As a big sci-fi/fantasy fan, I generally look forward to seeing new releases in this genre. However, when the first part of this story was released in 2021, I was sorely disappointed by this tedious, overlong slog that, despite its stunning visuals and cinematography, never really engaged me. Though, for all my disappointment with the initial installment, it can’t begin to compare to my reaction to “Part Two” – an even more tedious, unengaging, overly complicated offering that had me bored by 20 minutes in. I found myself not caring a whit about the characters or their story (which could have used a scorecard to help viewers sort out everything), and even the supposedly superior visuals of this iteration failed to capture my attention or interest. I can only conclude that I must be missing something, given the generally positive reactions and accolades this film and its predecessor have received, but I’m mystified that I haven’t yet figured out what. By all rights, the elements would appear to be in place here to make this picture succeed – a stellar cast, great special effects and the skillful directing of filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, who created such excellent works as “Arrival” (2016) and “Blade Runner 2049” (2017) – but “Part Two,” like its predecessor, just never grabbed me. To be honest, I’m truly surprised that I made it all the way through, considering the nearly constant temptation to want to fast-forward through the egregiously dull sequences (of there were many). From all this, I can only surmise that this film and the one that preceded it were created simply to milk as much box office money as possible out of the source material, despite the fact that the story isn’t captivating enough to live up to that challenge. Indeed, if you’re like me and found the first part boring, you’ll probably find this one even more tiresome and lackluster (I’m certainly glad that I waited for this one to come to streaming and didn’t waste my money on theater ticket prices). And now, as I understand it, another sequel, “Dune: Messiah,” is in pre-production to continue a story that has still yet to reach conclusion after more than five hours of screentime. Be aware that the “Dune” films are far from the quality of other lengthy trilogies like the “Lord of the Rings” and “Dark Knight” series, films that definitely hold viewer interest from start to finish. Instead, “Dune” and “Dune: Part Two” are more like such mind-numbing stand-alone offerings as “Heaven’s Gate” (1980), “Ishtar” (1987) and “Tenet” (2020) than anything of a genuinely epic nature. Treat the hype for this one with a hefty grain of salt, and don’t say you weren’t warned.
