FRENCH Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve continues to impress with 'Dune: Part Two'.
While 'Part One' was more of a slow introduction to the journey of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) whose family and people are killed by the ruthless Harkonen's on the desert planet of Arrakis, the second instalment sees him seeking revenge with the help of the indigenous Fremen tribe of warriors.
Along the way, the love story between Paul and Chani (Zendaya) of the Fremen blossoms as well, even though she is sceptical of her people's belief of his messianic position as the 'Chosen One' set to liberate them from occupying forces.
Paul's myth is cleverly propagated by his surviving mother, the Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), who is now a Fremen high priestess and pregnant with his clairvoyant sister.
After being accepted as one of the Fremen following some challenging tasks and participating in an atypical tradition, which unlocks his inner connection to the past and future, the fate of the universe now lies in the hands of Paul.
Meanwhile, the colonising forces led by the tyrannical Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) and his psychotic nephew Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler), in cohorts with the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe (Christopher Walken), are set on destroying the Fremen once and for all in order to totally secure the production of the ultra-valuable spice that's only found on Arakkis.
The complex and layered story involving the ensemble cast of characters is well presented.
Villeneuve has a strong eye for detail and visual aesthetics, which makes this film something that fans would want to watch multiple times.
Those who are not familiar with the source material might not be able to pick up on the subtleties and perhaps feel a little lost at times, but the general flow and gist of the story is easy enough to follow.
Cinematographer Greig Fraser who worked on 'Dune: Part One', and other visually excellent fare such as 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', 'The Batman' and 'The Creator', presents another spectacle for the eyes.
Panoramic vistas and arresting scenes of the environments and large-scale battle scenes, as well as the sequences featuring the gigantic sandworms are worth the price of admission alone.
The lived-in feel of the world, coupled with the various pseudo-retro gadgets, technology and beguiling costumes, all serve to add allure to the proceedings onscreen.
Topping it off are the enthralling music score and themes by Hans Zimmer, which further drive home the exotic and wondrous nature of the film.
Although the story stretches over the course of an almost three-hour runtime, it did not feel that long.
Some might find the first half of the movie a little slow before picking up later only to wrap things up pretty fast with an ending that sets up the next instalment.
Purists and those who have read the books will notice some glaring creative changes that Villeneuve has taken to make it more palatable to the mass audience of today.
It's expected since no feature film adaptation has ever copied wholesale from the source material.
But this does make it more interesting to see how Villeneuve will progress the overarching story and whether it will top this well-made second part of the expected trilogy.
Chalamet and Zendaya fans, as well as those curious enough to give this hard sci-fi epic a try, should watch it in an Imax theatre to experience the movie in all of its visually stunning glory.
NOW SHOWING
DUNE: PART TWO
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Starring Timothee Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem
Duration: 2 hr 46 mins
Rating: 13