Paul knows the worm will shield the exposed portion from the sand’s abrasiveness. Stilger, the Believers, and every Fremen there are rooting for him, embracing the prophecy that is materializing before their eyes, and in the end, it’s a success, as Chani observes. After hearing the news that Paul has died, Jessica informs the Fremen to start spreading the rumor that he is the real Mahdi while they are still under siege.
She continues by informing Aaliyah that they are almost finished with their mission in the North, that the Fremen have faith in Paul, and that she must now head south. Paul stays in the North with her after telling her he is worried about the direction they are heading in. Part of the reason for this is because Paul attributes his visions of a holy battle to his mother.
The next thing you know, the Fremen are onslaught. near Arakeen, a spy depot, and it compels Rabban to personally visit the base in question, where he attempts to confront Muad’Dib face-to-face. As soon as he arrives, he is compelled to flee the area after witnessing firsthand the physical and tactical might of the Fremen. The scene shifts to Christopher Walken’s home planet of Kaitain, where we get a glimpse of his reaction to the growing problems the Fremen are creating the Harkonnens on Arrakis.
The idea that he may go to Arrakis after a pretended conflict and bring peace himself is floated by his daughter, Princess Irulan, who informs him that employing force against a religious figure of this scale will only make them stronger. He sees her as a formidable empress-to-be, but he believes force should be applied before things spiral out of hand.
After after, in private, Irulan confides in Helen Mohaime, the Reverend Mother from Part 1, explaining that the Bene Gesserit is behind everything happening and asking if Paul Atreides is indeed Muad’Dib. Responding angrily, the Reverend Mother makes her father aware that it is Paul and that he shouldn’t know the truth.
The reason behind this is that her father runs the risk of losing the kingdom if the Great Houses learn about the Atreides’ slaughter. As Irulan wonders what hope there is if this is indeed the case, the Reverend Mother reminds her of the intricate web of preparations, mentioning Fade Rortha Harkonnen as another prospective Chosen One candidate.
Can they, in contrast to Paul, exert any kind of influence on him? Here we finally reach the introduction of Fade Rauther, played by Austin Butler, after an hour of screentime. On the occasion of Fade Rauther Harkonnen’s 17th birthday, we visit the Harkonnen homeworld, Gaidi Prime, and we are immediately amazed by the planet’s drastically different appearance.
During the day, the planet’s dark sun causes it to seem colorless, although scenes situated within show hints of color. In preparation for Fade’s birthday fight, two of his three opponents are poisoned and his sword is sharpened. However, the third enemy he’ll confront—a soldier from the Atreides who was present at Duke Leto’s arrival on Arrakis—is unharmed.
It turns out that the Baron wants the arena crowd to witness Fade’s strength and realize that he doesn’t require trickery to win their favor. Actually, this is what Fade and Firfir Hawat are doing in the novel to help him win, but Villeneuve went this way since Hawat’s character isn’t even in the second picture.
Baron Harkonnen and Lady Margot Fenring, who plays Leia Sedu, are both present for the battle. Lady Fenring is there to determine if he is the prospective candidate we mentioned earlier, representing the Bene Gesserit Order. With several Harkonnens roaring their approval from the stands. When Fade Rauther fights the slave gladiators, he swiftly eliminates the ones that were poisoned.
The unpoisoned Atreides soldier, however, stands out due to his extraordinary speed and power. To make his triumph all the more remarkable, Fade removes his flesh shield while fighting. And sure enough, Fade manages to kill the remaining gladiator, no small feat considering how relentless they were. His performance enthrals the audience, who enthusiastically acclaim his courage and skill; even Lady Margot Fenring, who is also in the audience, is impressed.
Since the Baron refrained from poisoning the third gladiator, Fade pays him a visit after the fight and threatens his life. Although he failed in his attempt to assassinate the Baron, Fade’s aggressiveness and ambition to assume a commanding leadership role are still on display. His basic essence is a darker and more savage version of Paul Atreides’s original concept.
In any case, the Baron sees him as an heir apparent and promises to give him Arrakis; he also tells him that Rabban is failing at the moment. After the indigenous population is suppressed by Rabban, the Baron wants to let tensions rise so that he can install Fade as Emperor and replace Rabban with Fade.
This is due to his knowledge of the Emperor’s order to fight the Atreides and his perception of the Great Houses’ potential betrayal of him. The final scene on Gaidi Prime follows, and it shows Lady Fenring executing her plot to woo Fade and Bear, who are expecting a child. Following the court’s decree, she intends to maintain his lineage.
