Dune Part 2 is a Sci-Fi Masterpiece With an Epic Scale

I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It on Screen

I walked out of an IMAX theater at nearly a loss for words for what I had experienced. “epic” and “monumental” where the only ones left. Nearly every scene was grandiose in scope, and the intimate scenes still had a transcendent weight. These were great men and women up to great things who would fundamentally reshape the course of human history on a galactic scale. Most blockbusters build up to a climax with a major showstopping scene. Dune Part 2 has several such scenes.

Just the introduction of one of the antagonists, Feyd-Rautha, occurs in a stadium-scale combat scene reminiscent of the ending of Gladiator. Nuclear weapons are used, and its even more spectacular than Oppenheimer. A Fremen army charges with a sandworm cavalry, and its more awe-striking than the Ride of the Rohirrim, or the final showdown between Thanos and the Avengers. In between these massive set pieces is gorgeous cinematography, with liminal desert scenes reminscient of Lawrence of Arabia.

And yet it all felt grounded. The rumbling of massive sandworms, the roar of fanatical crowds, and the intense action set-pieces created a visceral experience I’ve never felt from a film. Even though I have read the Dune book and went into this more or less knowing the…