'Dune: Part Two' Review

Gorgeous visuals and an excellent ensemble can't overcome its two bland lead performances and a muddled script

I should preface this review by saying that I am a huge fan of the original Dune novel, which I bought and read in preparation for watching the first film (I thought I had bought the book with too little time to read it before the release until it got fortuitously delayed an entire year). It’s an engrossing and highly readable for such a dense story brimming with a world that’s as real as Tolkien’s (who would resent that comparison).

I’m also a huge fan of Denis Villeneuve’s: ever since I watched Arrival in theaters back in 2016 I’ve eagerly followed his career and gone back and watched some his other masterpieces, including Prisoners and Sicario. He’s right up there with Nolan in terms of being able to work on an insanely massive scale and still leave his unique artistic fingerprints on the story.

That being said…