While Benny Gesserit thinks Fade could grow even more vicious like his uncle, Lady Fing finds out that he had fantasized about her by using his voice. Additionally, there is that. We are reminded of Paul from the first film since he, too, is subjected to the terrible gondra bar exam.
Lady Fengring informs Helen Mohaim that the lineage is now protected and that she is pregnant with Fade’s child in a subsequent scenario that takes place on Kaitain, ostensibly in the future. Because of his sexual vulnerability, she tells the Reverend Mother, he is controllable.
This takes us full circle to Arrakis, where Alphonse makes a triumphant return. Playing Gurney Hallick, my favorite ballast. Unfortunately, his reintroduction only consists of a brief melody, but at least we managed to catch him playing the ballast. A gang of smugglers led by Gurney are now utilizing a beat down crawler to harvest spices in this new version.
Using rockets to destroy their equipment, Paul Stiller and the other remen surprise them, just like in the book. Of course, Gurney thought Paul had been slain in the first film’s attack, so his surprise at Paul’s reveal comes as no surprise. As a result, Paul and Gurney have a touching hug, his soldiers capitulate to the Fremen, and the latter grant them permission to join their present mission after some persuasion from Paul.
Gurney advises Paul to utilize his power to subdue the Fremen, but Paul can sense that Gurney is terrified of starting a holy war as a result of his visions. He is afraid his vision may come true if he goes south, so Gurney tells him the Atreides have forgotten.
Desert hideout with secret firepower. That firepower is the nuclear arsenal of the family. Charley shows her mistrust of this use of power, but Paul undergoes a transformation as he learns that the Fremen can win with this power. The Fremen are his first priority, and Paul assures her that his loyalty will remain with her no matter what.
Because Chani isn’t a fan of the idea of following an outsider, we notice a few differences between the book and this adaptation as we near the end. who is involved in a conflict of this magnitude with her beloved. Upon returning to Kaitain, Irulan learns that a reverend mother has recently emerged in the southern region of Arrakis, spreading beliefs of the Lisan al Gaib’s arrival, and that Muad’Dib is interfering with the north’s spice production.
Although Jessica is the initial subject, it is in the South that she discovers the creation of the water of life by immersing a baby sandworm in water and then removing its poison. When Paul returns south, Jessica uses the voice of the Fremen lady who took it to convince her to let him drink from the well of life.
Thus will the Kwisatz Haderach come into existence. Resuming our storyline, we find Paul reawakening from a vision in which Chani is seen distantly witnessing the devastation of Sietch Taba. Tragically, Paul later dies while holding Chani. After being haunted by the sight of Chani’s death in his arms, he becomes even more concerned that traveling south may end their lives as he watches the same devastation unfold on Sietch Taba in real time.
As I mentioned before, this event serves as a stand-in for the child’s death in the book. The film shows, however, that this has been superseded by the massive assault on the North and the Siege of Taber, which results in the deaths of many Fremen, including Shashakli, Charney’s companion.
Instead of the other death mentioned in the novel, this is what is utilized as the final blow of vengeance against House Harkonnen. Following the aforementioned assault, Paul and Chani take it upon themselves to guard an injured Stilger and the remaining Fremen from Taba. They are then advised that they must travel south in order to attend a war council.
Stilger and the Fremen start pressuring Paul to challenge Stilger for leadership before he does this, though. Paul is under a lot of pressure, and Stilger knows it. However, he sees no way out of their feud except to battle for Paul’s succession. Paul tries to stay away from confrontations like that since he knows he would win.
There seems to be no way to halt the future Jihad that will be waged in his name, and he can sense its intensity increasing. Nevertheless, he does consent to accompany them after Chani attempts to persuade him to travel south and he dreams that Jameis instructs him to drink the water of life in order to perceive the path.
The Harkonnens and Fade Rolfer, meantime, think they’ve hidden south and can restart spice harvesting whenever they like. Paul, inspired by the Reverend Mothers’ powers, manages to change even a droplet of the Water of Life when he reaches the South. Because of this, he can drink the water and get significantly better visions.
In addition, Paul, in his role as Kwisatz Haderach, has access to knowledge that the female Reverend Mothers do not, including knowledge of the past, present, and future. An elder Leah Atreides (Anya Taylor Joy), who has a cameo role, speaks to him through his future visions. She assures him that he will now discover the truth about their family as they stand over Arrakis’s waters.
While Paul is unconscious from taking the water, Lady Jessica calls on Charney to see him. Charney has no idea that Paul has done this. The Fudaikin outside have been covering up his condition, thinking he’s in a religious trance before leading them into combat, and his vital signs are almost undetectable.
