DUNE: PART TWO is triumphant. A masterpiece that has to be seen to be believed. I never wanted this to end. Denis Villeneuve has crafted a brilliant, bleak and meaningful epic that further proves he’s a master of his craft. This is a sequel that takes everything that was great from the first film and somehow manages to improve upon it. Make no mistake, this is the second half of the story. Villeneuve has a deep understanding of Frank Herbert’s iconic novel. He understands the world, tone, characters and ideas, though he makes changes that could anger book purists. But the core of the films themes-war, dangers of a messiah complex, fate vs. free will, revenge, colonialism, ecology-they’re all here. I never wanted to leave Arrakis and was angry when I knew it was coming to an end because I couldn’t get enough. The battle sequences don’t take up a large chunk of time, but when they arrive, they’re incredible. That final standoff between Paul and Feyd… tense doesn’t even begin to describe it. The cast is sensational. Timothée Chalamet owns the film and completely blew me away. His transformation from the tragic prince into the legendary Lisan al Gaib is powerful and heartbreaking, leaving me floored and what Chalamet was able to bring to life here. There’s a scene where he has to give a big speech and I swear my heart skipped a beat. Zendaya is fantastic as Chani and serves as the core of the story in many ways. She is the heart and the heartbreak, as we see her love for Paul and her people race towards a fate she can’t stop and I love how Zendaya portrayed this. Austin Butler is ruthless and unsettling as Feyd, stealing every scene he’s in. A great antagonist that proves Butler has a great career ahead of him. Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Florence Fugh, Stellan Skarsgård, the entire cast here is simply incredible. Greg Frasers remarkable cinematography adds so much scale, beauty, and grandiosity to this film. His every choice is calculated and perfectly executed. I love how he and Denis use color here. This is a visual extravaganza and the VFX artists should be commended. I can’t remember a second where I didn’t feel transported to Arrakis and it’s beauty and horror and that’s thanks to their incredible work. And the film wouldn’t be the same without Hans Zimmer’s brilliant score. This world feels so tied to what Zimmer has created here in a way that Middle-Earth feels tied to Howard Shore. It’s a booming, beautiful, and epic soundtrack. The costume work, makeup, sound design, editing, everything here is executed perfectly. In the end, Dune: Part Two is a remarkable work of art. It’s everything I want from the cinema and sets a standard for what we should expect from our blockbusters. It absolutely lived up to my expectations and I can’t wait to see it again