As Charney becomes enraged by Paul’s effort to drink the water of life, Jessica manipulates her voice to get her to aid him. Stilga reads a prophesy during this time, and one of its parts is that Lisan Al Gaib, whose Fremen name is Desert Spring Tears, will rise from the grave using these.
Charney then uses voice commands to mix a drop of the water of life with her tear, which she then applies to his lips; he immediately awakens. Paul assures Jessica in a vision that Charney will understand in due time, since she is furious over his actions. down the road. Now that he can see into the future, Paul modifies his mindset.
Consuming the river of life greatly improved his capacity to perceive both the past and the future. He develops the remarkable ability to see into the future and predict every possible ending, but ultimately, only one unfolded according to the blueprint the Bene Gesserit had laid out, a storyline that the Order had worked tirelessly to bring to fruition for decades.
They weren’t aiming squarely at Paul, and it wasn’t only Arrakis. Instead, they aimed to mold a messiah or similar figure under their control. As we’ll discover in the next section, Paul and Fade were both meant to play crucial roles in this creation, but Fade’s downfall was beyond their control.
Paul fills his mother in on his visions by explaining that he can see possible futures and a narrow path to triumph for Fremen. Additionally, he tells her that he witnessed their family tree and that Jessica is actually Baron Vladimir Harkonnen’s daughter. The gloomy phase of Paul’s journey starts when he tells her they can survive by behaving like Harkonnens.
With the assembled Fremen, Paul makes his way to the southern War Council, where he is scheduled to deliver a speech outlining the next steps. In order to gain control of the Fremen, he convinces them that Stilger should not be killed. He stresses the significance of preserving strong fighters and asks them, “Do you destroy a weapon before a battle?”
Paul uses the Fremen’s religious beliefs to his advantage, presenting himself as a merciless prophet who can look into the past and discern the fate of specific Fremen there. He dons the ducal ring passed down by his father and shouts, “I will lead you to the verdant paradise!” as the Fremen bow down to him, recognizing his foresight.
In recognition of his ascent to power, the Fremen join him in singing Lisan al Gaib, an idea that Stilga backs. Paul resolves to act now that the majority of the Fremen army has joined his cause. Before he challenges the Emperor of planet Kaitain to the throne, he sends a marked message confirming his survival.
Reverend Mother Helen Mohaim explained to Irulan after reading this message that her father would be deposed regardless of the outcome of the war, but that her family may maintain power by marrying the victors. Now we reach the Battle of Arrakeen, where Paul, Chani, and the Fremen are seen on their way north.
for the impending conflict. As we discover in the film’s climax, Charney and Paul’s relationship starts to deteriorate after she tells Jessica that she is joining the battle because she is fighting for her people. Paul, Stilga, Gurney, and the Fremen stand on the outskirts of Arrakeen, preparing to attack, as the fight is about to break out.
As they watch the Emperor and five Sardaukar legions descend onto Arrakis, they brace themselves for a storm that they believe will knock out the enemy’s defenses. A message is sent to the great houses above by the Baron, informing them that they are under attack from the Emperor’s Sardaukar. The Baron and Fade are surprised to see the arrival of the Emperor.
Seated on an ornate throne, he thereafter encounters the Emperor, Princess Irulan, and Reverend Mother Mohaim, during which the latter asks the former whether the former knows Muad’Dib’s real identity. Although the Baron thinks Muad’Dib is just a religious fanatic, Walken’s character finds it hard to believe that the Baron hasn’t scanned the South or realized that Muad’Dib is truly Paul Atreides.
Then, the room is rocked by a tremendous rumble, indicating that the Fremen have launched their assault. Fearing for their lives, the Sardaukar and Harkonnen forces deactivate their shields as Paul and the Fremen unleash the Atreides atomics on the shield wall. We see the Fremen ride sandworms into combat as they launch their ground attack as the storm rolls in.
Although the Sardaukar are tough, the fight gets quite swift as the Fremen attack from all sides. Nonetheless, it is still a visually fascinating fight to watch. Additionally, Gurney exacts his own brand of vengeance on Rabban throughout that conflict. Paul then enters the imperial tent triumphantly, identifies the Baron as his grandfather, and brutally executes him in front of the Emperor and everyone else in the room.
Kill the Sardaukar there, take the Emperor and the others to the residency, and then leave the Baron’s corpse in the desert, according to his orders for the Fremen accompanying him. As we near the conclusion of Part 2 of Dune, we witness the fallout from Paul’s assault on the Emperor’s armies and the breadth of Paul’s future dreams.
After assembling all of the characters in the residency, Paul receives word from the Emperor that the Great Houses are poised to attack from space. Paul wonders if they have his back and expresses his belief that they would be interested in hearing his account of the massacre of his family at the hands of the Emperor.
He has Gurney inform the ships above that they would meet their demise if they disobey his authority and assault him. The spice crops will be destroyed by their atomic bombs. As a result, space travel will come to a halt and spice production would come to an end as well. When the Reverend Mother Mohaim refuses to acknowledge that he is the Kwisatz Haderach—the one the Bene Gesserit have been trying to breed for centuries—Paul proceeds to silence her.
Additionally, she comes to the realization that she has no control over this incredibly desirable individual. Paul suggests to the Emperor that he and Princess Irulan be married so that he can succeed to the imperial throne and end their plight. He had promised Chani he would be by her side forever, thus this comes as a shock to her.
In his response, the Emperor uses derogatory language, including the accusation that his father is a weak man. Therefore, he initially turns down the offer. Paul, however, finds himself in a fatal knife fight with the champion selected by the Emperor, so things don’t go as to plan. In an effort to exact revenge on the harkens, Fade Rofer Gurney approaches Paul for permission to fight him. However, Paul is interrupted by Fade, who invokes the norms of Kaly against him, forcing Paul to engage in combat with Fade himself.
In a fit of carefree impulsiveness, Paul accepts to take on this task even though he could have figured out a method to avoid it. a way out of the Holy War, when the Fremen will unleash mayhem on the cosmos. He will continue to be an inspiration to his people in their jihad even after death, turning him into a martyr.
He is once again overwhelmed by the gravity of his mission and resolves to face Fade in a duel. In response to his cousin’s warm greeting, Fade says that Paul is far from being the first. we find out earlier in the film that he murdered his mother, therefore this is the first relative he has murdered. The well-choreographed fight, however, starts after brief playing introductions.
During their altercation, Fade taunts him, implying that he will adopt Charney as a pet; Paul sustains two knife wounds as a result. Paul takes advantage of Fade’s vulnerability at the end, leading him to think he was on the verge of defeat. Finally, after Paul kills Fade Rother, the Emperor has no choice but to grant Paul’s request and marry Princess Irulan.
Then Gurney returns with the bad news that the Great Houses will not recognize his authority; this causes Paul to issue an order to his Fremen army, telling them to deliver them to paradise. Paul’s drastic change is on full display in his choice to confront the Great Houses, who have rejected his succession claim, in an aggressive and confrontational manner.
Paul is carrying out the prophecy that was revealed in his visions by enlisting the Fremen in a savage crusade. The prophecy foretold galactic destruction. His determination to achieve victory through the narrow route has grown stronger since he drank the Water of Life, and his desire to take leadership of the Empire has only grown stronger.
So, Paul is unwavering in his pursuit of power, even though the Fremen have suffered losses. The movie version differs slightly from the book in that Paul is shown as accepting the Fremen’s role in their brutal holy war. It appears that the film follows the same timeline as the books, with the holy war taking place between Dune and Dune Messiah.
This means that the film’s ending is quite similar to the next book’s, suggesting that Paul wins but not without paying a heavy price. In an upcoming video, I will be delving more into some of the differences compared to the first book, particularly those around the ending.
How does this tie up with the film’s climax, though, for the time being? We learn at the very end that Charney calls a sandworm and sets out on her own adventure into the vast desert, abandoning Paul at his side. She shows she’s ready to face the problems that are heading her way, and it’s clear that she’s rejecting Paul’s careless quest of power for the moment.
As Charney decides to put some distance between herself and Paul, Jessica acknowledges her sympathy for him and displays her empathy for him earlier. Because Paul has chosen to follow a path of religious fanaticism, which goes against Charney’s convictions, this choice has been made. In a moving scene, though, Paul sees his mother and promises her that she will understand.
Many years later, in his second novel, Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert depicts events that this phrase alludes to. As the Fremen prepare to launch their holy war against the Great Houses, the concept of tyrannical messiahs will be heavily debated in the upcoming film.
But that was my video describing the events leading up to and including the conclusion of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part 2. Just as I mentioned in my review that didn’t include any spoilers, the film is fantastic. People will be talking a lot about the book adaption, the filmmaking in Part 2, and what Dune Messiah could bring.
I hope this summary was helpful in making sense of the plot and characters of the film for some of you; in any case, I’d love to hear your opinions on the film, so please share them with me in the comments. Be sure to stay tuned for all of my upcoming posts—including a Biggest Questions video and several essays—so you don’t miss a thing.
